a/n

WELCOME

&

T R I G G E R — W A R N I N G,

This book contains scenes that may be found triggering to people.

Such as sexual scenes, abuse, sexual assault, rape, suicide attempt, psychological
trauma, self-harm and character deaths.

Trigger warnings will be put out at the beginning of each chapter to prepare you
for what's about to come.

But it's also, apart from the darkness, truly a beautiful story and I really hope
you'll give it a chance.

Thank you for being here, and I hope you'll love it as much as I do.

I've been receiving comments and private messages that some of you have lived
through a similar relationship to the ones in this book.

I want you all to know that you're not alone and that you are so loved. I'm here
for every single one of you, no matter what you may need. Never hesitate to
reach out to me.

Much Love, Juneekarl.

_____

Cast,

All the characters in this book are over the age of 18.
 Amelie Avery, played by - Maia Mitchell.

Theodore Nott, played by - Lorenzo Zurzolo.

Draco Malfoy, played by - Tom Felton.

Or - Otto Seppäläinen. This is Cursed Draco to me, but feel free to imagine
whomever you'd like <3

Adrian Pucey, played by - Scot Fearn.

Hermione Granger, played by - Emma Watson.

Pansy Parkinson, played by - Scarlett Byrne.

 Blaise Zabini, played by - Louis Cordice.

Narcissa Malfoy, played by - Helen McCrory.

 Lucius Malfoy, played by - Jason Isaacs.

Voldemort / The Dark Lord, played by - Tom Hughes.

I do own Amelie and the plots created by me, but other than that, I do not own
any of the characters/events in this book. All credits go to J.K Rowling. (aka
dobby ofc!!)
 Prologue

They say that pain demands to be felt — and perhaps it does,

Maybe you're meant to tremble, to kneel as you fall at the feet of the devil, and
that's what she did.

Amelie fell, heavily into a vow of magic, with a monster — a thief that robbed
her of the limited time, called life.

And the sinner, who cursed her life so badly, was the future of her haunted mind.

But she was also saved, guarded by a different boy who loved her more than life
itself, and he would give his soul to protect hers.

They would constantly tear the world apart to keep each other in pieces.

Some might say Malfoy was menacing, dangerous — but he was her safe,

And she — she lived to be his everything.

" I will always save you, and you're safe with me." Draco's hand rested on her
jawline, watching as her lower lip quivered,

" You're always safe with me, Amelie."

" Really?"

" Really."
 Zero

In which love lived to be lethal, and sin strived to heal all.

 One

This chapter contains scenes of abuse. Please read with caution.

_____

'' You will always have me, deal?''

_____

Her eyes rolled at the brown-haired boy holding in front of her, '' Don't tempt
me, Theodore,'' She smiled as he placed closer. His bushy brows furrowed, a
smile climbed his lips.

'' Or what, Amelie?'' He snorted, '' Will you hex me if I do?''

Hermione shouldered him away from Amelie as laughter escaped his throat, "
Relax, Granger," He caught a step pack, his hands stretched in the air for
surrender.

" Don't you know what a joke is? You don't have to be that uptight all the time,"
Both Amelie and Hermione rolled their eyes at the smirking boy before them,

'' Funny thing, Nott,'' Hermione mocked, her books firmly hugged to her chest,
''You won't think it's funny anymore when I am the one hexing you.''

Her tells earned a chuckle to fall of Amelie's lips as Theodore scratched the back
of his head in theory — the two girls always toyed with him, and he loved it.

He always cherished the power of making people around him happy.

Theo grumbled something underneath his breath as he shot Hermione a glare,

and she returned it with a proud smile. Her eyes flickered over the busy hallway
until they caught on to something — something that made the amused look on
her face fall. Her shoulders sunk,
'' Hermione, what are you—'' Amelie rose, concerned for her friend. She was just
about to turn around when his hand touched her shoulder,

Her heart stopped.

Amelie didn't even have to look at the boy standing behind her to understand
who it was.

The large hand on her tensed shoulder tightened, '' Standing a bit too close, are
you, Nott?'' His words tore through her ears as she stood frozen in time. She
didn't dare to move.

Her eyes matched Theodore's, looking terrified at her best friend as he once
again scratched the back of his neck,

'' Calm down, mate. It's just a conversation, isn't it, ladies?'' He sought to be
funny, but Amelie couldn't find any pleasure in his words. She was too
frightened, almost shaking as the hand on her shoulder yanked her back.

'' Amelie has somewhere to be.'' His voice held dark, vicious as he continued to
pull her away from her friends.

She felt the drowning sensation chew at her bones as he dragged her across the
hallway, in a way he always did when he had his mind set — away from
everything and everyone.

Amelie knew what was about to happen to her. She held the truth of what he was
about to do — something he had done so many times before, and all she wished
for as he dug the tips of his fingers deeper into the skin of her arm,

Was for this to end.

She suffered her oxygen as he shoved her into a closet at the end of the corridor.
He liked this cabinet. It was distanced from the classrooms and the part of the
hallways where students usually spent their time.

He rose his wand towards the wooden door, mumbling '' Muffliato '' beneath his
breath before he turned around to face her,

'' Not a sound, darling.''

She had no strength in looking at him. She didn't dare to, in the awareness of
how much worse things could get.

He stared at her, evilly, in a way he always did before the pain was to be
welcomed. The crease between his eyebrows exposed her gravest nightmare
because she had seen it — felt it so many times before.

'' Adrian, please,'' Amelie begged, the pitch of her voice broke in desperation, '' I
wasn't doing anything.''

Her eyes pleaded his in the complete need for mercy but to no use. His curled-up
fist collided roughly with the cage of her chest, and the wind in her lungs missed
her altogether.

Amelie dropped to her knees as he shouted, '' Get up—''

His eyes flared in violence, his voice spat in malice, more than ready to hurt her
again.

'' I said — get up.''

But Amelie couldn't move. The beat he granted her hit closely to where she
received one last night, and the pain it brought was unbearable.

After years of abuse — you could think that it wouldn't hurt anymore. That it
would get easier, that the pain and the constant haunting of your mind would
sense a tiny bit of peace, but it didn't.

It didn't get easier. That was hardly wishful thinking because every time his
hands were to be placed on her, it ached even graver.

Adrian was close to losing his temper at her disobedience. The blood flushing
through his veins fumed at her, not obeying him by standing up again.

An amused, devilish curve appeared on his upper lip as he stared down at her
weak, trembling figure, '' Suit yourself then.'' He grinned with pure spite
dripping off his tongue before the front of his shoe booted her stomach.

The vile act made a cry flee her lips — a tear rolled down her drained cheek as
the blasts of bleak pain shredded throughout her vessels,
'' Adrian—'' She pleaded, '' I didn't— I didn't do anything.''

Amelie nearly choked on the tang of her own blood, '' Please—''

He ignored the spoken words like he usually did. He looked down at her again,
enjoying the view of her breaking at the tips of his fingers.

The wickedness of his mind swirled as he gripped her by her throat, narrowing
his sinful green eyes in hers, '' You know better than to disobey me.'' He growled
at her, making her flinch by the harsh tones in his speaking,

'' And you know better than to be that close to Nott.''

Her lashes battled the tears she felt coming, the salty liquid poured down her
cheek as he gripped it, in a coarse hold of her jaw — Adrian shoved her back,
right into the brick-covered wall behind her,

'' You're worthless, and you're aware of that, isn't that right, Amelie?''

Her spine struck heavily with the stone as a whimper left her throat, and slowly
she slipped down the wall, drawing her knees up to her chest, as she always did.

In this position, with her knees hugged to her chest and her arms tightly wrapped
around them — she felt safe, small. She felt as if he wouldn't hurt her if she
made herself invisible, tiny.

She nodded, agreeing to what he had called her, even if she didn't catch it.

Amelie's vision was dizzy in tears, her mind clouded as he caught a step closer,
kneeling down beside her, '' I want you to say it, Amelie. I want you to tell me
just how worthless you are.''

Adrian's head tilted to taunt her shaking figure, '' Say it—''

'' I am—'' A cough hewed her off as he rolled his eyes at her weakness,

'' Well, go on, continue.'' He spat at her eagerly, once again grabbing her chin to
bend her face closer to his, '' Say it.''

His eyes stared viciously into hers, his jaws gritted.

''I'm worthless,'' Amelie cleared, her breaths in flutters as her bones crumbled in
pain,

And with that — the severe hold of her chin loosened. The cruel gaze softened
as he stared deeply into her eyes,

'' You see, love.'' He held, stroking the spine of his hand over her tear-stained
cheek, '' That wasn't so hard, was it?''

Amelie released a shaky breath as his thumb stroked the salty liquid off her skin,
'' I love you, you know.'' He whispered, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

The words spoken made her insides twist, her blood iced as she forced a smile
through the torture, '' I know. I love you too.''

Adrian shot her a slight nod, tucking a curl behind her ear, '' You understand
why I had to take you in here? Why I had to do this?'' He asked her,

'' I do.'' She kept a brave smile on her lips, '' I understand.''

And she did. She did understand why he did this. She had mistreated him. She
had gone against everything he had taught her.

Her vision cleared as she forced herself off the ground, " Go clean yourself up. I
don't want you to look like that at dinner."

He gestured towards her numb body as she smiled, courageously wiping the drip
of blood falling from her lower lip.

" Of course." Amelie held her breath, taking a trembling step past him, and as
she did — he roughly gripped her by the neck,

" Let me be clear, love. If you as much as look at Nott again—" Adrian's breaths
fanned her shoulder as his grip hardened,

" Well, you know what happens if you don't do as I say."

_____

She slipped down to her seat next to Adrian, sending him a sweet smile to hide
the fact that she had been crying all afternoon,

Amelie always crawled up on the tile floor of her bathroom, feeling the heated
water from the shower jets soaring over her bruised skin after Adrian's
punishment.

Her body was covered in them. Bruises, marks, cuts — yet she couldn't find the
strength in hating the boy who constantly brought torture upon her.

She loved Adrian — at least that's what he always told her. That he loves her and
that she loves him. That they are meant for each other, and that the life she was
living was the way it had to be.

She has to love him. She had promised to do so. She had taken a vow to one day
marry the heartless boy, and if she ever broke that promise — she would die
within the consequences of it.

Amelie looked at her lover, '' I missed you.'' He smiled down at her, planting a
kiss on her cheek before stretching back up,

'' I missed you too.'' She greeted him back, nearly wincing by the hand he placed
on her thigh. He gave her a light squeeze below the table as he gawked warmly
into her eyes,

Theodore cleared his throat for attention as he stretched over the table,'' Did you
hear about Malfoy?'' His voice scored low, '' The date is set.''

Amelie's brows furrowed. Her face fell into a confused grimace, '' What date?
For—''

The two boys huffed at her question, rolling their eyes, '' Hush down, will you?
We don't want the whole hall to hear about...'' Theo's tells quieted, '' About, you
know, the mark.''

Amelie nodded, stretching her spine, not to pay her best friend more affection
than she needed to. She was scared of her boyfriend and what he would do to her
if she did.

The words Adrian had spoken to her prior to them going to dinner scored
severely through her mind, ''Let me be clear, love — if you as much as look at
Nott again, you're dead,"

'' Well—'' Adrian sighed, '' She's nothing more than a pretty face, aren't you,
love? You never fitted well in Ravenclaw.''

Adrian's words hurt her as she swallowed thickly in an attempt to ignore the
cruel statement.

'' But yes, Nott. I heard. Too bad Malfoy has the habit of being impatient.''
Adrian continued, rolling his tongue on the inside of his mouth, '' Being greedy
isn't a good look on a man.''

Theodore pushed his lips into a firm line, shooting him an annoyed look, '' Don't
say that out loud, Pucey. It's Malfoy you're talking about.'' He leaned back in his
chair, nervously towing the ragged wood of the table,

''Only a fool would be scared of Malfoy. I'm not even sure that he'll manage to
become one,'' Adrian mocked through gritted teeth, his hand around Amelie's
thigh tensed as the other one rushed through his hair.

There was no secret in how much Adrian and Draco loathed each other —
everything had always been a battle between the two rivals, a never-ending game
for the throne as the most powerful Death Eater.

Her hand settled upon his, tenderly stroking the spine of it in an effort to calm
him down — she was terrified that he was on the edge of losing his temper,

'' Adrian.'' She pleaded, '' Look at me.''

He did as she asked, his green eyes narrowed in hers, '' Should I sleep in your
room tonight?''

'' Why? Did you plan on sleeping somewhere else?'' His voice deepened as he
gripped her hand, crushing it in his hold, '' Did you?''

Amelie bravingly smiled at his words, seeking to pry his hand off hers before he
had the power to crush it entirely, '' Adrian, of course not.''

She whimpered, feeling as her bones caved in his grip, '' Adrian, please — let go
of me,''
He huffed as pain sprayed through her veins. Her face fell into a grimace of hurt
before she managed to pull her hand back. She hid her bruised hand underneath
the table, not for her best friend to see what he had been doing to her,

Amelie wanted to cry. She tried to speak against the boy who constantly hurt her
so badly, to freely talk her mind — but she couldn't. She was a slave to his
abuse.

'' Bloody disgrace,'' Adrian muttered underneath his breath, and she once again
swallowed the words he had spoken to her. She grasped at her sore fingers,
striving to not let her pooling eyes fail her.

She was ashamed. She was ashamed of what he had done to her.

Her sight dragged over the table, avoiding every set of eyes she felt burning onto
her, and just as she was about to force her chair back — to take herself out of the
situation she found herself in, she flinched.

She felt Theodore's foot nudge hers underneath the table, making her eyes snap
to his — he shot Adrian a quick look, only to see that he wasn't paying attention
to them anymore. He used the opportunity by mouthing the words, meet me
outside, and by that, he stood from his seat, marching out the Great Hall.

Amelie's sights grew wide in hesitation, not wanting to make her boyfriend mad.
Still, she could use the company of Theo right now.

She could use the safety she knew he would bring her. He was always the one
soothing her in times of need. That's why she kept on going — that's why she
didn't give in to her troubled mind, because she needed her best friend, and she
knew that he needed her too.

An unsteady breath fled her lips as her neck snapped to Adrian's, '' I'll be right
back.'' She spoke quietly before rising from her seat. He ignored her words, even
when she knew that he caught them.

Amelie quickly marched out of the Great Hall. She stopped right outside the
doors as she looked around, searching for Theodore,

'' Here—'' Theo whispered, snapping his fingers to earn her attention.
He stood hidden in a corner, waving his hand at her, '' Come with me.''

She walked after him as he disappeared into a deserted corridor. His hand
grabbed hers to pull her into a hug,

'' Don't do that, Theodore.'' She hushed down, burying her head into his chest, ''
Don't ask me to follow you like that. You scared me.''

A peel of laughter left his lips as he watched down at her, '' That's the point,
Amelie,'' He hissed, playfully poking her to the side.

Her brows furrowed, glaring at his face — the thick layers of brown hair fell
messily over his forehead as he rose a brow, noticing how something was wrong
with her,

'' Amelie, are you alright?'' Theodore asked her, arching his head to see her
correctly, '' You seem—''

He cut himself off, knowing how much that question could trigger something
within her. Instead, he placed a gentle hand on her cheek. His thumb stroked
over her soft skin.

She couldn't form a word. Her eyes tore from his, not wishing to break down in
front of her friend. She just stood there, gathering the strength she knew she
would need to tell him about what just had happened with Adrian,

That he hurt her in silence, just inches away from him.

She knew she had to tell him — because lying to Theodore wasn't something she
was comfortable doing.

Theo was aware of the cursed relationship she had with Adrian. He knew
everything, and the number of times he had tried to stop it was uncountable. He
wanted to help her. He tried to end her misery — but she refused to let him.

Every time he sought to convince her to leave, to save her from the devil himself
— she rejected it. All of this, all of her and Adrian was about so much more, and
to just walk away wasn't an option for her.

Her father had promised her hand away to the Pucey's at such a young age, and
with a vow like that, there wasn't anything to be done.

Amelie's eyes leveled his, sending him a sweet smile before her hand stretched
in between them,

'' He—'' She choked on her own saliva,

'' He did—''

'' Mhm.'' Theodore hummed, gently taking her hand in his, '' I can see that. If you
just let me—''

His other hand shoved into his pocket as his fingers grasped around his wand, ''
Here.''

He rose it, mumbling something below his breath, and the bright light of the
healing magic he used trapped the air in her lungs.

The pain she felt pounding slowly dripped away, and it was as if she could
breathe again.

He pulled away, shyly smiling to himself, '' There you go.''

It was a remarkable thing — Theodore and his eye for healing. He was quite
good at it, and he loved helping people who found themselves in need.

'' Thank you.'' Amelie smiled, taking a shoe closer to her friend as her head fell
against his shoulder. He held her closely for minutes, and the both of them
became just a little less broken of that.

'' I'm scared, Amelie.'' He whispered into her hair. '' I don't know how to do this,
any of this. I know it's just a mark, but—''

She could feel his body tense as the relieving scent of honey filled her senses —
that was something she always loved about him, that he scented like honey.

'' But I didn't know if I—''

'' I know.'' She whispered back, her arms clung around him, '' I am too, but we
have each other, alright? I'm not letting you go through this alone.'' She
encouraged him,

'' You will always have me, deal?''

She could feel her heart slightly breaking — he didn't deserve this. He didn't do
anything to deserve any of this. He was pure, kind, gentle. Theodore was the best
person she knew, and still, he was doomed to the life his family had picked out
for him,

He was fated to be a Death Eater.

Theodore nodded, still keeping her close, ''Deal.''

The sound of harsh footsteps echoed through the hallway, making both of them
quickly jump apart. Their necks clocked the blonde-haired Slytherin walk closer,
with a cruel smile arched on his lips,

'' Well, well, well. Cozying up to each other again, are we?'' Draco laughed,
narrowing his grey eyes in hers, '' Tell me, Avery. What would Adrian think if
he were to find out about this?''

She could practically feel her veins ice. Her breaths hitched as she felt small by
his large towering.

This wasn't something rare to her — to be trapped in the conquering of the two
Slytherin rivals.

'' Easy there, mate.'' Theodore broke the silence as he stepped in front of her,
shielding her from the blonde,

'' No need to be rude, Malfoy.''

Her eyes fell over Theodore's suit-covered back before hitting the ground. She
wished for the floor to swallow her whole — she was terrified of Adrian finding
out about any of this.

Draco let out another chuckle, catching a step closer to her as his eyes gazed
over her, and as they did — they clocked her swollen, still bruised hand,

'' That's a nasty break you have there.'' Draco mumbled, snatching her wrist in a
sudden move, '' Make sure to take care of it, will you?''

Amelie's bottom lip sucked in between her teeth as her head bowed. He dropped
her hand out of his, eyeing the two friends down before he rose his chin,
continuing his walk down the hallway — leaving both Amelie and Theodore
doubtful behind.

_____

Amelie walked her way down the Slytherin dungeons, proud over herself that
she was for once — on time to meet her boyfriend.

Even if she was a Ravenclaw and a brilliant one at that, she could never keep
track of time. It was one of her most significant flaws, as her mother used to say.

Her knuckles collided with his door, over and over, patiently waiting for her
lover to open it, but nothing. Not a sound from inside his room — and that made
her doubtful, suspicious.

Amelie's hand dove into her pocket before she brought out her wand,
whispering, '' Alohomora,''

And the instant the door clicked open, her eyes pooled.

She watched Adrian, naked, on top of Pansy.

_____
 Two

This chapter contains scenes of violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

'' Maybe we should just run away together?''

