DARK SOULS ☽ 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚢

𝔩𝔳𝔦𝔦𝔦 | seventh year

We all try to hide, as quickly as we can, but it's no use. Neville clumsily drops the sword to the ground, and the clatter alerts Snape of our presence. He walks through the archways into our view, his face tightened with anger and his cloaks billowing behind him. 

"What is the meaning of this?" He snaps, grabbing Neville by his collar, "You five should know better than to follow in the footsteps of Potter and friends." The sword sits at their feet, just laying there on the floor. I don't even think Snape notices it. 

Murderer. I stare at Snape, the hatred burning through me, "We just wanted to do the right thing," Neville says, "Harry deserves the sword. Dumbledore left it to him in his will." Good going, Neville. He has the right intentions, but he practically just alerted Snape as to what exactly we're doing–and the fact that we still have communications with Harry. 

"Detention." He says flatly, releasing Neville with a harsh push, "For the year. Report to the Carrows after dinner, starting right now. I'm sure they'll be pleased to instill discipline on such... delinquents." That's practically a death sentence, and I can see the fear in Neville's eyes. He's already had a horrible run in with the Carrows, and I can only imagine how horrible it is that he went through the same thing his parents went though, the Cruciatus Curse. 

And the Carrows must have loved it. 

Snape grabs the sword from the ground, puts it on his desk, and forces us out of his room. We stand outside of the staircase, awkwardly, for a moment, before the five of us begin to trudge our way to the office of the Carrows, McGonagall's old office and the second largest office in the castle after the Headmaster's. 

I groan, making eye contact with Ginny as she rolls her eyes. We walk into the doors slowly, ashamed, and dreading what's about to occur. Alecto and her brother are in a heated discussion, but when the five of us walk in, she turns around with a beaming smile on her face, laughing, "Neville, Luna, Daphne, Y/N, Ginevra," She says and I watch Ginny grimace and she calls her by her full name, "What a surprise to see you here."

Amycus speaks up, the hard lines of his face twisting into a horrible, accusatory look, "Don't fret, we're already aware of what you've done. Now, the punishment... that's what we need to figure out." His lips crawl into a monstrous smile, "Half-blood!" He says to me, as if he's calling my name. 

"I–" I stutter, confused, "Yes?"

"Let's get some of that dirty blood out of you." Alecto says with a smile. I bite my teeth hard, not letting them have the satisfaction of my reaction to the torture they have planned, "It's all tainted by this point, we might as well call you a mudblood."

"Shut it!" Ginny yells, suddenly. I give her a look, she shouldn't have done that, "She's just as much a witch as you are. Probably even more."

"Yeah, how much Muggle blood have you two got," Neville retorts, adding on to Ginny's attack. Daphne smiles at him, "You look like straight Muggles to me." Alecto's face puckers up with anger, turning red. She raises her wand, slashing it through the air violently with a harsh chuckle. Neville's cheek splits open, a large gash forming and blood pouring down his neck to stain the collar of his robes. 

Daphne protests, holding her sleeve to his face to try to stop the bleeding, "That's what I thought, Longbottom!" Alecto says, "You wouldn't want what happened to your poor, sweet parents to happen to you, right? Be careful what you say." She mimics a sad face, before turning to me.

"Let him go to the hospital wing," I plead, "Please."

"Shut your mouth, mudblood," she laughs, "Oh, I'll do it myself." She raises her wand again, and I brace myself for what's about to happen. She mutters the curse with ease, "Crucio!" The second her lips form the word, my body erupts in sharp pain. Pure pain. I can't think, I can't talk. I fall to the ground, crashing hard and writhing around, doing anything to stop it. Anything. 

I feel tears beginning to stream, but I can't even control them. My body can't take the pain and it tries its hardest to stop it. My heart bangs against my chest so fast I feel like it might explode. Then, it's over. I fall into a heap of tears and bruises as I hear the echoes of Amycus and Alecto's laughs, "That's enough detention for today. I'll see you five tomorrow night for something a little more... interesting."

❂

I stumble into Draco's room before he's even back from his head boy patrolling duties that the Carrows have assigned to him and Aurora. Probably just to catch kids getting back to their dorms not even a minute past curfew, and sending them to the Carrows' wrath. 

I walk into his private bathroom, my body still reeling from the torture inflicted upon it. My nose and ears are bleeding, and I scrub at them with a washcloth, but my hands just get stained red. Instead, I start the water in his shower, stripping down and sitting on the tile floor underneath the shower head, letting the water blend with my tears and my blood. 

I wash myself off, letting the warm water try to clean me, but it's no use. Nobody can get rid of what has happened to me. 

I move as if I'm in a trance; stepping out of the shower, turning off the water, drying my body. I rummage around in Draco's drawers trying to find something to wear. I settle on sweatpants and a t-shirt, two items of clothing I wouldn't imagine him having, and pull back the blankets on his bed, curling up underneath them. 

What's wrong with me? I fall asleep, wishing he was lying next to me.