_____

She loves him. She loves him. She loves him.

She has to love him — there's no other way out of this for her. It's either loving
the boy who turned out to be her biggest nightmare or dying.

Amelie found herself desperately knocking on Theodore's door, not holding any
truth in how she got here, how she managed to leave the scene she had walked in
on moments before. Her knuckles collided heavily with the wood as she sought
to wake him up,

She knew he had gone to bed already — he usually went to bed early because he
loved waking up before sunrise.

Studying the sun as it traveled across the mountain line, with his dearest book in
his hand in the hours when no one else was to be awake, lived to be one of his
favorite things to do.

'' Please, please, please, be here.'' Amelie whispered to herself, '' Please wake
up.''

Her hands kept slamming against the timber, harder and harder with every struck
— it wasn't even on her mind at this time that she could've been using her wand.
Her mind was clouded,

Not even a minute later, following several pounds on his door, Theodore finally
swung it open, and there he stood. The boy who always came to her rescue. The
boy who made the strains of pain easier.

He stood confused, nearly disorientated in his newly awakened state. His hands
curled up into fists as he scratched them against his drowsy eyes,

The instant his arms fell to his sides, exposing his bare chest — he clocked her
skin.

How the tears that had been falling, left prints, how the tip of her nose grew red
as if she had been rubbing against it to dry the lost liquid.

'' What happened—'' He sought to speak, the instant her ears noted the weary
tones slipping his tongue, her arms flew around his chest.

She buried her head into his warm skin, draining him of the warmth he always
sought to grant her with. Theodore held her back, as close as he possibly could.

He backed fully into his room again, with her still hugged around him. It felt as
though she couldn't breathe. The continuance of her having her heart broken
made her tremble.

Amelie's entire body shook violently as Theo bent down, burying his head into
her shoulder, and there they stood, for what felt like hours.

Just holding each other.

His hands stroked her back as she whimpered, trails and trails of sobs fled her
throat as they burned into his skin,

Theodore's insides wrenched, his heart shattered for her. He couldn't bear to see
her like this.

" Tell me, Amelie." He whispered, " Tell me what Adrian did."

Her head shook — she didn't want to. She didn't want to tell him because the
moment she said it out loud, it would become real.

Her nose brushed against the softness of his chest, " He—"

" He—"
Another sob escaped her throat,

" He was with—"

She sucked in a harsh breath as she felt her body following the gentle
movements he made. He softly swayed them from side to side,

" He was with Pansy again."

Theodore's whole body tensed as he huffed, and instead of staying still with her,
he slowly dragged her with him. He placed himself on the edge of his bed,
pulling her in between his legs,

" You look pretty today." He mumbled as she leaned back and a shy smile
arched in the corner of her lips at the compliment,

He always knew how to make her smile, even in a heartbreaking moment like
this — he made her blush.

" There she is," Theodore smiled back, tucking a wavy strand of hair behind her
ear, " There's my pretty girl."

Her eyes rolled as her hand rose to wipe her tears off with the edge of her sleeve,

He stretched his hand up to match her doings, his palm against her cheek as his
thumb stroked the liquid away,

" No one deserves those tears, love. No one. Remember that."

She smiled again, still standing in between his legs, " Except you."

Theo chuckled, rubbing circles on her chin, " No one except me then."

He looked at her in a way only he did, almost feeling her cracking heart, '' I love
you, Amelie. You know that, right?'' He pulled her inches closer, '' Just say the
words, and I will end him.''

'' I know.'' She answered, quietly, '' I know, Teddy. I love you too.''

The missing beat of her heart found her again as Theodore pulled them back,
making her lay next to him on the soft sheets of his bed.
His shoulder next to hers as she sought to look for his hand — she took it in
hers, braiding their fingers together in the silence,

'' You're plotting, aren't you?'' Amelie finally giggled out at his quietness, ''
You're not killing Adrian, you know?''

A loud groan scored him as his head tilted to the side, his bushy brows furrowed,
'' Please, just let me—''

'' No.'' She hewed him off, her forehead fell against his, '' We're not killing
anyone.''

He groaned again, rolling his eyes at her as he peered down at their fingers.
Nothing but their beating hearts echoed the silent room,

'' Do you think we will make it?'' He hushed down, " I mean, do you think we
can beat this?''

She found herself staring at him, nearly breathless. His green eyes dragged to
hers as she fell lost into them, '' I know we will.''

Theo's fingers tensed around hers, '' Do you promise to stay with me forever,
then?'' He reached their hands up in between them, gently planting a kiss on the
spine of hers,

'' Forever, Teddy.''

Amelie flinched as he propped himself up on his elbows, rolling over to the side
so that he almost laid on top of her, '' No matter what?''

She smiled at him. The brown strands of hair were a complete mess upon his
head, '' No matter what, Theo.''

His eyes narrowed, his breaths hitched, and she could see that flash of fear
flicker in his eyes — even if he didn't tell her, she knew. She knew how much all
of this frightened him.

Theodore never wanted this. He never wanted the mark or the legacy his friends
craved to get. He wished to live in peace, to do what he dreamed of,
'' Promise me you won't let the mark change me, Amelie.'' His head sunk to the
crook of her neck, '' Please don't let it change me.''

'' I would never let anything change you. You know that.'' She mumbled into his
hair, scrunching her nose at it tickled it, '' I promise you that.''

'' Maybe we should just run away together?'' She whispered. His head arched as
he looked at her confused, and his eyes pooled.

'' Would you do that for me?'' He smiled through his pain, '' Would you actually
run away with me?''

Her hands brushed through his hair, '' You know I would do anything for you,''

But he simply ridiculed at her words, scoffing at her, '' Right... You can't even
leave that bloody boyfriend —''

'' Don't.'' She hushed him.'' You know that I don't have a choice... My father,''

He cut her off by pushing a finger up to her lips as he looked up at her. '' I know,
love. I know,''

Amelie fell asleep in Theodore's arms that night. She hadn't done so in a long,
long time, but tonight — tonight she needed to.

Adrian had done this so many times before, cheating on her wasn't a rare thing,
and every time it hurt a little less. She was dreaming about the day he would fall
in love with someone else and finally leave her — maybe then, she could stop
drowning,

Amelie didn't feel anything anymore. She was numb, a lifeless body wandering
through life without cause.

______

As the sun tickled her eyelashes — and the dawn arrived. She peeled her eyes
open.

'' Amelie, are you in there?''

The hoarse voice infusion with the loud banging on the door made her flinch.
She shot up from her resting position, and her eyes dragged over the room in
complete confusion to where she was.

The book, lying on the nightstand, caught her attention, and she, within seconds,
realized where she was.

It was a copy of Romeo and Juliet.

It was Teddy's favorite book, and he had been carrying it around with him for
ages, ever since she gifted him with it, all those years ago.

'' Amelie—'' Adrian growled from outside the door again, and the severity in his
shouting made the windows clinker. '' Amelie. I swear to God.''

Theodore seized a deep breath from beside her as he jolted up from the mattress.

His hair was messy, his eyes drunken in sleep as he brushed his knuckles against
them. The green eyes stared at her in doubt before they caught another boot —
slamming roughly against the door.

'' Is he—''

Her nod hewed Theodore off, and he slipped off the bed, spinning around
confusingly to where his clothes could've been.

'' Amelie, this is the last warning.'' Adrian threatened once more, but the second
Theo's eyes caught the pile of clothes on the floor — the door flung open.

The vile eyes placed on Amelie in a heartbeat. Adrian eyed her down, watching
as she sat folded into Theodore's green sheets. The tips of her fingers grasped
around the fabric harder, and she was terrified.

She knew what that darkened, provoked look in his eyes meant — and that she
could do nothing to stop the beast she had woken.

Adrian's eyes snapped to Theodore as he stood in nothing but his boxers, and
that was more than enough for the cruel boy to lose his mind.

The heartless boy lost it, utterly by the look of them, and he rushed up to
Theodore, making the brunette's spine struck the wall.

'' You disgust me, you know that, Nott?'' Adrian seethed, '' Taking advantage of
helpless young girls. Is that what you do, Theodore?''

Theo blinked quickly as Adrian stepped closer, '' We didn't do—''

'' Don't you dare lie to me.'' Adrian's teeth gritted, accusingly pointing a finger
close to Theo's face,

'' Never lie to me, Nott.''

Amelie felt the panic of them bickering grow within. She couldn't just sit there
and watch as Adrian keep threatening Theodore's life. She needed to do
something.

'' But I'm telling you, Adrian. All we did was sleep—'' Theodore didn't even
stand a chance against the raging Slytherin as his hand snaked around Theo's
throat, making the brunette heave for air.

'' What was that?'' Adrian snapped, raising a brow as his fingers gripped harder
around his skin.

Amelie forced herself off the mattress, stumbling her way up to her boyfriend
and her best friend,

'' Adrian, stop.'' But her whimper left her lips weakly, and all Adrian did was
laugh at her.

His neck clocked hers as he grinned devilishly, '' Isn't this what I warned you
about, Amelie? Didn't I tell you to stay away from this pathetic excuse of a
boy?''

Theodore's hands clawed at Adrian's arms, but nothing — the boy, didn't even
budge.

'' I wasn't—'' Amelie swallowed the cry she felt coming, '' I didn't do anything,
Adrian. I'll go with you, right now if you want me too just don't hurt—''

'' Don't—'' Teddy choked out, '' Don't go.''

Her eyes pooled as Adrian's eyes flickered between the two best friends.

'' I see.'' Adrian smirked even broader, '' Choose, Amelie.''

She frowned. Her hands on his arm as she tried to pry him off.

'' Don't, please. I'll do anything, just let Teddy go.'' Her grip slipped off of him,
and she stepped back, showing the cruel boy that she was giving up.

Adrian couldn't possibly do anything to her that he hadn't done before, but Theo
didn't deserve this — all he did was comfort and fix what Adrian broke the night
before.

She would continually break herself if it means that Teddy stayed in one piece.

Amelie didn't have many friends. She couldn't spend time with anyone while
having Adrian around, and the person she had been confiding in her whole life
was Theodore.

Teddy was her savior.

'' So you're giving up?'' Adrian mocked her, loosening the hold of Theo.

Her jaws ticked, '' Yes. I'm giving up.''

'' That easily?'' He questioned her again, eyeing her down, '' That's a first.''

'' Just don't—'' But before she could speak her mind. Adrian's fist collided
heavily with Theodore's jaw, and he fell more than helplessly to the floor.

Amelie gasped as Adrian turned to her. His eyes darkened, '' That's the problem,
Amelie.'' He hissed, snatching a handful of her hair.

'' You seem to confide in everyone and give up so easily for anybody but me.''
His face held close to hers, '' And that you shouldn't do.''

He pushed her away, making her body fly into the wall next to them.

'' Maybe I should have a word with Malfoy more often,'' He grinned as he peered
over his shoulder to look at the boy still struggling on the ground.
'' He was more than happy to tell me about your little meeting in the halls last
night,'' He taunted her breaking self, '' One more time, Amelie.''

'' I dare you.''

His eyes narrowed in hers as he shot her a disgusting look, and then — then he
stormed out.

Leaving her wounded on the floor next to her best friend.

_____

Amelie stood outside the classroom, ready to get the last period for the day over
with so she could sneak up to the hospital wing and see her best friend.

She took him there after Adrian had marched out of Theo's room yesterday
morning. The broken jaw needed to be fixed in ways Amelie had no knowledge
of.

'' Where is the sidekick?'' Draco leaned onto the wall next to her, his shoulder
against hers, and that simple touch — made her wince.

But during the years of abuse — Amelie has caught on to how to hide it, how to
flinch within, for no one to notice.

She didn't answer. Amelie stayed quiet as Draco nudged her to the side again, '' I
asked you—''

'' And I don't want to answer that.''

Her cold tone made Draco frown, '' Well. Someone is in a bad mood.''

Amelie simply swallowed the blonde's statement. She knew that she wasn't
getting rid of him. They had this class together almost every afternoon, and
Draco — somehow always stayed close to her during it.

He didn't know anyone else in that group of students, and it terrified him — to
be shown off as lonely.

'' I don't know why you are all mad and rude to me today, but I'd watch it if I
were you. No one talks to me—''

'' I can't do this,'' Amelie mumbled as her head shook. She gripped the books she
had hugged to her chest harder before walking away from the blonde one.

Her steps echoed throughout the empty hallway as she made her way to the only
place she knew she could find an ounce of peace.

The bookshelves stood majestic around her as she slid down next to her usual
one.

It was quiet, calm in between the books.

She always loved being in libraries. She had one of her own at home, and when
she spent time in the haunted house, her childhood home — she never left it,
mainly because her father never once took a step into it.

Her head fell back, and the dust glimmered at the afternoon strokes of sun.

She breathed it in slowly, carefully. The silence was the best part.

No one was here to tell her what to say or what to do. No one was here to rob her
of her dignity or her human rights.

She was alone, in the utter quietness.

'' What was that about?'' Draco's spine rolled around a corner as he raised a brow
towards her, '' Why did you run off like that?''

Amelie flinched, deeply buried into her hidden thoughts and the act of him
sneaking up on her made her jolt off the floor.

'' What are you—''

'' I asked you a question, Avery.''

'' And I told you that I didn't want to answer.''

Draco's tongue rolled on the inside of his cheek as he stared her down, '' And
why is that? Why don't you want to answer a question as simple as this one?''
Her face fell into sorrow, and she could feel that every breath she sought to take
hurt.

'' Because this is your fault,'' Amelie mumbled, keeping her sight grounded.

She couldn't look at him — knowing that Theodore got hurt because of Draco
and the lack he had of her privacy.

'' What was that?'' Draco kept his tone severe, nearly accusing.

'' Nothing.'' She felt small, threatened by his large frame towering over her small
one, '' I'd like to go now.''

Draco frowned. The crease between his brows grew, '' Where are you going? We
have class, Avery—''

''To the infirmary—'' Her eyes grew wide as she met his grey ones, and her teeth
sunk into her bottom lip.

He wasn't supposed to know.

'' Why are you going to the infirmary?'' His eyes stayed in hers, watching as her
mind spun. She needed to come up with a lie, fast — but no matter how hard she
tried to.

Amelie couldn't lie.

Her jaws tensed, and her eyes flickered, '' Theodore.''

'' Nott?'' Draco sounded more than surprised, '' What is he—''

'' Don't.'' Amelie took a shoe back, '' Don't ask me questions about this,''

She didn't want him to know that, what he had told Adrian the night before —
hurt both her and Teddy. She didn't want Draco to understand what Adrian was
doing to her.

No one could know.

'' And why is that?'' Draco stepped closer as she kept walking backwards, '' Why
can't I ask what happened to Nott?''
It was as if he realized something because his face shifted in amusement.

'' Did Pucey teach him a lesson?''

Amelie's veins iced. Her breaths hitched in the back of her throat, '' I—''

'' You, what? Maybe you shouldn't spend that kind of time with Nott, and none
of this would've happened.''

Draco still had no clue what had passed, but as the boy he lived to be — he kept
going.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt more than trapped in the situation she found
herself in.

'' Is that hard on you, Avery? Knowing that I told your little boyfriend what you
and Nott were doing—''

'' You have no idea of what you're talking about.'' Amelie fired back, narrowing
her eyes in his.

The tamed temper she strived to contain failed her.

'' Don't I?'' Draco laughed, his hand slammed against his chest, '' You see, Avery.
It looks to me like you did this to yourself.''

_____
 Three

This chapter contains scenes of violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

'' You're right. I don't care.''

_____

Days passed, and Adrian didn't even look at her. He didn't spare her a single
word as he muttered in complete quietness.

This was — to her, the worst type of punishment. The silence, because she knew
that after calm weather, a storm would arise, and Adrian happened to be the
worst of storms.

She stood in her room, looking over herself in the mirror in front of her, and all
she wanted to do — was to cry. The dress Adrian had bought her this summer
fitted her perfectly. It was dark green, elegant, clean, and his favorite color.

She was beautiful and ready, yet — she would do anything not to go because no
matter how easy it seemed to be there, at the autumn dinner Adrian's mother had
invited them to — it was still frightening to her.

To Amelie, those gathering could end up in flames, and her being burnt by the
sparking fire was almost inevitable. Her father would be there — Andrew Avery.

A well-respected, educated man within the darkness of Death Eaters, and if

Amelie as much as spare a thought not to go, he'd be furious with her.

There was nothing more important in this world for Andrew, her father, than to
properly represent his last name — being an Avery was more than holy to the
vicious man.

Even if she could go — she could hold her breath, and the night would be over
in a heartbeat, but nothing kept Andrew from flickering in his evil mind and
punishing her for something he believed to be wrong.

If there was anyone in the misery of life she seemed to be living, she feared
more than Adrian — it was her father.

_____

'' Amelie.'' Adrian's mother greeted her with open arms, '' I'm so happy you both
made it.''

Her green eyes — the same eyes her son possessed, darted between Amelie and
Adrian as they stood on the steps to his childhood home.

Amelie's arms wrapped around the lady's petite figure, '' I missed you, Ana.''
Amelie whispered into her hair as they hugged each other tightly.

The scent of his mother — that calming smell of jasmine filled her every sense,
and it eased the shaking nerves she held.

Ana pulled away, clinging her arms around her son instead, '' I missed you both.''
She smiled, leaving a gentle kiss on Adrian's cheek.

Amelie couldn't help but smile at the moment she witnessed. It wasn't often she
watched Adrian like this, but whenever she had the chance to — she took it.

'' Effie.'' Ana called out, making the housemaid rush around a corner, '' Would
you be so kind, and take care of the bags?''

Amelie's hand clenched around her purse, and she couldn't help but feel bad, ''
No, Ana, both Adrian and I are more than capable—''

'' Here.'' Adrian hewed her off, snatching the bag from her hold as he nearly
threw it on the maid.

Amelie's eyes grew wide. Her sight started flickering again as she felt ashamed
of Adrian's behavior.

His hand slowly moved in between them, and he gripped her, tugging her closer,
for no one else to see.
'' You should really learn how to behave, Amelie.'' Adrian seethed into her ear, ''
Or there will be consequences.''

She swallowed before forcing a smile, holding on to that last piece of bravery, ''
Of course, darling.'' She answered politely.

With his hand on her lower back, he guided her towards the kitchen, feeling how
the smell of home-cooked meals soared through the rooms they passed.

But she halted in her steps, the instant her eyes placed on the man leaning over a
counter, laughing at something Ana said. She felt sick — nauseous to what she
had to watch.

Her father stiffly nodded towards her before continuing the cheerful
conversation he seemed to have, and just as Amelie wanted to leave again —
just as everything felt as if it crumbled around her,

'' You look beautiful tonight,'' Adrian smiled behind her, leaning close to place a
kiss on the back of her head. His hands traveled up and down her bare arms.

She couldn't help but smile, tilting her head against the hand she felt on her
shoulder, '' Thank you.''

'' Come on, darling.'' Adrian urged again, ripping her away from the kitchen as
he guided her through the mass of people.

It wasn't always bad with Adrian, most of the time — she loved her boyfriend,
and she couldn't bear the thought of ever being without him, yet, in other times,
there was nothing she wanted more than to escape his cruel ruling.

Amelie's eyes flickered all over the dining hall, and the setting Adrian's mother
had made for this dinner was more than remarkable.

The room was filled with golden and burgundy red decorations to celebrate that
a new season was on edge to rise. Her sigh kept wandering until it landed on a
familiar face, seated at one of the tables with a glass of liquor in his hand.

Amelie's heart nearly missed its beat as her skin flushed. She was scared of
Draco and the interest he took, in finding out the truth about her, especially
following the incident that caused Theodore to end up in the infirmary.
The blonde had caught onto something, and that could either be her greatest
blessing or her gravest curse.

'' Amelie, dear.'' A soothing voice called out from behind her, bringing her mind
back to presence.

'' Looking lovely as always I see.'' Narcissa smiled towards her, stretching a hand
up to her cheek as she stroked it.

'' Narcissa.'' Amelie smiled back, tipping her head to meet the lady's gesture, ''
And you're the one to talk, I see.''

Amelie nodded towards the breathtaking dress Narcissa was wearing as she
blushed by the comment.

'' Adrian,'' She nodded towards him before looking back at Amelie, '' I heard
about Theodore and his visit to the infirmary the other day. Is that poor boy
alright?''

She felt herself swallow thickly as she peered up at Adrian, noticing his jaws
clenched by Narcissa's words, and just as she was about to answer the question
— he cut her off.

'' He's fine,'' Adrian spoke, sounding annoyed, '' A fall off the stairs isn't anything
our beloved Nott couldn't handle,''

His grip around Amelie's waist tensed, and she could feel his temper devising,

'' A fall off the stairs, you say?'' Draco's voice approached from behind, causing
all three of them to look at him.

'' I didn't realize that you could break your nose and get bruises around your neck
from a fall off the stairs, Pucey,'' The blonde taunted him, making his whole
figure visibly shake out of rage.

'' Avery. Good to see you,'' Draco smiled evilly, a cold hand placed on her arm
as he trailed his fingers down it, gripping her hand in a smooth move and even if
all of them were watching — Draco settled a soft kiss on the spine of her hand.

Her jaw dropped, her lips parted as she stared at him wide-eyed.
'' Something wrong?'' Draco mocked, but what Amelie didn't know was that the
blonde had his own intentions with his doings.

He had come to the realization that something was terribly wrong with the girl in
front of him, and he needed to know what — not because he cared, as his father
used to say,

Malfoy men don't care. They are cared for.

But he wanted something to provoke Adrian with, and to watch the boy who's
girl he'd just kissed on the hand, tremble out of fury, made him feel powerful.

'' Watch it, Malfoy.'' Adrian snapped, '' You must not touch what isn't yours.''

Amelie's eyes dragged lower, and she felt ashamed. He called her his property in
front of all those people, and that was to her — embarrassing beyond
explanation.

Narcissa quickly caught on to Amelie's sunken shoulders and the fingers

twitching against the palm of her hand, '' Come with me, dear.'' She took her arm
in a soft hold before leading her away from the hostile tension.

'' Are you alright, Amelie?'' Narcissa held a concerned look, '' You seemed a
bit... off, in the hall, love.''

The drowning feeling washed over Amelie because she knew that she couldn't be
honest about this, and lying — lying was something she wasn't proud over.

'' I'm fine, Mrs. Malfoy. I think I just have to—'' Her head bowed against the
stairs, '' I think I need to lay down for a minute.''

Narcissa's hand stayed on her arm for a brief moment. Her red coated lips
pressed together into a firm line, '' If you say so, but dear. If you need anything,
let me know.''

Amelie rushed her way up the stairs, closing the door to Adrian's room behind
her as she leaned her back against the wall next to it.

It hadn't even been an hour, and Amelie was already exhausted. She strolled up
to the bed, nearly out of breath — all she wished to do was to shout, scream,
yell.

She didn't want to be here.

But out of all the things she could do, that — wasn't an option.

She loved Adrian, and he loved her — that is the way it's supposed to be.

Her whole body coiled as the door swung open, revealing the fuming boy in the
doorway. He slammed the door shut without taking his eyes off of her.

'' Why would Malfoy do that, Amelie?'' His jaws gritted, '' Why in the bloody
hell would he touch you like that?''

Amelie didn't answer. She sat frozen on the edge of the bed.

'' Answer me,'' Adrian growled. His eyes turned dark again.

The lack of Amelie's words made him furious, and before she could even
understand what was happening — he stormed up to her, forcing her back into
the mattress as his hands found her neck.

His fingers dug deep into her soft skin, and she whimpered, over and over. She
couldn't breathe — her hands slammed against his arms, and her body squirmed.

He had her trapped, once again — he failed her.

'' Why would he do that, Amelie?'' Adrian groaned again. With a knee on each
side of her body, he nearly suffocated her completely, '' Tell me right now.''

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she couldn't fight back anymore. She
had no strength — it was as if her body didn't want to fight, as if it wanted to
give in.

'' Not so fast,'' Adrian muttered when he watched her body cave.

He let go of her, making the wind in her lungs flutter again, " It was worth a try,
right?" Adrian mocked her heaving self.

He shoved himself off her, shooting her a look of disgust, " You mean nothing to
me, do you understand that?"
She nodded in complete obedience to him. Amelie didn't want to set him off
again — she didn't dare to.

" Pathetic." He muttered, taking long strides towards the door, brushing his suit
off, " And Amelie—"

Her eyes matched his as he turned around, " I want you out of my house after
dinner, am I clear?"

"You—" Her voice broke out of the pressure he had put on it, her skin sore, "
Yes."

Adrian slammed the door shut, and she wished for everything that he wouldn't
come back.

Sometimes he did. Sometimes he realized as he was walking away from her that
he wasn't finished with her yet, and that was her worst nightmare.

Amelie kept her breath, doing everything possible not to cry, but the second she
stumbled into the bathroom, and her eyes leveled her own,

Her hand cupped her mouth in the attempt to muffle the trails of sobs that kept
coming.

Her throat was damaged. Adrian's hands and fingers had clenched so tightly
around her skin that she had what looked like burn marks.

Amelie's fingers gently dragged across the mess her boyfriend had created,
feeling as the tears drained her skin.

" Avery?" Draco's voice heard from outside the bathroom, and not even seconds
later — the blonde stood tall in the doorway.

His hands shoved into his pockets, and he looked at her, how her skin had so
desperately ruptured.

There wasn't anything Amelie hadn't seen in this world, from pain to hurt to
heartbreak. She had seen it all, but never — not once had she watched someone
in that grave torture Draco seemed to find himself in.
His eyes narrowed at her neck as her hand was placed over it. She didn't want
him to see.

Amelie was embarrassed, and she felt at fault — but so did Draco. He sought to
hide how guilty he held for provoking Adrian in the way he did.

'' I'm fine, would you just give me a minute, wait outside and I'll—''

'' What happened to you?'' His jaws gritted.

Amelie's eyes flickered as she felt the panic of anyone finding out, grow within,
'' Nothing. I fell down—''

'' Don't.'' His tone hoarse, severe. '' I took you for a lot of things, Avery, but a liar
isn't one of them.''

He was right. Amelie loathed the untrue tells.

'' I'm didn't mean to lie.'' She admitted, avoiding the grey eyes she felt burning
into her, '' It's none of your concern.''

Draco rose a brow, '' None of my concern?'' He nearly scoffed at her, '' You and
Adrian leave for ten minutes, and then I find you like this—''

His large hand gestured towards her bruised neck, '' And you tell me that it's
none of my concern?''

'' Because it's not—'' Amelie began to feel upset, almost questioned,'' It's not
anyone's concern, but mine.''

Draco's tongue rolled on the inside of his cheek, and his face stoned, '' Are you
sure about this because I can't help you if you don't let me.''

Amelie huffed, gripping her skin tighter, '' You don't have to care—''

'' Care?'' Draco hissed, his shoulder against the doorframe, '' Who said I care?''

The grey eyes searched hers, and she could nearly feel the air in her lungs as it
tightened. The anxiety wavered her,

'' No one,'' Amelie whispered.

'' That's right, Avery. Do you know why no one said that?'' He kept on going,
making her spine collide with the sink behind them,

'' Because you don't care.''

Her face fell as she caught her own words — and the emptiness she felt
weighted her even more.

Draco swallowed, thickly and his face held a stern look, '' You're right. I don't
care.''

He turned around, leaving her just a little more broken than when he found her
because she knew — she knew he was right.

_____

Adrian pulled a chair out for her before seating himself next to it. Amelie's
cheeks were still flustered red from the moment in his room, and there wasn't
anything she could do to hide it without looking ridiculous.

She had cast a spell Theodore had taught her, to hide the marks on her neck, but
to do that on your face wasn't an option.

" Amelie, is everything alright, dear?" Adrian's mother spoke from across the
table, making her eyes snap,

'' I'm fine, thank you.'' Amelie forced a smiled back, '' I'm just—''

'' She's alright, mother.'' Adrian hewed her off, granting his mother a bothered
stare, '' Isn't that right, darling?''

His hand on her thigh, and she could feel the pain of it clenching around her
flesh.

'' Right.'' Amelie stared down at her plate again, avoiding every stare of curiosity
around them.

The room crowded with voices as they began to eat — but Amelie couldn't. She
simply shoved the food around on her plate. She wasn't able to eat even if she
wanted to because her throat hurt severely.
'' Amelie, how is school going? Is year six going to be your year?'' Narcissa
smiled from further down the wood. Her tone shifted in intoxication, '' I heard
you were second to that Granger girl, this year too.''

That the wives of the mighty Death Eaters drank their way to happiness at
parties similar to this one wasn't a rare thing.

Amelie smiled as she thought of Hermione and nodded towards the lady, '' That's
correct.''

'' Don't talk about those people at dinner, Narcissa.'' Lucius snarled, his eyes
flickered over his friends of embarrassment, but his wife didn't bother.

Narcissa took another sip of her wine before raising the glass towards her son, ''
Which means that Draco is third, isn't that right, son?''

The blonde rolled his eyes, narrowing his eyes into Adrian, who fiddled with the
glass of moonshine held in his hand.

'' Well, it's a shame she ended up in Ravenclaw.'' Her father's voice came
unexpectedly from the other side of the table, and the men all laughed at the
comment he told.

'' Your schoolwork won't impress the Dark Lord, and if you only had taken a bit
interest in the real world, perhaps I would've been proud of you.'' His fist struck
the table as it sent a rattling sound through the glasses.

Amelie's head tipped forward. Her fingers in her lap twitched against the palm of
her hands.

'' It's a shame.'' Her father kept going, '' But see it as a lesson gentlemen,
daughters won't do you any good, be happy most of you were gifted with sons.''

This was the way he spoke to her all the time. He didn't even talk to her, he
disrespected her in front of everyone, and there was nothing he loved more than
to make a fool out of his daughter.

Adrian let go of her thigh, showing her no support, and the loneliness nearly
suffocated her.
'' Well, I think it's an honor to have such a bright and clever student here.'' Ana
rose her glass at Amelie's father, nodding provokingly at him, '' Thank you for
being here, Amelie.''

Her father's eyes darkened, and he dropped his fork onto the table, '' Here,
Amelie, right now.''

She swallowed, feeling how her eyes shut close for a mere second.

'' Right now, Amelie.'' He threatened again as her heart dropped. He pulled out a
pack of cigars from his chest pocket, lightening one as he impatiently waited for
her to do as told.

Every stare in the majestic room turned to her, and the entire room hushed.
Amelie knew what this meant. Her father was once again taking out his
frustration on her.

She pushed her chair back as her sight grounded, each step she caught up to her
father was painful, but there was no other way.

Her eyes stayed floored, and she stretched her arm up to her father, avoiding that
wicked grin she knew was climbing his lips.

Her father snatched her by the arm, dragging it closer to him as he lit the cigar
on fire.

" Andrew—" Narcissa whispered, her kind tone tore through the embrace of
hatred, " Please—"

Her father ignored her plea for him to let Amelie go; instead, he took a deep
breath of the cigar, blowing the smoke right at her. She could feel her whole
body shaking, and her fingers curled into fists — she was preparing for the pain.

Amelie was terrified, more than it, even if she had felt the torture of his rage so
many timed before — this was different. He had never punished her in other's
company before.

She could feel how the guest's eyes burned into her skin as they so strangely
watched, but one pair of eyes stung more than the other's — and she didn't want
them to, the grey eyes,
'' Ready, dear?'' Her father chuckled, and her eyes squeezed close. Her breath
ceased.

He hated her. She knew he did — ever since her mother died, he resented her
more than anything in this world, all because she reminded him of her.

The saloon echoed in voices as everyone overlooked what was passing because
this the way it's supposed to be.

She knew that.

_____
 Four

This chapter contains scenes of emotional trauma and violent actions.

Please read with caution.

_____

'' I'll be here when you wake up. I promise.''

_____

Trails of huffs fled her lips as she stood before her mirror again, shakingly
staring at the empty reflection. Her eyes pooled the instant she noticed the
horrible scar of her father's cigar.

The wound still reddened, drops of blood coated the surface, and even it was just
one mark of many — the scar itself didn't haunt her.

It was the way it caused her to feel, the way it made her think of herself.

Useless, worthless, hopeless, vein.

She felt disgusted with herself.

She hated herself.

Every scar, every bruise, every mark left by someone other than herself
portrayed a memory of weakness, a moment where she was too fragile, a time
where her body wasn't hers.

And she hated herself, more than anything, because her body wasn't hers
anymore. It always seemed to belong to someone else, no matter what she did.

She hated it — all of it, being an Avery, being one of the sacred twenty-eight.

Her father used to be the right hand of the Dark Lord himself, and he was a
monster. Her father was a ruthless killer that should've spent the rest of his life in
chains in Azkaban, but unfortunately, he did not.

The gravest mistake he ever made, according to himself, was Amelie. He always
wished for a son to carry his legacy on, and then, he had a daughter, nevertheless
a daughter that ended up in Ravenclaw.

He loathed her.

He despised every bone in her body,

He wished for her to die, and most of the time, so did she, because living a life
where you spend most of your days being unwanted and unwished-for — isn't
something you do without your mind haunting you.

Amelie flinched out of the thoughts she was drowning in as someone knocked
on her dorm door. Her hands tangled around the shirt hanging over her desk
chair, pulling it over her head,

'' Teddy—'' She rose, her cheeks flushed as she hauled the door open.

" Listen to this—" Her eyes snapped to Theodore's as he marched into her room
with his head buried in a book. The same book he always carried around,
mumbling something beneath his breath,

'' Don't waste your love on somebody who doesn't value it.''

Amelie could feel her jaws clench.

Theo flopped down to the bed, still gazing through the sheets, '' Or this one,
ready?''

'' Do not swear by the moon, for she changes constantly. Then your love would
also change.''

His head flew off the pages to level hers, staring at her with a lofty look, '' Good,
right?''

Amelie quickly looked out the door, assuring that nobody saw him come in
before slamming it shut after.
She turned to face her best friend as he stood, almost shaking in excitement, ''
What did you think about it?''

Her face slightly shifted into a grimace, '' What do I think about what?'' She was
confused and hadn't been paying attention to what Theodore said.

'' The book, Amelie. I know I've told you a thousand times, but just listen here
one more time. It's just different, you know?''

He cleared his throat as his hand scratched the back of his neck, telling her the
two lines again.

Her eyes grew wide, and the words he had spoken struck right through her.

'' What do you think?'' Theodore smiled.

Theodore gazed up at her as the words caused her heart to shatter. It was as if
she could feel every letter he had told.

'' Where is that from?'' She stuttered, forcing a smile to hide the fact that her
heart was shredding apart within the walls of her chest.

But no matter how hard she had been fighting it, her mind once again clouded by
Adrian and his cruel ruling.

" You're nothing more than a pretty face.''

" You mean nothing to me.''

'' Bloody disgrace.''

'' You're worthless.''

Perhaps she deserved this.

That was all that kept going through her head. She believed that she deserved
this — every word, every slap, every punch, every time he violated her — she
thought she deserved it.

Theodore stood tall as a hand rushed through the thick locks on his head,
'' I'm so stupid.'' He mumbled, flinging the book onto the bed before taking long
strides up to her, '' I'm so sorry, love. I didn't think.''

Her head fell to his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her struggling self, '' I
didn't think, Amelie.''

He sniffed as he kept apologizing for the deep words he had spoken.

But it wasn't the words that made her insides cave. It was the way he said them,
how he spoke them with such force as if it was the most natural thing in this
world — she had heard those lines a hundred times before because it was all
from his favorite book, Romeo and Juliet.

But not like this — she had never reflected on them as the way she did now.

Theo hugged her, closely, with everything he had to make the girl he loved so
deeply — whole again. He could feel her skin vibrating, and her breaths hitch,

'' You should rest, Amelie,'' Theo mumbled into her head, tensing his arms
around her.

Her head shook as she leaned it back, meeting the green eyes she always found
comfort in, '' No. I can't. I have to be somewhere—''

'' You are exhausted. I don't care where you have to be because you need to rest.''
He wouldn't give in on this — if Theodore did anything in this world right, it
was to care for his best friend.

'' Come.'' He cooed into her hair, pulling her drained body with him to her bed.

Theodore tucked her into her sheets before resting next to her, and his warm,
strong arms snuck around her waist as his chest hugged her back,

'' Rest now.'' He could almost feel how tired she was, '' I'll be here when you
wake up. I promise.''

Her eyes felt heavy as her chest crumbled. Everything hurt, and she wished is for
it all to stop. She needed it to stop.

_____
Amelie flew up from her bed, clocking that everything around her had fallen
dark.

'' No, no, no.'' She whispered to herself at the remembrance of the quidditch
game she was supposed to attend this afternoon — Adrian was playing.

Her hand grasped at the cover, in need of finding Theodore's sleeping body, ''
Teddy—'' She whispered, harshly, '' Teddy. I need to go.''

He didn't respond, too wrapped into the world of imagination as he snored.

'' Theodore.'' Amelie neatly shouted this time, and the loud calling made him jolt
up, drool smudged his cheek as he stared at her in complete panic.

'' What?'' Theo rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands, '' What is it? Why did
you wake—''

'' I have to go.'' She hushed, swallowing the dry taste in her mouth, '' I promised
Adrian that I would be at the game today.''

Theo spun around, looking down at the clock coating his nightstand as he
stretched the back of his head, '' But the game is over—''

'' I know.'' She looked terrified as she tugged a jacket off the hanger, ''That's why
I have to go.''

'' Amelie. I'm sorry.'' Theodore rushed up to her door, opening it for her as she
slipped out in the hallway, '' I'll find you tomorrow.'' He called out after her as
she disappeared into the darkened corridor.

_____

Amelie hurried her way down the yard, over the hill leading to the quidditch
field. Her hands shook as she sought to clench her fingers together but to no use.
She was frightened, more than it.

In her head — she was preparing for the hell she knew was coming, and the
instant she halted outside the locker room, her veins ached.

For a brief moment, her eyes closed. She tried to catch her breath.
The second her hands landed on the wooden door, it ripped open from in front of
her. Adrian's green eyes clocked hers. His face fell into a look of pure evil.

'' It took you long enough.'' He muttered, pulling the soaked uniform shirt off of
him as drips of sweat rolled down the firmly outlined muscles, '' Where were
you?''

Amelie's eyes dragged over the boy, and her eyelashes felt heavy — if she only
hadn't fallen asleep, they would be lying in her bed right now, talking about the
game.

Not standing here, in front of each other, both wrong-minded about the other.

'' I asked you where you—''

'' In the library.'' Her veins iced at the lie, and if anything — Amelie was a
terrible liar.

'' I was studying with Hermione, and it got late.'' She was stuttering, hoping with
all she had that he would believe her, '' But how did the game—''

'' With Granger, you say?'' He taunted her as irony broke through his stern hue.
He stepped closer. '' But if Granger was with you, who was the girl on the stands,
cheering her red-headed friend on, Amelie?''

She gulped as she stayed silent.

At this moment, she didn't know what she could do. He caught her in a lie, and
there would be no saving her from that.

Her quietness made the brunette lose his temper, and the green hooded eyes
bored through hers evilly.

'' When I ask you a question, Amelie.'' Adrian seethed, his hands gripped around
her shoulders as he forced her body back into the corridor, ''You answer.''

Her spine collided with the stone-covered wall, and his chest rose and fell
violently, '' Isn't that right?'' He taunted her.

'' So what do we do when I ask you a question?'' He asked her again. Pure venom
dripped off his tongue.

Her bravery missed her when Adrian's hand flew to her jaw, gripping it roughly,
'' Answer me, Amelie, or I swear—''

'' We answer.'' She whispered as he tipped her head back with the palm of his
hand.

'' That's right, Amelie. When I ask you a question, you answer.'' He fumed, the
grip around her chin started to hurt, '' And why didn't you answer me?''

He forced her head back, slamming it into the wall behind her and her vision
became blurry — she couldn't see straight as stars began to prickle in her eyes.

'' I didn't mean—'' Her head hung, her lips parted, but she couldn't speak
anymore.

The air in her lungs knocked out by him, crashing her into the wall one more
time, and her entire self gave up.

Amelie's worn body wasn't strong enough, and just as she was passing out —
just as she felt as if she was fading away, a familiar voice shredded closer, and
without understanding what happened around her,

Someone wrapped their arms around her weak body, holding her close to their
chest.

His blonde hair fell messily over his forehead, and the grey eyes looked
desperately at her.

And then — she fainted.

_____
 Five

_____

'' What did he do to you, Amelie?''

_____

Amelie felt as her fingers stroked over something silky — something she hadn't
felt before. Her heart struck her chest lightly, and for the first time in months,
she didn't wake up in a panic.

Her elbows against the mattress, and her eyes slowly peeled open.

She froze completely.

Amelie sought to keep her eyes focused on the blonde boy, who was hunched
over his desk chair with his head tucked into his palms.

The veiny, large hands were coated in blood. His knuckles were bruised.

She didn't remember much from before the darkness swallowed her, but the look
of that — the witnessing of his hands all wounded made her breaths hitch.

Draco flinched, forcing himself off his seat as he stared down at her. He looked
shocked. His eyes flicked down to her shoulder, where her shirt had slipped
down, and it revealed everything she was meant to hide.

Amelie leaned forward, dragging her knees up to her chest as her breaths shifted
heavier by every memory of what happened last night. Draco stepped up to his
bed, dropping to his knees next to it.

'' Are you—'' He rose but instantly hushed himself down, his eyes stung into her
skin as he carefully watched her.

'' Am I in your room?'' Her tone airy, her vocals weak.

The blonde nodded, his jaws clenched as Amelie dragged the fabric of her shirt
back over her shoulder, '' Why am I—''

She nodded as Draco's eyes fled over her, clocking every bruise she held on her
arms, and the look he possessed — that heartbreaking, almost sorry look, made
her panic.

Amelie jumped off the bed, standing next to the blonde as he blinked quickly by
her sudden move.

She felt disgusted, ashamed, mortified that someone else than her had to see the
horrible truth carved into her body.

Amelie had never seen much of Draco before. Adrian always kept her to
himself, but even if she didn't. She knew that this look on his face, the fallen,
beaten, almost terrified look, wasn't him.

Draco Malfoy was a known soon-to-be Death Eater, a heartless beast — not
someone who would seem upset over the abuse she lived through.

'' What can I do?'' Draco mumbled with his eyes locked on her.

She couldn't think. Amelie didn't know what she wanted him to do — she didn't
even know what she wanted to do herself, but the second her mind started to
pound, it reached Adrian.

Her veins iced, and her chest felt heavy by the thought of him. The demon,
constantly feeding on her innocent soul.

'' Draco—'' Amelie's voice burst, her mouth dry by the taste of blood, '' May I
ask you something?''

His head tilted, making the blonde strands of hair fall over his eyebrows, '' Go
ahead.''

'' What did you do? Where is—''

'' What did I do?'' Draco snapped at her, annoyingly, '' What did he do, Avery?''

His cheeks flushed in anger as hers drained in fright.

Amelie gulped. The way he always addressed her by her last name was
intimidating.

'' Nothing.'' She lied, feeling the guilt of lying as it drowned her, '' He didn't do
anything.''

Draco's grey eyes shifted darker. His fingers frustratingly clenched into fists.

'' Don't.'' He hissed, his voice hoarse.

'' Don't lie to me. I thought I told you that lying isn't your best quality.'' His teeth
gritted, '' You don't have to defend him, Avery.''

'' I can go to the headmaster, right now, and I swear to God that I will have that
pathetic excuse—''

'' Don't.'' Amelie felt the corner of her eyes shredded in tears, '' You don't know
what he'll do. Please, you can't—''

The hurt in the back of her head scored through her senses as her chest caved.
The stinging pain made her whimper.

She needed to do what Teddy had taught her.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Her whole being winced by Draco's cold hand on her back, and it made her
stumble as he pulled his touch away.

He noticed that the simple touch he just granted her scared her to death — her
spine struck against the wall behind her,

It became quiet.

Draco didn't know what to say — and neither did Amelie. They simply stared at
each other as the quietness shredded around them.

'' My apologies. I didn't mean to—'' Draco rose. His jaws clenched.

'' It's alright.'' Amelie hushed, " I should go."

She was terrified that he would hurt her. She was scared to death that he would
touch her. She didn't want anyone to feel her.

'' So you're leaving, and I'm simply supposed to forget what I saw?'' Draco's arms
crossed over his chest as he stared at her.

'' You don't know what you saw, Draco.'' Her breath held unsteady, '' That
wasn't... he didn't mean to do that.''

'' He didn't mean to—'' His tone shifted louder, '' Do you even hear what you're
saying right now?''

He sounded frustrated with her lack of understanding.

'' I have to go,'' Amelie said again, and her sight grounded as her skin paled. She
felt sick — nauseous.

'' Then go.'' He muttered, bowing his head at her because somewhere in his
mind, he understood that she wouldn't give in.

Amelie would never tell him what Adrian did behind closed doors, not because
she didn't want to, but because she didn't grasp what he was doing.

She couldn't possibly understand how Adrian, a boy who had promised to love
her and who did love her — would do this to her without cause.

Her mind was controlled, formed into what Adrian needed it to be. He had taken
advantage of her, and he had been manipulating her for years to believe that
what he and she had — was true love.

_____

Amelie didn't see Adrian for the rest of that night; a few of his friends had found
him beaten and hurt in the locker room where she last saw him. He had asked for
her while being in the hospital, but Theodore didn't allow it.

He let her stay with her in his room as he kept his wand close. He would never
show it to her, but he was scared too.

Adrian had hurt him because he knew that Theodore was Amelie's greatest
weakness. Nothing could come between the two and the friendship held between
them.

They understood each other, Theodore and Amelie — they always had. Their
benevolence for one another was more potent than any bond of magic. Ever
since they were kids, they had been connected — tied to each other in a way that
couldn't be explained.

Theodore was her anchor, and Amelie was his happiness. She held his heart in
her hands, and he held her — they completed each other.

Soulmates aren't just lovers, and he wasn't. He was her everything, and she —
well, she was his beyond.

'' He asked me to be there.'' Amelie looked over her best friend, '' When he's
given the mark.''

Theodore laid flat on his back, his chest exposed in between the green sheets.

'' Already?'' He asked as his head tipped to watch her, '' Do you know when?''

Her eyes fluttered close as her head felt heavy on his pillow, '' In a month.'' She
huffed, feeling her body caving into the mattress.

'' And how do you feel about that?'' Theo shifted in his position, lying on his side
next to her.

Amelie didn't quite know how to answer the question he'd asked her because she
wasn't sure. The fact that Adrian would eventually turn into a Death Eater was
inevitable. He would become a slave to the darkness, and that frightened her, but
at the same time, it would grant her freedom — the ease of her worn mind that
she didn't possess these days — due to being one of them, the dark side, he had
to leave for tasks, or business, as he called it himself.
That meant that he'd leave her behind for months at a time, and nothing had
sounded more relieving to her.

'' I'm happy for him. He wants this.'' Amelie's lips stayed parted as if she was
going to say something more, but she didn't know what to say.

'' You're too kind for this world, you know.'' He smiled at her, gently placing his
hand on her arm, and that seemed to be the only touch she didn't flinch of. He
was always so humble to her.

'' So are you, Teddy.'' She smiled back, looking softly at him as he pulled her
closer. Amelie turned, the t-shirt he borrowed her hugged around her chest, and
his arm wrapped around her shaking figure.

She played with his fingers, intertwining them, before untangling them again as
she felt his breaths shifting heavier behind her.

Amelie loved sleeping next to Theodore — it was comforting having him beside
her.

The two best friends fell asleep next to each other — his nose buried into her
neck and her gripping tightly at the arm he held around her, safe and sound. It
was always them.

Just as she slumbered into the sleep she needed so badly — her body coiled at
the hushed knocks on his door.

Someone's knuckles hit the wood over and over, at an eager speed, almost as if
the person behind it was desperate.

Amelie peered back at Theo, only to see that he didn't notice anything. He was
numb into the dreams she believed he had. His eyelids flickered, and his breath
unsteady.

Her feet felt cold as she stumbled through the darkness in his room, hesitating a
slight second, but the knocks kept coming.

She swallowed the despair before her fingers shakingly winded the metal of the
doorknob — her eyes widened.
'' Pansy?'' Amelie breathed out by the beaten look of the girl standing before her,
'' What are you doing here?''

Her eyes swollen red, her mouth hung open in disbelief as her thumb wiped a
drop of blood off of it,

'' Can I—'' Pansy's eyes glinted in tears, and Amelie shoved the door open for the
girl to step inside.

The sob clearing her throat made Theodore, who still rested in his bed to jolt up.

'' What is going on—'' He scratched the back of his head before he clocked the
two girls in his doorway, '' Pansy?''

The girl bit down onto her blood-drenched lip as Amelie's eyes dragged over her.
She looked worn. Her clothes were ripped into shreds — her face ghastly.

'' Amelie—'' Pansy whimpered, her hands grasped around her stomach, '' I need
your help.''

Amelie nodded, swinging back to shut the door closed before she turned on the
lamp on Theo's dresser, and as the selfless girl Amelie lived to be,

'' Anything.'' She said as her bones caved at the broken girl.

'' Amelie, I'm pregnant.''

_____
 Six

This chapter contains emotional trauma and mentions of self-harm. Please

read with caution.

_____

" You're not the only one."

_____

Amelie held her breath, looking at the girl standing before her wide-eyed.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Pansy was pregnant with Adrian's
child, and she stood there, in front of her with her clothes ripped into pieces.

'' Is it—'' Amelie swallowed as her knees weakened, '' Is it Adrian's?''

The mixture of relief and agony faltered as Pansy merely stood there, looking at
her in incredulity — waiting for Amelie to speak her mind, but she couldn't form
the words stuck in her throat.

Pansy stumbled up to her before she fell to the ground, and Amelie wasn't too
slow to follow. She kneeled next to the broken girl as her arms wrapped around
Pansy's trembling figure.

Amelie could feel Pany's bones caving, her cries echoing as her heart broke.
Adrian had shattered her too.

'' Pansy.'' Amelie pulled the shaking body into hers, holding tightly around her, ''
This isn't your fault, Pansy. This isn't your fault. You did nothing to deserve
this.''

Pansy sobbed into Amelie's chest as she held her, in a way similar to how
Theodore always held Amelie.
She was giving her everything he had given her, and it didn't matter to her if it
was Pansy she was comforting — the girl her boyfriend constantly cheated on
her with, because to Amelie, everyone was worthy.

The breaking sound in Pansy's tears was fated with Amelie's, and she could feel
the salty liquid in the corner of her eyes too.

'' What do you want me to do, Amelie?'' Theodore whispered behind her, his
hands on her shoulders as he hunched down behind them.

But Amelie didn't know. She faced this suffering for years and years, if not by
Adrian, then from her father. She had felt it a million times, as the first wave of
vilifying hit her — it's usually a bad word, a vicious look, yet it eventually shifts
into a rough touch, a no is taken for a yes,

And then,

She was moored.

The choices she always thought to have, the possibility of right and wrong,
would never be hers again. The body she believed to own, her body, wasn't hers
anymore. It's someone else's to do as they are pleased with.

She didn't have a choice.

She had to live through this.

At least that's what was plastered into her mind, after years and years of control
by other human beings — she didn't know that the only person she'd ever truly
belong to was herself.

Amelie's eyes fell upon the girl still struggling in her arms, and her heart ached.
Pansy didn't deserve this — she never swore her life into this hell. She was
unchained, and Amelie would see to it that she stayed that way.

'' Can you stay with her?'' Amelie looked up at Theodore, '' I have to bring
someone here.''

She needed to bring Hermione here — she would know how to do this better
than Amelie did.
His brows furrowed, '' What? No? Are you out of your mind? I'm not letting you
go out there by yourself. It's the middle of the night.''

Amelie hugged Pansy closer, '' I'll be right back, alright?'' She whispered as she
felt Pansy slightly nodding.

She stood tall on her feet as Theodore stayed on the ground with Pansy. His head
shook, '' Don't go out there alone.''

But Amelie didn't listen — her hand around the doorknob as she flung the door
open and slipped out in the darkened hallway.

'' Amelie.'' Theo yelled in a whisper, '' Wait.''

He caught up with her on the stairs down to the Slytherin common room, his
hand around her wrist as he yanked her back.

'' If you as much as just see Adrian, or a professor, or just anyone. You come
right back here, do you understand?'' His tone held low as she nodded, but he
couldn't let go of her quite yet.

Theodore sheeted his arms around her, pulling his best friend into a calming hug,
'' I wished I had a heart as big as yours.'' He mumbled into her hair before
placing a kiss on her forehead.

'' I love you.'' She whispered back, and then she let go.

Theodore marched back to his room and Pansy while Amelie snuck down the
stairs.

'' Avery.''

Her body flinched as she squealed at the hoarse voice catching her off guard.
Her eyes dragged over the blonde boy who rested on the couch in front of the
fireplace, and she immediately felt embarrassed.

Amelie's hands grasped at the end of Theodore's t-shirt in a desperate attempt to

make it longer — not to show too much of her thighs.

'' What are you doing here? Last time I checked, you belonged to Ravenclaw and
not Slytherin.'' Draco's grey eyes narrowed in hers, '' And not to talk about the
fact that it's past midnight.''

'' I was just...'' She held her breath, watching as she pushed himself off the sofa, ''
I needed to get something.''

'' Needed to get something?'' He mimicked her as he caught steps closer, '' You
still take me for a fool, I see.''

'' I don't—'' Her voice airy and her breath became unsteady at his presence, '' I
was just going somewhere.''

'' Where?'' Draco asked her again, '' Where could you possibly have to be at this
hour?''

Amelie looked at the door and then back down at her bare legs — that t-shirt was
likely twice her size as she seemed to drown in it. Still, she was ashamed to be
seen in it.

'' I need to get someone.''

'' Someone?''

'' Yes.''

The grey eyes studied her, '' It's not Adrian, because he asked me earlier if I'd
seen you.'' Draco sought to unravel the puzzle of a girl in front of him.

'' And I can take a wild guess and say that is Nott's t-shirt, right? So it's not him
either.'' He kept going, his hand stroked over his black shirt, '' Then who? Who
could you possibly—''

'' What did you tell Adrian?'' Amelie could feel how she shifted in nervosity, ''
Did you tell him about me being in your room yesterday?''

'' Did you want me to tell him?'' Draco rose a brow.

'' No.'' Her fingers curled into the palm of her hand, '' But did you?''

'' No.''
'' Really?'' Amelie looked as relief spread upon her.

'' Really.'' The blonde said, tilting his head.

Amelie felt the ease of Adrian not knowing that she spent time with Theodore
waver her as she forced a smile,

" Thank you." She started to step towards the door again.

" I know what he's capable of, Avery, and I have seen your..." Draco hesitated
for a bit as he thought about it, how he had noticed the marks in her wrists and
the cuts of something sharp carved into her thighs.

" Scars."

Her steps faltered as she turned against him.

" Believe me, whatever he's doing to you. Hurting yourself is not the answer."
He finished as she swallowed.

She didn't think anyone knew. She didn't want a single soul to know about the
marks she had caused herself as her mind drowned her.

" I don't—" Amelie rose, but his knitted brows cut her off.

" But you do, and trust me, it's not worth it. If he's hurting you — you should
talk to someone and get help, not doing that." His head bowed towards her legs,

Her heart started pounding. Her breaths shifted heavier as her lungs tightened.

She merely stared at him as the mantle of guilt coated her features.

" Does Nott know? Do I have to tell him about this? Is that what it will take for
you to stop doing that to yourself?" The blond grew impatient, his hand grasped
at his tie.

She stayed quiet as Draco kept going.

" I will tell Theodore about this."

" Stop," Amelie whispered.

" Because you're not listening to me, perhaps you'll listen to him."

'' Draco, stop.'' Her nerves ached.

'' Or maybe that muggle Granger?''

Amelie couldn't take this confrontation anymore. It hurt — everything he said to

her was torture because she knew that she shouldn't. She shouldn't harm herself.
She tried to stand against it, and she hadn't done it in so long, but as he kept
pushing her — all she wanted to do was to ease her own pain.

'' Stop!'' Her hands flew to her hair, roughly tugging it back, '' Stop, stop, stop!''

Everything became too much for her — Pansy, Adrian, Theodore, Draco, all of
it flooded over her as she fell to her knees, burying her head in her hands to shut
it all out, not to give in to her haunted mind.

'' Avery, '' Draco's steps up to her echoed throughout the gloomy room, '' Avery,
listen to me.''

She couldn't. Amelie couldn't hear him anymore — all she gathered was how
overwhelming everything was.

'' I need it to stop, please make it quiet.'' Her whiny pleads were almost inaudible
for him to catch as her fingers kept pulling at her hair.

'' Avery.'' He said again, but to no use — she caved into her misery.

She was too lost in her suffering to even notice the blonde slipping down next to
her and the suit-covered arms wrapping around her.

''Avery, breathe.'' Draco mumbled into her hair as she shook violently, '' Can you
do that for me?''

She still didn't hear him.

'' Think about Theodore, Avery.'' Draco breathed as he held her. '' Think about
Theodore and follow my breath. Will you do that for me? '' He repeated himself.

He folded his hands over hers, and he made her let go of her hair, tangled around
her fingers.

'' Good.'' He kept his note low, '' You're doing so good.''

Amelie started to give in to the boy holding her.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

The blonde's steady breathing calmed hers as he dragged one of her hands up to
his chest, placing it over his beating heart.

'' Do you feel that, Amelie?'' He looked at her as tears rolled down her drained
cheeks, '' Do you feel how your heart beats like mine?''

She nodded softly as her head fell forwards, '' I can feel it.'' She whispered,
settling her hand on her own chest.

'' That's good. Can you feel how you're not alone? That I am right here.''

She nodded again, '' I can.''

'' Good.'' Draco felt, after several minutes, how her hand dropped from his as she
began to compose in his hold.

'' Do you want me to get Nott for you?'' He scratched the back off his head as he
raised from his seated position, '' I'm sure he knows how to do this, better than I
—''

'' Why?'' Her hand on her chin to dry her tears, '' Why are you doing this,
Draco?''

'' Why do I do what, exactly?'' He hissed, staring down at her, "Enlighten me.
What am I doing?''

She felt a wave of doubt lingering as Draco's face turned completely cold. " Why
would you do that for me? Why would you help me? You don't even know—"

" What?" He snapped again, hewing her off as he strode closer. " What don't I
know?" He rose a brow as Amelie pushed herself off the ground in a try to stand
on her weak limbs.

He shook his head, huffing annoyingly, " Do you think that you're the only one
who has someone that lectures you, Avery?"

" Don't you think I know how it feels when the cigar burns through your skin?"
Pearly eyes still tore through hers, '' How you scream within when it's forced
further because you don't dare to open your mouth.''

He had been through this.

" How every punch, every slap, every forbidden spell hurts a little less over
time," She swallowed, staring back at him as he kept going.

" Don't you think I know that?" He threatened with his teeth gritted, " But I
learned how to manage the pain, and so should you because this won't stop until
you make it stop,"

Draco stood close, usually too close for comfort; as she searched his eyes, the
honesty ripped through them like the wind at a mighty sea.

He was broken,

He fated the same variety as she did.

And she didn't know because, just like her — he kept it hidden inside.

" You have to make it stop, Avery. " He nearly shouted, and a dark chuckle
escaped his throat, " Or you'll end up like this. "

Draco caught a step back, and without hesitation — he started to unbutton his
shirt slowly.

Her eyes grew broad with each button. Her breaths missed as she stared at the
marks fixed in his skin. The pale porcelain surface was ruptured by faded scars
all over.

Cuts of knives.

Bruises of belts.
Burns of cigars.

All faded into a beautiful mess over his light skin.

She felt her eyes as they began to prickle in tears and the lump stuck in her
throat increased, " Draco..." She stammered, struggling to glace away, to not
stare at the truth standing before her, but she couldn't.

He knew pain.

He knew her pain.

And she knew his.

" You see, Amelie—," He cleared his throat, " You're not the only one."

Draco buttoned his shirt back up before straightening his jacket, " I don't know
how Adrian treats you, but this—" He seethed, tilting his head against her
trembling self.

'' This is not the answer. Trust me.''

With his spoken words — he shredded away, storming out of the common room.
He left her after saving her, but that wasn't a strange thing to Amelie — she was
always the one being left behind.

_____

It was with heavy steps she walked back to Theodore's room. She didn't have the
strength to walk over to the Gryffindor common room. She didn't have the power
to do anything.

She just needed to make sure that Pansy was alright and that Theo hadn't fallen
asleep.

'' Took you long enough.'' Theodore looked at her as she stepped into his room
again, closing the door behind her.

His face fell the instant he saw the dried tears coating her cheeks, '' What
happened?''
'' Nothing.'' Amelie sought to smile, struggling to hold onto that last piece of
bravery she had, '' I'm just tired, but how is it going in here?''

Theo nodded towards Pansy, who laid on the other side of his bed — she had
fallen asleep.

'' Good.'' Amelie whispered, '' If you stay here with her, I can sleep in my room.''

'' No, you're not leaving again. There is plenty of room for all of us.'' He shoved
himself closer to Pansy before patting his mattress for her to lay next to him.

Amelie smiled, huffing quietly as she dropped down beside him, '' Thank you.''

It was silent for minutes, only Pansy's shaking breaths heard.

'' Can I ask you something?'' Theodore's body tensed behind hers, '' About
Adrian?''

'' Of course.'' She felt as her eyes turned heavier, '' Anything.''

" Why?" He breathed out, " Why does Adrian have the privilege of doing
whatever he wants to people?" His voice held low, not to wake the sleeping girl.

'' Why does he have the power of toying with people's lives?'' Theodore's breaths
ragged, '' I'm just so sick of it. I feel as if I need to do something.''

'' Teddy.'' Amelie spun around, facing him in the dark, '' I—''

" No, this needs to stop, right now," He shut her up, prying her touch off his
before he flung up and marched towards the door in his nightclothes.

She felt his skin burning. His green eyes resentful, '' He's done enough.''

Amelie watched as he poured out, and her heart broke in anguish — her veins
rushed in ache. She shot Pansy a soft look, making sure that she was still heavily
asleep before she grabbed her robe and hurried after her best friend.

The panic grew within as she once again sprinted through the dimmed hallway,
with student's doors coating the walls — she could hear shouting from down the
common room, and her breathing faltered.
She knew how much it took for Theodore to be this upset, but she also held the
truth of how far Adrian could take things — how far he enjoyed to go.

She froze in her steps as three figures stood tall in the darkened room, with their
wands raised towards each other.

'' Crucio.''

_____
 Seven

This chapter contains scenes of violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

'' Let me help you.''

_____

'' Do it, Nott.'' Adrian shouted as a flash of green light struck the wall behind
him, '' Looks like you missed.''

Amelie's heart ached out of the merciless vocals slipping off Adrian's tongue.
Her knees weakened beneath her as she watched Adrian raise his wand.

'' No—'' Amelie breathed, still standing on the last step of the stairs, '' Don't.''

Her voice didn't catch any of the Slytherin's attention within the walls of the
common room. They were all too upset, and the tension shared because of the
danger they all were facing — thickened by the second.

Amelie's eyes flickered, and without doubt, they placed on the blonde boy — he
was already looking at her, and even if it was flash in the grey eyes that held no
longer than a second — he looked worried.

'' Adrian.'' Amelie clocked back to being from falling lost in Malfoy's eyes, ''
Adrian, don't do this.'' Her voice was louder this time.

'' What?'' Adrian snapped, his eyes on hers as she trembled, '' What do you want
this time?''

She didn't know what to say as she let her feet stumble past Draco, over to
Theodore. She stood in front of him, protecting his large body with her small
one.
'' Adrian...'' Her face fell into doubt as her heart was torn in two. The battle
between her loyalty towards Adrian and her love for Theodore was torturing.

'' Don't you dare speak my name,'' Adrian growled, his wand pointed right at her,
'' How do you live with yourself, Amelie?''

His words caused her lips to part in disbelief, '' I give you everything and still,
you choose him? A pathetic—''

'' Pucey.'' Draco took a step closer to the furious boy, '' Perhaps we should leave.''

'' No.'' Adrian cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes at the two best friends in
front of him, '' Little Nott here, just tried to curse me, and what? Am I just
supposed to forget about that?''

Amelie swallowed, '' He didn't mean to—''

'' Don't speak for him.'' Adrian said, sternly, '' Don't you dare speak for him. You
know better than to speak when you're not asked to do so.''

'' That is enough!'' Theodore finally choked out, his hand pushed into Amelie's
shoulder as he shoved her out of his way, '' You don't get to talk to her like that.
You don't get to talk to anyone like that.''

Theo's jaws clenched, '' I have had enough of you, Adrian. This needs to stop.
You can't keep—''

'' Can't keep what?'' Adrian's fingers tensed around his wand, '' I can't do what
our fathers did to our mothers?''

'' No. You can't. You should be better, and not take after what our monstrous
parents did—'' Theo held his breath for a slight second, '' We should be better
than them.''

'' Maybe we should, but who says that I want to be better? Who says that I don't
want to be just as respected as my father is?'' Adrian's eyes flickered to hers.

Amelie still stood frozen, terrified, and she didn't know what to do anymore.

'' By hurting her?'' Theodore gestured towards Amelie, '' By hurting me? Well,
that's one way to do it, isn't it?''

'' To be respected.'' Adrian shot back, his eyes dark and evil, '' To be feared.''

'' Pucey—'' Draco's hand on his shoulder, '' Don't do this, leave them alone and
let's—''

'' Stay out of this, Malfoy.'' Adrian's teeth gritted as he looked straight at Amelie.

'' I hope you're happy now. That this is what you wanted, because the second
we're out of this bloody school, I will lock you up somewhere, and you'll never
see the light of day for as long as—''

'' Stupefy,'' Theodore shouted as Adrian stepped aside, making the white light of
magic crash into the wall behind him. He only laughed at Teddy's attempt to
disarm him,

'' Good try, Nott.'' The smirk he held grew wider, '' But you can't touch me. No
one can.''

Adrian inhaled sharply before pointing the tip of his wand towards the brunette
again, and it was as if Amelie couldn't breathe — she had seen Adrian act out of
pure cruelty so many times. She understood that the boy her life was bounded
with had no limits.

He would kill if it were to his satisfaction.

'' Crucio!'' Adrian twitched his wand, and Amelie — who nearly saw this
coming, threw herself at Theodore to save them both.

'' That is enough.'' Draco growled again, his hand pushed into Adrian's shoulder
as he stumbled back, '' You're acting like complete fools, both of you.''

Amelie's breath hitched as Theodore helped her up from the floor, and they
looked at each other. She was more scared than ever.

'' Don't touch her.'' Adrian seethed at the look of Theodore's arm on her waist, ''
Get your filthy hands off of her, right now.''

'' Adrian, please.'' Amelie felt tears shredding in the corner of her eyes.
But he would never leave a conquest like this one. She knew what this meant —
the power Adrian's family possessed would free him of anything. He knew that
he was able to do as he pleased without so much as a single consequence. If
Adrian wanted to — if he truly set his mind to it, he could easily cease her of the
one person that's still keeping her sane in all the madness.

Adrian stared at Theodore. His eyes stormed in hatred, and his lips parted, ''
Avada—''

'' Stupefy!''

Her magic threw him across the room, unexpectedly as he fell helplessly to the
floor. Both Draco and Theodore gasped at her doing, watching as her face fell
off the realization — she harmed Adrian.

Amelie's hands shook as her eyes fell to watch the wand in her fist. She couldn't
believe that she did that — that she caused harm upon the boy she thought to
love so deeply.

Amelie's wand dropped to the floor as her hand cupped her mouth. She was on
the edge of tears by her hurtful act.

This wasn't Amelie. She wouldn't hurt a soul — yet, she did. When it comes to
Theodore, she will do everything she didn't think she was capable of doing to
save him.

'' I—'' She breathed out, in complete shock, '' I didn't mean to—''

'' I know.'' Theodore shot Adrian's unconscious body a quick look before he
wrapped his arms around the trembling girl, '' I know, love.''

Her head in his chest as he hugged her close, '' It's not your fault, Amelie.''

Theodore was in shock — they all were. Adrian had just tried to use one of the
deadliest spells on him, but he couldn't think about that. He needed to help her.
He had to push his own thoughts aside to save her from drowning in hers.

'' I didn't—'' It felt as she couldn't breathe, and her eyes were sealed. She didn't
have the strength to look at her boyfriend,
'' I didn't mean to do this.'' Amelie sobbed into the soft fabric of Theodore's shirt,
'' I didn't want to hurt him.''

'' I know.'' His breaths were calm, slow for her to follow them, '' I know.''

Theodore's heart ached as he felt her skin shiver — his arms around her held her
steady because he could feel how her body caved. This was worse than any
forbidden curse to him.

'' Malfoy.'' Theo tilted his head to the blonde, '' I need you to take her out of
here.''

Draco's brows knitted together, '' Me?''

'' Yes, you.'' Theo's hand moved to her hair as he brushed his fingers through the
brown strands, '' I need to take care of Adrian. He can't remember this.''

'' Teddy, what did I do...'' Amelie whispered again, her voice slightly broke by
the running tears, '' Did I do this?''

'' Malfoy.'' Theodore said again, harshly, '' Now.''

Draco stepped closer, but Amelie only held onto Theodore tighter. She was
shaking in fear, in confusion as to why she would do this, even if she deep down
understood the meaning of it.

She was protecting her best friend — in ways, he always protected her.

'' Amelie—'' Theodore's hands gripped around her waist to create space between
them, '' You need to let go so that we can fix this.''

'' No, please.'' She whimpered quietly, '' Don't let me go.''

Her hands locked around his neck, '' Draco will take you out of here, Amelie,
and I will be right out. I promise, but you need to let go, for just a few minutes.''

'' No.''

'' Amelie,'' His hands cupped her cheeks, '' Look at me.''

Her head shook, her eyes stayed closed.

'' Amelie, look at me.''

She hesitated, still scared because, in her mind, it would become real. Her
hurting Adrian would be the truth of her reality if she watched his numb body
lying on the cold floor, and she wasn't ready for that.

'' You don't have to look at him, just look at me.'' He said softly, '' Open those
beautiful eyes, Amelie and look at me.''

She swallowed, still hesitant to whether she should do as her friend said, but as
her mind gave in to her soft heart — she did as he asked.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and the tears flooded down her skin.

'' There she is.'' Theodore smiled, bravingly, '' See, you can do this.''

Amelie didn't even seem to notice that Draco had placed a hand on her lower
back, putting pressure on her spine to walk out with him.

'' If you go with Draco, just for a minute, I'll be right out.'' Theo granted her a
comforting gaze as he slowly pulled his touch away.

She nodded, and without thinking — her hands grasped at Draco's arms. Amelie
was still feeling more than unsteady, but the blonde didn't know what to do as
she sought comfort in him.

He froze entirely as her body caved into his, and with his arms around her — he
felt more than nervous.

'' Avery.'' Draco mumbled sternly, '' Come with me.''

_____

'' This is my fault.''

'' This is my fault.''

'' This is my fault.''

'' This is my fault.''

Draco's jaws gritted as he continuously heard her whisper those words to herself.
He felt his blood fuming at the way she believed that she did something wrong.

'' Avery.'' Draco sought to get her attention, but she just kept walking down the
hall with her sight grounded.

'' This is my fault.''

'' This is my fault.''

'' This is my fault.''

'' This is my fault.''

'' Avery, this is not your fault.'' He said again, louder, '' You did nothing wrong.''

Amelie faltered in her steps as her neck arched to look up at him, '' It is. It is my
fault.''

'' How is it your fault? He tried to kill Theodore.'' Draco's face held a cold
mantle, '' You did what you could to stop that, this isn't—''

'' I know.'' Her fingers twitched against her palms, '' I know it's his fault, but it's
easier, convincing myself that I am to blame.''

'' Why?'' Draco looked startled, '' How could it possibly be easier for you to
blame yourself?''

'' Because—'' She held her breath for seconds, intimidated to reveal her true
thoughts, '' Because it's easier to love him if I hate myself.''

Draco's eyes widened as he slowly nodded — he could understand how it could

hurt less to love Adrian if she loathed herself.

Still, in the blonde's head — she didn't deserve this, no one did, and now — now
he had seen it himself. How cruel and vicious Adrian lived to be.

'' I can help you.'' Draco's eyes dragged over her, noticing the dried stains of
tears covering the porcelain skin underneath her eyes, '' Let me help you.''

'' What do you mean?'' Her fingers tangled into the edges of her sleeves, and she
wiped her tears away with the fabric.

'' I can help you with this. I can help you shut all the pain out.'' The grey eyes
studied hers as a fallen look rose upon his ashen skin, and the bravery he held
onto — lightly missed him.

'' It's hard to explain, but I know how to help you.''

'' How—''

'' Just—'' Draco sighed, his chest heaved as he looked down at her, '' Meet me
tomorrow in the library, and I'll show you.

'' Miss. Avery.'' The hoarse, demanding voice shredded loudly behind them as
they both spun around.

'' Headmaster.'' Amelie sought to stand properly, stretching her spine to seem
polite as the man marched closer.

His eyes were glued on her, and he didn't bother to recognize that Draco was
standing beside them, '' It has come to my attention that forbidden magic was
used earlier.''

Amelie gulped.

'' And such dark matters have consequences. You and I need to have a word.''

_____
 Eight

This chapter contains violent actions and mentions self-harm. Please read
with caution.

_____

'' And you will always have me.''

_____

Amelie's back scored cold against the chair across the massive desk. The white
strands of the headmaster's beard fell completely over his chest, '' Would you
mind telling me how this year has been treating you so far?''

His tone held gentle yet harsh.

She blinked quickly, feeling as if her veins rushed in dread. She wasn't scared of
the man sitting in front of her, but she was intimidated by the situation she had
found herself in.

'' It's going well, Sir.'' She said shyly.

'' Is it really?'' He tilted his head, '' Why is it that your year is going well, and not
for say, great?''

Her fingers gripped the wood of the armrest of her chair, harder as she
swallowed, '' The year has barely begun, Sir. I think I need a little more time for
it to be great.''

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed in hers as he slowly nodded, '' Well, I hope that
within time, you'll find the rest of this year to be a bit better than just well.''

'' I do too.'' Amelie forced a smile, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, '' Sir.'' She
added.
She flinched as he rose from his seated position. The grey cloak shifted lively
behind him as he stepped around her, quietly humming for himself, '' As I told
you earlier, I was informed by a dark type of magic being used in this school.''
He cleared his throat, '' And that the consequences of such a harmful act can be
truly severe.''

Amelie nodded as her eyes stayed on the tall man.

'' It's inappropriate to use that type of spells, Miss Avery, but I happen to be
aware of the situation surrounding you, both home and... here.''

Her breath stilled as her mind clocked what the headmaster meant, and the
instant she came to the realization of that — that the man in charge of this school
knew about the abuse she had been through, made her feel ashamed.

It felt as if someone had invaded her deepest parts of privacy — as if she were
exposed and her every thought was on display.

'' I will, however, look past your and Mr. Nott's deeds this evening—''

Her eyes flayed wide as she caught onto Theodore's name.

'' Because I believe that it was an act of self-defense, but since you are still under
the age of eighteen, I am required to inform your father about this.''

Amelie's insides twisted as the shame washed over her, and she knew that the
instant her father would learn about what she did to Adrian — he would bring all
the rage held within him, down on her, because this brought indignity upon his
name, Avery. The tells of the Death Eaters and their families spread worse than
flames in an open fire, and this wouldn't be different — not to him.

'' And he is on his way.''

Her heart dropped. She could barely breathe as she turned around in her chair to
face the headmaster, '' My father is on his way?''

Her bones caved, her mind crumbling.

'' He is indeed.'' Dumbledore granted her a swift nod before turning around as he
began to walk up the stairs in his office.
He peered over his shoulder as he strolled up, '' I will speak with him, but I am
afraid that he wishes to have a word with you as well.''

'' But in the meantime, I think someone is waiting for you downstairs,'' His steps
echoed further away as she aimed around.

_____

Her steps down the stairs held heavy as she was leaving the mysterious office
behind her. Amelie felt this weight of feeling in her chest as her courage missed
her.

Her father would find out about her using a spell to knock Adrian out, even if
she at the time did it for the greater good — for Adrian not to harm Theodore, it
was still unacceptable on her part. Amelie's father worships the Pucey's as they
honored the Avery's, and the loyalty between the two bloodlines had been set in
stone.

This brought shame upon his name, and she knew that she'd live to face the
consequences for doing so.

'' Amelie.''

Her eyes darted at the voice speaking her name, and she noticed how the brown-
haired boy was anxiously waiting for her, leaning against a hallway wall.

Theodore looked nervous, his brows furrowed as he watched her walk closer —
until she held only inches apart from him.

'' How did it go?'' He asked, his breaths shallowed at her silence, '' Amelie, how
did it—''

Theo couldn't finish the words he sought to speak before her head collided with
his chest. Her eyes closed, and she breathed the scent of him in — that calming
savor of honey.

He always scented like honey.

Amelie fought the tears that were still urging to fall, and the feeling of not
knowing caved within — of not having any power over her own fate, and the
reality of that slowly drained her.

'' This was my fault.'' Theodore mumbled into her head as he wrapped his arms
around her, '' It was stupid of me to go down there. If I just had listened to you
—''

'' It's alright, Teddy.'' She whispered back, her nose stroking against the fabric of
his shirt, '' It's no one's fault. We all made bad decisions today.''

'' No, it's not alright, Amelie. He could've killed me. He was going to kill me,
and I—'' The dark note in his tone grazed, '' I can't believe that you're going
through this every day.''

His large arms around her breaking body held even tighter, '' And you do not
deserve that.''

'' I know.'' Her voice airy as she was on the edge of crying, '' I know, but
sometimes we don't have a choice and in this... when it comes to Adrian, I don't
have one. I have no say in this.''

'' I know.'' He pushed his lips into the side of her head, '' I know, love, but you'll
always have me.''

'' And you will always have me.'' Even if her heart was hurting and the world as
she knew it was crumbling down around her — she smiled.

Theodore never fails to provoke that adorable curve on her upper lip.

'' But—'' His hands moved to her jaws, '' How did it go with Dumbledore?''

Amelie's head shook as her sight floored, '' He said that my father was coming
here, to talk about what happened.''

'' Your father?'' Theo almost shouted at her, '' Why didn't you tell me that right
away?''

'' I was going to.'' She took a step back, '' But I just... I just needed a moment
where I didn't think about him.''

'' Miss Avery.'' Professor Snape's voice caught their attention from down the hall,
making the two friends turn around, '' Your attendance is... requested. Mr. Avery
is waiting for you in my office.''

She nodded, looking at Theodore as she gathered the piece of her strength she
would need to face her father.

'' You don't—'' Theodore sought to tell her as the professor cleared his throat, ''
Let's not keep Mr. Avery waiting now, shall we?''

'' Of course not.'' Her faked smile made Theo's jaws grit together, and with a
hand placed on his shoulder, '' I'll find you tomorrow, alright?''

_____

'' Took you long enough.'' Her father snarled as he shot her a look of
disappointment, '' Did you come from the headmaster's office just now?''

'' I did.'' Amelie closed the door behind her as she stayed close to it.

When it came to her father and the type of abuse he sought to put her through —
she had learned to always memorize a path of escape. To always have a way out,
in case she needed it.

It was something her mother had taught her as a child, in a game she believed
they were playing, but as she grew older, and as her fate caught up with her —
she grasped that it wasn't a game. Her mother was actually preparing her for her
real life.

'' And what did he say to you? Did he say that there will be consequences?''
Andrew kept the fierce eyes on her as a role of hate spread across him.

'' No. He said that he would overlook it.''

Her father hummed in response as his back forced off the desk he was leaning
against, '' And you understand why I am here?''

'' I do.'' She said, quietly, '' Sir.'' She amended herself.

His face lacked emotion, '' Then perhaps you could enlighten me, you
thoughtless, stupid girl, how you could be so careless and do such a thing?''
Amelie stayed quiet.

'' Answer me, right now.'' He shouted at her as the veins on his neck nearly
popped out of anger, '' How you could do this? How you could defend that
irrelevant boy over Adrian?''

'' I didn't—''

'' But you did, Amelie. You did, and now I had to come all the way here only
because you don't know how to behave.'' His tone accusing, and the face he held
was repulsive.

'' He—'' Amelie clenched her fist together, '' He was hurting Teddy, and I had to
—''

'' Teddy.'' Her father scoffed, shaking his head at her, '' It's always Teddy.
Perhaps we should've let him kill that little friend of yours so that you can focus
on the real things in your life.''

Tears prickled in her eyes, and she began to feel angry, betrayed by the mean
things her father was speaking.

'' Leave him out of this. He did nothing wrong.''

'' No, he didn't, but you did, Amelie. You did more than wrong, and now I'm
expected to have a conversation with the headmaster.'' Andrew pushed himself
off the table, taking slow, intimidating steps towards her,

'' I should have gotten rid of you while I had the chance.'' He muttered, '' So that
I wouldn't have to come all the way down here, just for this. You are a shame to
our name, Amelie.''

Her eyes fell as she nodded, '' I know. I'm sorry.''

Andrew narrowed his inhumane eyes at her, deciding how to punish her this
time, thinking of how he could make her life — just a bit worse than it already
was.

Her eyes shut as she caught his steps closing in on her, and without a doubt —
his hand gripped her jaw in a rough hold, making her look at the devil in front of
her.

'' Look at me when I'm talking to you.'' The fear she held for her father graced as
his fingers dug into her skin, '' Never, and I mean never do something like this
again, Amelie or I will make sure that you'll never see the light of day again, just
like your mother never did.''

He yanked her back, making her spine collide with the wall behind her as he
brushed his suit off, '' Well, I will be going now, but I expect to see you at
Adrian's ceremony next week.''

She could feel the metallic taste of blood dry in her mouth by how mercilessly
he had pushed her into the stone-covered wall.

He shot her a look of disgust, hissing for himself before — with a twitch of his
wand, the door flung open, and he stormed out.

And once again — it was her, being left behind.

_____

Amelie didn't leave her room for the rest of that day — she simply stayed in her
bed without meeting anyone, not even Theodore.

She shut him out — even if it was a rare thing, Amelie not confiding in Teddy,
sometimes, she just needed to make her own mind clear — before she could
bring anyone else in it.

She was ashamed — humiliated to what her father did and to what she did
herself. She shouldn't have hurt Adrian. She knew that, but she had no strength
in seeing her best friend get put in the crossfire.

Amelie would disappoint her father, she would harm Adrian, and she would do
anything she didn't believe she was meant to do when it came to Teddy because
he did it all for her.

As the nightfall rose, the students had settled into their rooms, and the castle
shredded empty — she slipped out of her room to gather with the blonde, just
like she had told her the night before.
She wasn't sure if she wanted to — her skin still crawled of what he had
witnessed the previous day and how she crumbled at the cruelty of Adrian.

Her stroll through the darkened hallways didn't take long, and it wasn't — as
many people would've thought, scary to her at night.

She enjoyed the darkness. She always had because that meant that no one could
see the marks carved into her body. She was stainless, clean.

Amelie stared directly at the blonde as she carefully walked through the doors
into the library, but he didn't look at her — he was leaning back into his chair,
with his legs crossed in front of him, and his head was titled as he so intensely
read thought the pages of his book.

'' What are you reading?'' Amelie dropped down onto a seat across the wooden
table, her palms flat on the timber.

He still didn't look at her.

He merely turned the page of his book, '' You're late.''

She swallowed, '' I know. I'm sorry.''

'' Good.'' The grey eyes still didn't drag the sheets of paper as he nodded towards
the table, '' What is that?''

Amelie looked at the small piece of metal she had missed to notice, placed in
front of her, and she gulped. It was the same silvery blade she had been using to
harm herself.

'' It's—''

'' And don't lie to me this time, Avery.'' Draco hewed her off, his jaws sharp, ''
Tell me what it is.''

'' I'm not lying.'' Amelie raised her voice, '' I haven't seen that for months. I'm not
doing it anymore.''

'' You're not?'' Draco lowered the book as he stared right at her, and she could
lose her breath by that look.
His eyes were intense, blaming almost, yet broken and cold. It was as if they had
never felt attachment before.

''No, I'm not. I haven't been doing it for a long time.'' Her words were honest,
and she meant them.

She hadn't been hurting herself for months. Teddy helped her quit doing the one
thing she always sought to do when her mind overwhelmed her and the hurt she
felt deep within her soul shredded.

He always told her that first, it hurts, not harming yourself, but then it changes
you.

'' Is that the truth, Avery?'' Draco's face tense as he showed no emotion, '' Then
why is it still here? Why did you hide it in that book—''

'' You looked in that?'' Amelie's lips parted, '' You went through my books?''

Draco's eyes flickered. He didn't know how to answer that because he did. The
book she always read — the book that was placed on the bottom shelf, right
where she used to sit in the far corner of the library.

'' Why would you do that?'' She felt betrayed, upset almost, '' That had nothing to
do with—''

'' I can help you.'' He cut her short again, placing his elbows upon the table, '' I
can help you, Avery, but I need to know everything, and I knew that you
wouldn't tell me—''

'' That doesn't excuse it.'' She said as a sob climbed her throat, '' That doesn't
make it alright. You didn't even give me a chance to explain.''

'' I want to help—''

'' But what if I don't want you to?'' Amelie forced her chair back, '' What if I don't
want your help? What if I just want to be left alone, Draco. Have you thought of
that?''

His jaws gritted, '' You need help, and I can help you, Avery, but if this is what
you want. If you don't want me to fix this, to fix you. Then fine. Suit yourself.''
Draco tore his eyes off of her, before he without as much as an explanation,
without allowing her to talk — marched out, leaving the blade on the table.

_____
 Nine

This chapter contains emotional trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

'' I feel your heartbeat.''

_____
Adrian never returned back to school that week. His parents believed that it
would be for the better if he rested in recovery in the walls of his own home, but
that didn't interrupt the truth of Amelie missing him — more than she possessed
the words to explain.

She knew it was for the greater good that he wasn't here. It would spare them all
a piece of their minds. She understood that him being among them in a time like
this — where both she and Theodore had failed him terribly, wouldn't end well.

Still, she would have to get used to the fact that Adrian wouldn't be around much
anymore because later this week — his fate was to be destined with the
darkness, and he would finally, as he had longed for, be a part of the Death
Eaters.

Amelie didn't fear Adrian as a Death Eater more than she did with him, not being
one of them. It frankly brought her peace that he wouldn't be around, that he
only would come back to visit her for a few days at a time — because it meant
that she would have the freedom to spend time with Theodore without anyone
constantly looking over her shoulder.

Her eyes fell upon the brunette, watching as he rested in her lap, and she smiled
by the autumn breeze dancing through her hair. The gentle strokes of sun tickled
her nose as Theodore mumbled to himself.

He always did that — muttering the words he was reading without realizing that
he did it.

'' What are we reading today?'' Amelie asked him, feeling how his body slightly
flinched by her unexpected speaking.

Theo merely shrugged, turning a page of his book, '' Same as usual, but you
already knew that, didn't you?''

She held on to her smile as her eyes rolled, '' Only because you've been reading
the same book for a decade now.''

The tips of her fingers dragged gently through his hair, untangling the messy
strands, and the touch of her — brushing through the brown pieces, made him
gaze up at her. His eyes glimmered by the bright light around them,

'' Can I read you something?'' He looked eager.

'' Of course.'' Her fingers kept on brushing over his head as she peered out over
the lake in front of them. Both Amelie and Theodore loved sitting out here, close
to the water, as they read in quietness.

It was one of the many things they always did together, and especially out here,
because here — Adrian couldn't find them. He didn't know about their secret
little place.

'' Ready?'' Theo asked as she nodded, '' Alright. What greater punishment is there
than —''

'' — life, when you've lost everything that made it worth living?'' She finished
for him with an amused cloak on her face, '' And it's still Romeo and Juliet. You
have read me that line a hundred times.''

'' So what if I have?'' He began to pout, shifting around in her hold, '' I like it.
What's wrong with that?''

Her brows knitted together as she sought to hide her growing smile, '' There's
nothing wrong with it, Teddy. It was just the obvious choice for you, that's all.''

Theodore sighed loudly as he rose from her lap, settling himself next to her
instead, but he stayed quiet. He didn't speak against her, and he didn't try to
defend himself like he normally would've.

'' Is that so wrong?'' He humbled, his legs crossed in front of him, '' Is it so wrong
to wish for someone that cares for you so much that they would rather die than
be without you?''

Amelie caught his tone slightly breaking, and she could tell that he was upset,
even if he tried to hide it. Theodore never had anyone to care for in the way
Amelie had Adrian. He never met someone so special that he wanted anything
similar to being in love.

'' You have me, Teddy.'' Her hand gripped the spine of his book before placing it
on the ground to take his hand instead. She tangled their fingers together, '' You
always have me.''

'' I know.'' He tipped his head to rest on her shoulder, '' And you have me,
Amelie.''

'' Good, because you're stuck with me, and I'm not going anywhere—''

'' What are you two doing?'' A hoarse, darkened voice spat from behind them as
they, without even thinking about it — jumped apart. Amelie and Theodore flew
to their feet as they watched the two Slytherin boys storm closer.

'' Zabini.'' Theodore snarled, '' What do you want? Still on the lookout for your
best friend?''
'' Don't talk about Pucey like that.'' Blaise hissed, halting feet away from the two,
'' You know better than to disrespect your superiors.''

Amelie took a step back, and her spine collided with a warm chest as she
immediately spun around, '' I'm sorry. I didn't see—''

'' My superiors?'' Theodore made a face of disgust, '' You're actually calling
yourself my superior?''

'' I am—''

'' Zabini.'' The blonde growled, '' Manners.''

Blaise simply rolled his eyes at Draco before looking back at Theodore, '' Don't
you know that she's spoken for? Why would you even touch—''

'' Oh, piss off.'' Theo spat, annoyingly as he towered the rude boy, '' You know
nothing more than what Adrian has told you, so I suggest that you stay out of
things that don't concern you.''

'' Pucey asked me to keep an eye on her.'' Blaise's head swiftly tilted towards
Amelie, '' And I actually do as I'm told. That's more than I can say for—''

'' Blaise!'' Draco called out for him again, his face stern in anger, '' You and Nott
can take whatever this is, inside. I need a word with Avery.''

Amelie's heart started pounding, roughly within the cage of her chest.

'' But I—'' Blaise sought to speak again, but the blonde cut him off by raising his
hand.

'' Now, Blaise.''

His eyes rolled again as Theodore shot Amelie a frustrating glare. He looked sad
because this was the first time in a week, both of them had found a moment of
peace and quiet together — but even in Adrian's absence, he was able to ruin it.

'' I'll find you later,'' Theo mumbled as he shoved Blaise out of his way,
marching his way up to the caste again, and Zabini wasn't slow to follow.
Amelie didn't dare to turn around, to let her eyes level the grey ones. Still, she
was intrigued as she scented him, the sweet, minty taste in a fusion with clean
cotton.

'' Avery,'' Draco spoke quietly behind her as she turned around, his hands shoved
into his suit pockets, '' I would like to talk to you about last week.''

She nodded, staying still in front of him, '' What about last week?''

'' In the library.'' His voice cold, '' I was in the wrong for speaking to you the way
I did.''

Her heart nearly missed its beat as she felt the ache in her veins. She had tried to
forget that night — she didn't want to think about how angry he had gotten with
her for telling the truth.

For once, she spoke her mind. She didn't know if she wanted his help — if she
wished for anyone's help, and she said it, out loud — still, he was irritated with
her for doing so.

'' You didn't—'' Amelie rose, but he quickly hushed her down.

'' But I did.'' Draco reached his hand out in an attempt to touch her arm, but the
very second he did so — she winced back, almost stumbling back as he pulled
his touch away.

'' Please.'' She said in a whisper, '' Don't touch me.''

Draco's eyes grew wide at her reaction, and he didn't understand what he did
wrong, so once again — his hand reached for her arm,

'' Don't—'' Amelie felt tears in her eyes as she was terrified by another person's
touch, everyone that had ever touched her did it with force, and she couldn't take
that anymore.

She flinched again, her lower lip quivered as she did everything possible not to
cry, but it didn't work.

Her mind fled to Theodore, her safe place on this earth, and she tried to do as he
told her — to breathe slowly, steadily, but nothing.
She couldn't calm herself. The panic drowned her from within as her tortured
mind turned overwhelmed by everything.

Amelie's chest heaved, her hands grasped at the roots of her hair, and she closed
her eyes, trying to shut it all out. She needed to slay her mind before it killed her.

'' No.''

'' No.''

'' No.''

She fell to her knees as her voice split in hurt; barely a proper sound could
escape her lips. It wasn't easy — it was terrifying, to her this was her heaviest
fear — that someone would touch her without her permission.

'' Avery—'' Draco kneeled beside her, in total shock of what was passing, ''
Damn it, Avery, talk to me.''

She couldn't form a word as her breath heaved in her throat and the tears
draining her skin burnt.

'' Theodore!'' He shouted, hoping that her friend hadn't gone too far away, but
nothing. He panicked. He didn't know what to do either as Amelie was breaking
apart next to him.

'' Amelie.''

He said her name.

He never speaks her name.

'' Amelie, can I—'' Draco swallowed as his fingers tugged at his tie, loosening it,
'' Damn it, Amelie, can I touch you?''

Still no answer.

The blonde didn't know what to do. He didn't dare to lay a hand on her again,
worried that he would do her more harm than good. He stood tall on his feet
beside her, looking around as her soft, almost inaudible whimpers tore through
his ears — but not a soul in sight, the yard shredded just as empty as he felt.

'' I am so sorry for this.'' He whispered before he bent down, his cold hands
wrapped around her back and thighs, and without even being clear-minded to
what he was doing — he lifted her.

Amelie's head buried into his chest as he carried her with him, and she gasped
the second she felt the icing water embracing her.

'' Draco—'' She breathed out as he kept on walking into the lake. Her arms clung
around his neck, and he halted as he came to mind that she was waking from her
haunted thoughts.

The water held at his chest, and he let the hold of her thighs go. His hands
wrapped tightly around her waist as he looked at her.

He always seemed to look at her.

'' Do you feel that?'' Draco whispered as her forehead leaned against his chest, ''
Do you feel how the cold water eases everything?''

His skin fumed hot by the frosted lake around them, and the bright strokes of sun
dimmed as the darkened clouds dragged over the castle.

'' I feel your heartbeat.'' Amelie lastly spoke up, and he could feel how her skin
chilled, '' I feel it beating with mine.''

'' I feel it too.'' The blonde placed his head on top of hers, and they stood there, in
the water, for moments as the heavy clouds shifted closer and the drips of nature
began to pour.

'' Why?'' She mumbled into his suit jacket after minutes in quietness, '' Why are
you helping me? Why do you care?''

Draco's jaws tensed as his eyes shut. He didn't want to speak the words he was
about to say, but somewhere he knew that he needed to tell her — to make it
clear to the girl he feels like he hurt so badly,

'' Avery.''
Her neck arched as her eyes matched his.

'' I don't care.'' He said, and even if he didn't show it — his heart dropped by the
shallow look of her, '' I have told you before. I don't care about you.''

The grip he held of her waist loosened, and her arms dropped from around him
— she couldn't feel his heart anymore.

'' I know,'' Amelie whispered, and her view dived from his. She couldn't look at
him anymore because she knew that there wasn't hope to be found — she knew
that she shouldn't have wished for her life to stand a chance against her fated
odds.

Because she had no chance against the destiny her life was chained to.

She felt the pouring rain as she looked up at him again, seeing as his hair was
wet, and his clothes soaked, by the look of that — a smile coated her lips in
bravery, '' I know that you don't care. No one cares, Draco, and that's alright.''

And then — then she walked away.

_____

The art for this chapter is illustrated by @ dar.a_art (on Instagram and Tumblr)
 Ten

_____

'' I won't bother you anymore.''

_____

Amelie stared at her own reflection in the mirror. Even if she looked stunning in
yet another dress that Adrian had gifted her. Another piece of clothing that was
perfectly measured around her chest and arms not to show any signs of violence
— she felt weak because the day Adrian was meant to unite with the dark side
was here.

Her skin felt as if it was burning as two hands placed on both of her shoulders,

'' You look—'' Adrian breathed out, his eyes traveled down her dolled up body in
the mirroring, '' Absolutely breathtaking.''

Amelie smiled, tilting her chin to his hand on her shoulder, '' Thank you, and you
cleaned up nicely.''

His lips pushed into the back of her head, kissing her gently.

They looked normal, just like any other teenage couple would. Nobody could
ever have been able to place a finger upon what happened to her behind closed
doors. He was handsome, and he took care of her — that's how they seemed to
be.

Adrian's hands stayed on her shoulders as his palms gripped her skin, almost
massaging it, '' I know that we have our....''

'' Differences.''

She turned away from the mirror to look at him instead, '' And I know that you
sometimes feel hurt by that, but I need you to understand something, Amelie. I
do it all—''

'' For me.'' Her eyelashes fluttered as her eyes dragged over his shirt and suit
jacket, '' You do it all for me.''

'' See—'' Adrian's hand cupped her jaw as he bent her chin up, and his eyes
collided with hers, '' You do know, and this is why I love you, Amelie because
you understand me.''

She kept the smile she so bravely held onto in the attempt to stay solid in all the
crumbling, '' You are the love of my life, Amelie, remember that.''

'' I know.'' Her palms against his jacket as the tips of her fingers stroked along
the collar of it.

'' Then let's go downstairs, darling.''

_____

The room glimmered in lavish decor as the guests gathered around their tables to
chat and socialize before Adrian's ceremony was to take place. The crowd of
people thickened as she walked beside him — her arm entwined with his as they
greeted the people.

'' Amelie.'' His mother called out for her, even if Amelie's father was standing
next to her. Ana smiled, kissing her cheek before turning to her son, '' Adrian.''

'' Mother.'' Adrian sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist as he placed his
head on hers. His eyes flickered over the dining hall, '' You have done a
remarkable job as always.''

'' It truly is beautiful.'' Amelie smiled at her mother-in-law, her fingers tensed
around the crystal of bubbles in her hands.

'' I need a word, mother,'' Adrian whispered into the side of her head, hoping that
Amelie wouldn't hear, but that was hardly wishful thinking from the vile boy. If
there was anything to be picked up from when people close to you talk for you,
instead of to you — it was overhearing.

'' Is Parkinson joining us tonight?''

Ana's breath hitched in the back of her throat as she made a grimace at what her
son had spoken. The green eyes flickered over Amelie before she looked back at
Adrian, '' Son, perhaps this isn't a conversation we should have when we have
company—''

'' She knows.'' Adrian stilled with Amelie's arms yet wrapped with his, '' Amelie
is well aware what happened with Parkinson. We don't keep secrets from one
another, mother.''

'' No we—'' Amelie sought to speak, but the instant an airy word left her lips —
Adrian's jaws clenched and his fingers gripped around her upper arm.

'' Speak when you're spoken to, darling.'' He whispered close to her ear, '' Or you
and I will have to go upstairs and talk this through, but we don't want that today,
do we?''

Any human close to her could almost hear her heart as it dropped from the cage
of her chest, and a slight nod fell with it, '' No, we don't.'' She whispered back.

'' That's what I thought.'' He shot her an annoyed stare before shifting towards his
mother again, '' Is she joining us this evening? Because if that's the case, Amelie
and I will have to leave directly after—''

'' She's not coming, son.'' Ana lowered her voice as she stretched over the table
in front of them. Her fingers nervously fixing one of the forks that seemed out of
place, '' It's all taken care of, as promised.''

Amelie's brows knitted together at the words spoken between them as she settled
her glass of moonshine on the table.

'' What is taken care of?'' She stepped back from them, '' What did you do to
Pansy?''

Adrian scoffed, his hand once again around her arm as he dragged her closer
again, '' What did I just tell you?'' His tone shifted in violence as his head shook
disappointingly at her, '' Speak when you are spoken to.''

She could nearly feel as her eyes watered, and her skin where he held her —
stung out of the brutal grip.
'' Adrian.'' Amelie's note in a plea, '' Tell me what you did to her. Tell me what
you did to—''

'' Amelie.'' His mother hewed her off, making her tip her chin to look at the lady
in front of them, '' Would you mind coming with me? You don't look so healthy,
dear.''

Adrian hesitated for a brief moment before he dropped the cruel touch he had of
her arm, and he nodded his permission for Amelie to go with his mother. She
didn't believe him. She couldn't possibly understand how the boy her life
belonged to could stand there — with a smirk on his lips, happy, unbothered.

'' Don't be long, darling.'' He muttered before trailing his glass of sparkles up to
his lips.

Ana's arm around Amelie's shoulders as she led the confused girl away from the
public eye before they stopped in a hallway, leading into the kitchen.

'' What did you do, Ana?'' Amelie was on the edge of tears as she always was the
one being kept in the dark.

'' Amelie. You need to understand that as a Pucey woman, you have no say in
how you should handle things.'' Her green eyes bored Amelie's with honesty, '' I
am well aware that you know about miss Parkinson and her situation with my
son. In fact, she told me that you were the one taking her in—''

Two other guests at their house strolled past as Ana quieted her talks for a
minute.

'' That you were the one taking her in that night, and for that, I am more than
grateful. Not everyone who is found in your position would act so selfless as you
did.''

Ana smiled at her, her hand reached up between them to tuck a lock behind
Amelie's ear, '' But that was given, that you would act so brave in a time so hard,
Amelie. I expected nothing less from you.''

Amelie's eyes flickered again like they always seemed to do when she was found
in a time where she didn't know what to say, and as they did — as her sight
traveled down the hall, she noticed a blonde-haired boy, closing the bathroom
door behind him.

Draco's eyes grew wide in curiosity, and the furrowed brows he held caused her
to feel nervous.

'' I need to tell you something about Pansy.'' Ana said again, her hand gripped
Amelie's for her attention, '' In my son's beliefs, we took care of the problem.''

Amelie's back snapped, looking entirely at the woman. Her chest slightly
heaved, and she understood right away what they had done.

Ana had performed a spell on her son, in which she made the boy believe that
she had convinced Pansy to get rid of the pregnancy, when in reality — she was
still with child.

'' You did—'' Amelie's eyes glinted, '' She's alright?''

'' Her and her future baby.'' Ana looked over Amelie, and the constantly tortured
girl nearly held her breath. She was relieved, yet her heart shattered for Pansy —
ever since the night she stumbled into Amelie's room with her life in pieces,
Amelie hadn't gone a day without thinking about what Adrian had put her
through.

She sighed loudly to what his mother confessed, and the ease of that made
shivers trail down her spine.

'' You see, Amelie.'' Ana stroked her arm, '' Sometimes, even if it's not often,
things do work out for the better, but I will not be holding you from the guests
any longer.''

Ana took long strides past Amelie, '' It looks as if someone wants a word.'' Her
head tipped towards Draco, who still stood tall at the end of the corridor.

'' Thank you, Ana.'' Amelie smiled before turning to the blonde, and Adrian's
mother disappeared into the dining hall again.

She just needed a moment, a second of peace and quiet as her mind processed
everything she just found out about and what would change with her newly
found knowledge.
'' Avery,'' Malfoy said, and she flinched — even if she was looking straight at
him, his voice made her knock out of her chained thoughts she held.

Her shoulder against the wall beside her as she almost had to catch her breath, ''
What can I do for you, Draco?''

'' What can you do for me? What kind of question is that—''

The voices of other quests walking closer made her anxious to Adrian finding
her when she was talking to the blonde. Her head snapped further down the hall,
and without a word — her fingers wrapped around Draco's wrist to drag him
with her to the closest bathroom.

'' What are you—'' Draco marched into the room as she slammed the door shut,
leaning her spine against it after.

'' I just—'' She couldn't form a proper sentence, '' I don't want anyone to see.''

'' Anyone, or Adrian?'' He rose a brow at her as he shot her a cold look. Draco
didn't shift a muscle. He stood, daringly in front of her, '' And to see what? Us
two having a conversation—''

'' You're doing it again.'' She whispered, making him quiet.

His eyes dragged over her as he crossed his arms, '' What am I doing, Avery?''
He snapped, sounding severe.

'' You're acting like you care when you don't.'' She said it so quickly as if it was
all truth to her, and that made his eyes grow wide.

'' Avery.'' Draco's lips parted, his eyes begging hers — he wanted to say
something else, something more, but he didn't dare to, so he did what he usually
sought to do.

He stayed quiet. Just like she did.

The sound and the echoing of the guest enjoying themselves outside tore through
their ears as he peered up at the puzzle in front of him — because that's what she
was to him. She was a maze of feelings, a trap of question. Still, she seemed so
gracious in it all.
She stood there, with her dress hugging around her — her hair kissing her
shoulders and her eyes, falling softly upon him.

He wanted to speak, to tell her the truth he'd been hiding. Still, he couldn't
because she was as torn within as he was.

'' Maybe we should go—'' She whispered, and it looked as if she had collected all
her bewildered thoughts, ready to face the crowd of people they both knew
waited for her. Amelie turned around, her hand on the doorknob,

'' Wait—'' Draco mumbled, his hand on his jawline as he scratched it, '' Avery,
we still need to talk.''

'' What do we have to talk about? You wanted to help me, but you don't care. It
doesn't get simpler than that.'' She tried to be funny, to make him smile — but he
didn't. Draco still gazed at her with agony.

'' You need to stop pushing your pain away. You can't use a joke as an escape.''
Draco said as his eyes stayed on her. His arms still crossed, and his fingers dug
into his own flesh.

'' And why can't I do that?'' Amelie questioned him back. Her skin crawled as his
eyes burned into it. There was something about the way he looked at her — a
special, certain way the grey eyes studied her every movement, her every flinch.

'' Because you need to feel, Avery. You need to be angry.'' Draco's words pierced
through her, leaving her speechless, '' You can't keep using jokes and easy
matters to make this better. You need to be angry. You need to torch that fire
still sparking within before it—''

He hesitated, almost realizing his own words.

'' Before it burns out.'' Draco cleared his throat, his face molded, '' And believe
me when I say that it's nearly impossible to start feeling again when you're
already numb.''

There it was again — his pain. His suffering mixed in an untidy fusion with hers.
They knew each other's hurt. Still, they fought it and would continue to do so
until there wasn't anything more to give or take.
''Draco—''

'' If you don't want my help, that's alright, Avery. You can walk out of here
without any questions asked.'' It was as if he didn't want her to, even if his voice
was stern, serious — it still tore in the higher notes.

He didn't want her to leave.

'' And I won't bother you anymore.'' The blonde one finished, and her lips parted
— a shaky breath fled them.

The aching feeling she had held in her chest for years eased, and her slowed
heart, fluttered a beat again. It was as if she could feel his heartbeat again.
Malfoy looked battered, whisked, and he needed to help someone manage their
pain to handle his own.

Amelie swallowed. She wanted his help, and she knew that he needed hers, but
still within the pure, honest heart of hers — this wasn't right. She wasn't a liar.
She didn't hide things from Adrian, and Amelie knew that she couldn't be honest
about this.

'' I'm sorry—'' Her breaths ragged as she slammed the door shut behind her.

She walked out.

_____
 Eleven

This chapter contains scenes of violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

'' You suppose so?''

_____

The second she felt the door slamming shut behind her and the wind soring
through her hair because of it — she changed her mind.

Amelie was well aware that Draco was more than capable of helping her through
it all and that he made it out. He wasn't trapped anymore. He was chainless —
steady on his feet, and that seemed to be all Amelie wished for too.

She needed his help, and by the look of it, he needed to help her.

With a harsh breath sucked in between her teeth, she gripped the handle, and she
winced back by the sound of glass shattering everywhere. Her jaws dropped as
she stared at the mess in front of her.

The blonde stood leaning over the sink. The mirror next to him was shredded in
pieces as his knuckles bled.

'' Draco—''

'' Just...'' He breathed out as the door once again closed behind her, '' Just go,
Avery.''

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving as he shot her a glare, '' I told you
—''

'' Would you have left?'' Amelie spoke up, facing the grey eyes, '' If it was me,
Draco. Would you have walked out? You need help with that hand.''
'' Do I really need to answer that question?'' He huffed, and her heart ached. She
didn't mean to upset him, to make him hurt himself because he didn't do
anything wrong. Neither did she. She didn't know what she wanted. She didn't
understand what would be right and wrong in this.

'' Just go, Avery. I don't need you.'' Draco shrugged, his other hand holding the
bruised one.

'' But I—'' She held, her eyes flickered in nervosity, '' I think I need you... I think
I need your help.''

His hooded eyes widened as his lips pushed into a firm line. The pain in his hand
spread, but it didn't hurt. He could barely feel any pain anymore — he was too
numb for that.

'' Avery,'' He tried to warn her, to give her a chance to get out before it seemed to
be too late, and Draco — he wouldn't involve himself in something he couldn't
control.

'' But Adrian can't know.'' Her eyes dragged over him, noticing how messily the
strands of blonde hair were placed over his forehead.

Draco scoffed annoyingly as he shook his head, and he tried to stretch his fingers
out, but the instant he did so — his entire face twisted in a hurtful grimace.

'' Here.'' Amelie took a step closer, her hand wrapped around his gently as she
held it in place. Her other hand hauled her wand out, '' Stay still for me, will
you?'' She smiled up at him as his eyes locked on his bruises.

'' Brackium Emendo,'' Amelie mumbled underneath her breath, and his fingers
clasped together. The crackling noise of bones fixing together scored through
their ears.

'' There you go.'' She held her smile, and his face fell into confusion. '' Theodore,
he's pretty good at healing, so he taught me some things.''

'' I see.'' Draco muttered back, '' I suppose a thank you is in order then.'' His
fingers traced over the wound, and it made her heart flutter. She helped
someone, and that made her feel more than pleased with herself.
'' You suppose so?'' She rose a brow, taking a step back, and as she did — her
heel stepped on the shattered mirror glass, coating the floor. She nearly fell
backwards, but Draco's hands wrapped around her waist to keep her from hitting
the ground.

His fingers dug into her skin, but she wasn't scared — she wasn't tormented. It
felt soothing. His touch wasn't rough or hurting.

Amelie could almost taste his sweet breaths upon her lips.

He blinked quickly as if time slowed, and the tension between the two grew.
Draco's tall body, holding her short one. Goosebumps pathed on her skin, where
her dress had a lower back, and the icing touch of his hands made warmth flush
within her.

All she saw was him, how his eyes glinted, how the ashen skin seemed so soft,
flawless. The dark eyelashes battled the grey eyes, and every strand of blonde
hair fell over his forehead, but then — when he noticed that he was studying her
in a way she was looking at him — he stepped away.

His sights grounded as his jaws tensed at what he caught himself doing. '' My
apologies.'' He mumbled, shoving his hands back into his pockets, and she stood
in front of him — in complete shock.

'' But you need to go. It's almost time for Adrian's—''

'' Draco,'' Amelie caught his flaring stare, '' I—''

His head shook to hush her down before he walked past her to the door. He
opened it and took every chance of privacy away.

'' Theodore should be here by now.'' He looked out of the doorway, '' If I see
him, I'll tell him that you're looking for him.''

'' Draco—'' She spoke again, but he ignored her plea for his name. He shoed out
of the bathroom, giving her a swift gaze.

'' Tomorrow night, in the library again.'' His fingers gripped around the lightly
botched tie, straightening it instead, '' And don't be late this time.''
 _____

Amelie rushed out of the bathroom, making her way through the hallways to find
Adrian, with the hope that she wasn't too late, but to her disappointment, both he
and his mother had vanished.

She stood on her toes at the entrance of the dining hall, her eyes flickered over
all the heads seated in the largened room, still nothing — none of them in sight.
With a quiet sigh, she walked up the stairs to his room, hoping that he'd be there
— in the last place she had to look for him.

Her palms against the wood, and she shoved his door open, only to wince back
by the tall, visibly shaking boy standing against one of the walls.

'' You missed it.'' Adrian's note was low, threatening, '' Bloody hell, Amelie, you
missed it.'' He began to shout, his spine arched off the wall as he took dangerous
steps closer to her.

'' How could you miss it? I asked one thing of you.'' His hands trapped her in as
he booted the door shut behind her, '' One single thing, I asked, and you couldn't
do as told once.''

Adrian's eyes tore through hers, '' Where were you? You weren't with me, so
where were you?'' He spat, his jaws gritted together, and without as much as a
warning, his large hand roughly wrapped around her throat.

'' Adrian—'' Amelie heaved as her toes barely touched the floor, '' Please, I'm
sorry—''

The smirk on his face began to form at his doings, and her eyes snapped to his
rolled-up sleeve, and there it was — the mark. The ink carved into his forearm
she both feared and cherished.

'' Sorry?'' He hissed at her as his fingers dug deep into her neck, '' You're sorry?
You missed it, Amelie. You were supposed to be there, and then you weren't.
You made a complete fool out of me.''

Adrian's temper failed him altogether as he threw her body to the ground, and he
watched her crawl together before he kneeled beside her.
''A tragic mistake. That's what you are, Amelie.'' The veins in his neck popped
out of the rage he felt at her not obeying him, '' Nothing more than a pathetic
mistake. I'm glad that your father and I both agree on one thing.''

He shook his head at her before forcing himself off the ground, and he left
Amelie trembling on the floor.

'' The Dark Lord has requested for me to join him on an assignment for a few
days, maybe more.'' He straightened his tie, but he kept his eyes off of her. '' So I
won't be coming back to school with you, but I think you knew this already.''

Amelie sat up, her back against the wall, '' I see.''

'' Blaise will keep you company, to make sure you don't do anything stupid this
time, and I will see you when I get back.'' He stretched his hand out, the vicious
temper he just possessed tamed again.

Her hand in his as he helped her stand next to him. Adrian wrapped his arms
around her and placed a kiss on the top of her head. '' Just know that Blaise will
owl me the instant—''

''I won't do anything foolish.'' She blurted out in a whisper, making him take a
step back, '' I promise, Adrian.''

'' I know you do, darling.'' Adrian walked towards the door, turning around in his
last track, '' And don't go back to the party, Amelie. I can't have you looking like
that, among the guests.''

He gestured to the tear in her dress, caused by him throwing her to the ground,
and she forced a smile.

'' I won't.''

_____

She slipped down to her seat with her books slamming against the table. Amelie
was waiting for Theodore, and she was excited. This happened to be the only
class Blaise wasn't able to transfer to, which meant that the two best friends
finally would have time to themselves.
Blaise was watching her like a hawk, hunting for its prey — precisely as Adrian
had asked of his friend.

'' There you are,'' Theodore smiled, making her neck snap to his as he stood tall
beside her, hanging his robe over the backrest of his chair, '' I looked in the
library for you, but you—''

'' I had a free period.'' She mumbled, and her eyes flickered down to her desk. He
took place beside her. Theo didn't let his sight off her as he sighed, loudly in
need of attention.

'' Yes, Teddy?'' She huffed, and the annoyance in her tone caused his eyebrows
to knit together, his mouth twitched into a sharp line.

Amelie felt guilty, '' No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that.'' Her eyes leveled
his, and she shot him a smile, '' I had a bad day yesterday, that's all.''

Theodore nudged her to the side, earning a slight chuckle to fall off her lips. His
brown hair held in a mess on his head, the locks tangled.

'' That's what I wanted to talk about. I looked for you everywhere at the Pucey's
but I couldn't—''

'' You're in my seat, Nott.'' The dark voice scoring from behind caused both of
them to coil back, and Amelie's hands grabbed the edges of her desk in panic, ''
Get up, Theodore, and find another seat.''

Blaise stood tall next to them, his foot repeatedly stamped against the floor as he
was impatiently waiting for Teddy to leave.

Amelie stayed silent. She didn't look, nevertheless speak to the boy who
constantly intruded on her privacy.

'' Now, Nott. I'm not telling you again—''

'' No need to be rude, is it, Zabini?'' Draco's voice held severe, hushed from the
other students to hear, '' Why don't we take a seat behind them, and leave Avery
and Nott to it?''

The blonde gestured towards the empty desk in the row after theirs, and his hand
on Blaise's shoulder yanked him back.

'' Now, Zabini.''

Blaise did as Draco asked, trails of whining left his lips as he hunkered down to
the empty chair, still in full sight of what Amelie was doing — she met the grey
eyes just for a brief second, still, in that short inch of time, she nearly felt lost in
them.

'' Here.'' Theodore broke through her trance, and Draco sunk onto the seat next to
Blaise's.

'' Look at this,'' Theo said again, but even if she turned in her chair to see what he
was so eager to display — her mind had no strength in focusing on something
else than the blonde boy and how excited she was to meet him in the library
tonight.

_____
 Twelve

This chapter contains scenes of emotional trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

'' Blue.''

_____

The dusk cleared over the castle as Amelie walked her way down to the library,
with the hope and knowledge that the blonde-haired boy would be waiting for
her.

She hadn't been able to clear her mind off of him ever since he looked at her the
way he did in the bathroom.

There was something about the mysterious yet obvious boy that calmed her. He
affected her in a way no one else seemed to be able to do, and even if it was
intriguing, it was more than terrifying also, because this was an unrevealed
enclave.

She had never done this with someone else, never been this close to someone she
didn't know that well but still manage to trust.

The hallways scored dark, shallow, empty. Amelie's heels crinkled along the
stone-covered floor before she halted in her steps, and she pushed her palms
against the doors, hauling them open into the dimmed library.

Amelie's eyes flickered, '' Draco—'' She said in a whisper as she snuck further in
between the dusty bookshelves covered in old novels, '' Draco, this isn't funny.''

Her spine arched straight and her breaths light as feathers the second she caught
a hushed sound behind her — her fingers curled into fists, and her eyes squeezed
shut before a known chuckle rose behind her,
'' You truly are a tough one, aren't you, Avery?'' Draco stepped out of the
shadows, his note mocking her, '' What if I would've been someone else? And all
you do is stay still?''

Amelie panted out the holding breath, sending him a glare, '' I told you it wasn't
funny, Draco.'' Her hand grasped at her throat as he continued to let out chuckles
at her.

'' We'll see who's the fool when I am done with you.'' Draco's upper lips curled,
and he smirked at her before his amused look faded into a serious one, '' You
need to understand something, Avery.''

He cleared his throat, '' That what we're about to do... what I am about to do to
you isn't easy. Overcoming fear isn't something that happens overnight. This will
hurt you, and it will take time.''

Amelie gulped, '' What do you—''

'' But when I am done with you, and when we've succeeded, you'll never be
scared of Adrian or your father, ever again.'' Their names slipped his tongue with
disgust as he showed it.

Amelie stood nervously before him, her fingers still clenched into fists, and his
tall towering made her feel small — but that wasn't an issue for her because she
always wished to make herself tiny, invisible when someone was hurting her.

Draco's eyes glistened by the moonlight, sneaking its way through the window
cracks, '' How do you do this?'' Amelie whispered, '' Help me, I mean.''

'' How do I do this?'' He hushed. His teeth showed as he licked his lower lip, '' Sit
down,'' He gestured towards the table that stood surrounded by chairs — and one
chair that held different than the others, it was turned towards him.

Amelie slipped down, her legs shook out of the timid feeling and the gaze the
blonde held as he eyed her down.

'' If you agree to do this, we can not stop.'' His tells trailed shivers down her
spine, '' We can't stop once we started, Avery. I need you to fully understand that
—''
'' I do, Draco.'' Amelie chewed on the inside of her cheek, nodding towards the
blonde, '' I understand—''

His head shook as he slowly walked up to her. Draco placed both of his hands on
the armrests of her chair as he towered over her, grey eyes pierced through hers
like daggers, '' I need words, Avery. I need you to tell me that you want this.''

She swallowed, feeling how his minty breath tasted sweet on her innocent lips, ''
I want your help, Draco.'' Amelie nearly choked out, owning no thought of what
he'd do to her.

Draco nodded. His step back made her feel lonely in her exposed position. His
hand fiddled with his wand, '' I need you to choose a word.'' He told, still
keeping his eyes on her, '' A safe word. It can be a fruit, a color, or something—''

'' A what—''

'' A safe word.'' He hewed her off as his shoulder leaned against a bookshelf, ''
You need to have one, for when you can't take it anymore.''

Draco kept on flipping the wand in between his fingers as he grew impatient
with her lack of words, '' The clock is ticking, Avery.''

'' Blue.'' Amelie choked out, her fingers grasping at the armrest, '' I want to use
blue.''

She couldn't help but feel good about her choice of words because it was her
mother's favorite color and who would be more suitable to save her from herself
than her mother.

Draco rose a brow, rushing a hand through the blonde strands as he slightly
tugged his hair back, '' As you wish.''

His wand stretched in between them to a point where it leveled her head, and she
held her breath — terrified for what was about to come crashing down on her. '' I
need you to close your eyes, Avery.''

'' Can you do that for me?'' He said, and her eyes fluttered shut, '' Good. You're
doing so good.'' He kept on mumbling, in his own way — he was praising her
bravery.
'' I'm sorry for this.'' Draco sucked in a harsh breath, '' Legilimens.''

The spell clocked her eyes wide. The lingering light of magic swirled her mind,
nearly paralyzing her on the chair she was seated on.

'' I want you to think about your father. Can you do that?'' He asked her, but she
couldn't see him — all she watched was the flashing images of her father and his
violence.

'' Good, Avery. You're doing so good.''

He saw what she did. He watched her memories through his magic, '' I want you
to focus on something your father did to you as a child.''

The second his words came to mind — her eyes squeezed shut, and the image of
her father, burning cigarette after cigarette all over her skin almost suffocated
her.

That tended to be his favorite rule of punishment, even when she was a harmless
child — he would cherish the times her screams of torture ripped through the
walls of their home. Amelie took beating after beating, all because her father
wasn't strong enough to battle his own pain.

Draco's spell tore from her mind, giving her a second to catch her missing breath
before it overwhelmed her again. '' Good, Avery. This is going so well.''

It was as if her unconscious self were seeking the pain of her father's abuse —
how she would feel utterly numb by the countless attempts to yank away from
the vicious hold, how tears drained her skin, how weak she looked to be because
she couldn't take it anymore.

How the words, spoken by her father as he did the most ruthless of acts.

'' You're weak. ''

'' You're worthless.''

'' You're my biggest mistake.''

'' If it wasn't for your mother—''

Her mother. Athena. The only person in this world that looked after her, who
took his abuse to spare her daughter. The gracious woman who,

'' Stop!'' Amelie breathed out lowly. Her palms cupped her face, '' Please, stop.''

She wasn't ready for the truth that rested within her. She wasn't prepared.

Draco strode closer as his steps echoed before he kneeled down, right in front of
her — watching the twisting grimaces of her tortured mind.

'' Avery—''

'' Stop, just make it stop, Draco.'' Her eyes prickled in tears of how hard she
sought to shut it out, to not the memory of it all in, '' Please, just make it—''

'' Avery.'' Draco spoke up harshly, ''You need to say the—''

Somewhere in his observing of her — he understood that she wasn't going to

give in. She wouldn't listen. Still, his mind battled. He didn't know if it was a
good time to touch her. He didn't want to push her, to pressure her even more
than his magic had done.

Her fingers tangled into her hair as she tugged it back, but a second later, she
flinched instead, her entire self coiled back by the hand he placed on her thigh.

'' Amelie.''

He said her name again, and this time — she noticed it.

'' Amelie, your safe word.'' He mumbled as he leaned closer to her ear. His tone
held slow, calming, '' Listen to my voice, and say your word.''

Her chest caved as her bones ached, '' Blue.'' She whimpered out, nails dug into
the armrests, '' Blue, blue, blue.'' And she could feel the relief as he shredded his
magic away.

'' Good, Amelie.'' His grip around her thigh tensed as the rings coating them
stung her skin, '' You did so well for me.''

Amelie's head fell back, her knees dragged up to her chest as she hugged herself,
and moments passed in utter silence. She didn't have the courage to speak.

'' Are you...'' Draco scratched the back of his head, '' Are you alright?''

She forced a smile, her vocals trembled, '' Why did I have to do that? How is this
ever going to help me?''

'' We all have that one secret.'' Draco held his talk, pulling his hand off of her, ''
We all have this one special secret, we didn't know we carried, and that's your
trigger. That is what's making you scared of your father and Adrian.''

His eyes glimmered with remorse, and in compaction to what he had to put her
through, '' You were so close to giving it up to me, but the second your mind
circled it. You snapped out. You're not ready to show me what it is you're
hiding.''

'' So I need to do it again?'' She almost seemed sad, dismayed that she couldn't
complete it on her first try.

'' Yes, maybe even more than that.'' He kept his honest tone as he looked softly at
her. His hands shoved into his pockets, '' But it will be fine, Avery. I'll be here to
help you.''

Amelie's eyebrows knitted together, and she could feel the burning sensation of ''
Why do you say that? Why do you say Avery and not Amelie?''

Her eyes dragged across the tall boy as his sight flickered off her, '' It's easier.''

'' Easier?'' She still looked confused, '' What do you mean easier?''

'' It's like with you, blaming yourself for Adrian's mistakes. It's easier for me to
not grow too close to you.''

'' How is saying my name—''

'' Don't.'' Draco snapped, his neck arched, making his eyes fall on her again, ''
Don't question everything all the time.''

'' I'm not—'' The pain in her head cut her off as she buried it in her palms again,
letting out tiny, inaudible whines,
'' Avery?'' Draco's brows furrowed, '' What is happening, Avery?''

She didn't answer — she simply tried to breathe her way through the pain she
was feeling, just like Teddy had taught her,

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

'' Avery, talk to me.''

Amelie was too consumed by the hurt spinning in her mind, so she didn't hear
him.

'' Avery. I want to do something, but I need your permission.'' Malfoy took a step
closer, '' I need a nod, or a word, or just anything that—''

She nodded, her head tipped her approval for him to do what he could to help
her with this cutting pain she was feeling.

He sucked in a breath, swallowing as Amelie coiled back, feeling his cold hands
wrapping around her. He lifted her before seating himself in her chair, with her
in his lap. The strong arms trapped her in, and his hold of her tensed to diminish
her haunted thoughts.

'' Is this alright?'' He asked her as the side of her head sunk into his chest, '' It's
just thoughts. They can't hurt you when I am here. No one can hurt you when I
am here, Amelie.''

His hands felt safe on her body as if they would never bring harm upon her, and
then he didn't speak another word, neither did she. He held her. He tried to keep
the girl, falling apart in his arms — in pieces.

The tension was touchable, and the air around them thickened as she peered up
at him, looking over the worrying features and the porcelain skin. It looked soft.
She shouldn't be doing this — she knew that because she had Adrian. Still,
something felt incredibly right by being here, almost as if a missed piece of a
puzzle had made its way home.

Amelie barely felt anything anymore, but Draco Malfoy made her feel
everything.

_____
 Thirteen

_____

" So I could really use your help."

_____

She once again stared darkly at her own reflection in the mirror, struggling to
face herself. Adrian was gone, but the cruel words he left her with still scored
within — still, ever since the night she'd spent with Malfoy in the library,
everything eased. The air felt lighter, nearly painless to breathe, and waking up
in the mornings along with falling asleep at night wasn't one of the hardest things
for her anymore.

It was as if the magic Draco had put her through lifted a weight so heavy off of
her chest, and it numbed all the ache she felt inside.

Adrian was still in the wind, aiding the Death Eaters on their mission to serve the
Dark Lord, and even if that didn't bother her — she couldn't shake the feeling of
being upset about it. He had yet failed to send her a letter or even visit her once.

Amelie cherished her time alone with Draco and Theodore — the two Slytherins
who did everything possible to stay by her side and to shield her from the vile
boy Adrian had left behind.

Blaise had made it his purpose to ensure he followed every step Amelie took and
be there for every falter.

With a knock, slamming against her door — it hauled open, and Theodore
happily marched inside, '' Good morning.'' He grinned cheekily before he
flopped down to her bed. He held his tells for a few seconds to take in what she
was doing.

'' Admiring yourself in the mirror again, are we?'' He mocked her as she turned
back to the mirror. Her fingers grasped at the hem of her shirt to make sure that
no bruises were showing.

'' On the other hand, why would you do that?'' Theo kept going as he noticed her
lack of response, '' You already know that you're the most beautiful human being
there is.'' He quieted down behind her as she spun around to face him.

'' You don't mean that.'' Amelie huffed annoyingly, chewing on the inside of her
cheek as she strode closer to him, '' You just have to say that because we're best
friends.''

She bent over him to pick up her robe that was resting on the far edge of her bed
— but the second she did so, Theodore snatched her by the arm, and he wrestled
her down into the mattress.

The adorable smile he usually had smeared to his lips curved to reveal his
dimples. Her senses filled with the scent of honey — Theo always scented like
honey.

'' I'm not saying that because we're best friends.'' His messy brown curls fell over
his eyebrows, '' I'm saying it because it's true. Don't ever think otherwise.''

Theodore climbed off her, standing tall next to the bed as he reached his hand
out for her to take,'' Fine,'' She groaned, taking his offered hand in hers, '' What
are you doing today? I saw that you didn't have any classes—''

'' Nothing.'' He was quick to cut her off, scratching the back of his head as they
strolled through the Ravenclaw tower, '' How did it go with Malfoy the other
night? I forgot to ask about it.'' He pushed the massive wooden door leading out
in the corridors open, wavering his hand for her walk ahead.

Amelie sucked in a harsh breath as she thought of it, as her mind once again
reached the blonde boy, '' It went... well, I suppose.'' She smiled, seeking to hide
it by hugging her books closer to her chest, '' Or I hope it did, he said it was good
for being the first time.''

She peered up at the tall boy walking beside her, only to notice that the muscle
in his jaw slightly ticked, '' That's good.'' He spoke stiffly as he frowned, '' I have
to go—''

He halted in his steps, tugging her back as his eyes flickered to the end of the
hall, and out of curiosity — her eyes snapped to the man holding at the end of it.

Her eyes grew wide as a smile arched upon her lips, '' Why didn't you tell me
your father is visiting?'' She almost giggled in excitement before she slipped out
of the hold he had of her arm.

'' Amelie, wait—''

'' Mr. Nott—'' She smiled even broader, sauntering into the arms that were being
held out for her, '' How are you, sir?''

His father chuckled darkly before letting go of her, and his eyes dragged across
her.

Amelie had always loved Theodore's father. He was one of the kindest men she
had the pleasure to get to know and one of the only Death Eaters who didn't
punish their children, but that did not stop his father, Theodore's grandfather, to
grant her best friend the abuse Mr. Nott refused to curse him with.

'' Everything is good with me, Amelie. How is your father, does he—'' The man
in front of her held his talks as she felt a chest being pushed up against her back.
'' Theodore,'' His father grumbled at his son's presence, " You failed to tell me
that young Amelie here was free to join us."

Theodore's whole figure tensed, and Amelie instantly caught on to what this was
about — his mother.

" I didn't want to bother her. She has classes she needs to attend to—"

" Nonsense, son. I'm certain that Amelie would love to come with us, isn't that
right?" Mr. Nott's eyes fell upon her as he shoved his hands into the pockets of
his coat. Theodore shrugged before stepping up beside her — his shoulder struck
hers, and his head tilted.

Amelie couldn't help but roll her eyes at her best friend and his acts before
gazing back at his father, '' I would love to come.''

_____

'' These were beautiful, right?'' She held up a bouquet — the pastel colors of
white and beige pionies mixed with the strands of green leaves caught her
attention, '' They remind me of—''

'' No. Not those,'' He snapped back, snatching the posy out of her hands before
hauling them back into the bucket, '' I want...'' He sucked in a breath. His green
eyes eagerly searched for the perfect bouquet as his fingers stroked the petals.

'' These—'' Theodore smiled, grabbing a bundle of red, majestic roses, '' These
are perfect,'' He took a shoe back as he held it up between them. '' She would
love these, don't you think?''

Amelie quickly nodded, and the waver of being proud of her best friend lingered
in her chest. This was a day she knew he loathed, yet, every year, he managed to
keep his head high, swallowing the sorrow she grasped tore him in two.

'' Why didn't you tell me that you were going to visit her today?'' Amelie
questioned him, making his face sink in a guilty look. His fingertips nervously
twitched around the flowers, '' I always go with you. So, why didn't you want me
to come with you this year?''

He let out a sigh as he narrowed the green eyes in hers, '' You seemed so happy,
with Adrian not being here, and becoming friends with Malfoy... I didn't want to
ruin things for you.'' Theodore hushed, the dimples faded into his lightly tanned
skin, and he looked sad, confused, bothered.

The brown-haired boy who always confided in Amelie, no matter what either of
them seemed to be going through — he always talked to her about everything,
but not now. Now he was trying to shut her out, in a way he'd never done before.

Her hand stretched to brush a curl off his forehead before her thumb stroked over
his cheeks, '' No matter what I am going through, or what you're going through.
You need to talk to me, Theo, because I would drop it all for you. You know
that.''

Amelie's head tilted at the bouquet in his hands, '' This is something we do,
Teddy. Not just you — we.'' Her face shifted into a grimace as she playfully
pouted at him.

'' I know—'' Theodore whispered, and hodded sights grounded as his shoulders
sunk, '' I'm just... I don't know. I'm sorry, okay?''
Amelie felt a smile as it played on her lips, and she stepped inches closer. With
her arms around his neck, she pulled him in, hugging him, '' It is you and me,
Teddy, and don't you dare forget that.''

They walked alongside each other up the cashier — where his father patiently
waited for them to be done. He was having a joyful conversation with the lady
behind the desk, '' Done already?'' Mr. Nott greeted them as he placed a
comforting hand on Amelie's shoulder.

The chilly autumn breeze swirled through her hair, and the grit crackled
underneath their steps as they walked their way down the gravel path, right down
to where the stones were placed next to the lake. Typically, when you're laid
here, they place you up on the hill — but not his mother. Theodore wanted her to
rest peacefully, away from everyone, and she did.

Her gravestone stood gracious, right where water matched earth, in the middle of
two sides, two elements, exactly how it held when she was still alive. Mr. Nott
walked ahead, nodding for the two of them to stay behind.

He wished to be alone with his late wife, and he always sought to talk to her
before Amelie and Theodore did, '' Preparing her for what's about to come,'' He
usually joked in attempts to lighten up the mood.

Theodore's mother was more than an angel. She lived to be the sweetest, kindest
human being Amelie had ever met, but as spoken on the day she laid on her
deathbed, the day she was taken from them, too soon,

'' She will live in the hearts she left behind,'' Amelie breathed out at the look of
Theo's father as he hunched down next to the stone. She was always emotional
here — more than she usually would be.

She felt a warm arm as it wrapped around her, pulling her into his chest, '' I love
you, Amelie.'' Theodore mumbled into her hair, and even if his tone was kept
low — she could hear how the notes in his voice were on the edge of breaking.

'' Never leave me. I can't stand another person leaving me, Amelie.'' He hummed
as her arms reached around him,

'' I promise, Teddy.''

'' There you go, she's all yours—'' His father grumbled, taking long strides past
them to sit down on the bench by the hill.

'' You go ahead. I'll be right back.'' Theodore looked at his father before he
sprinted after him. He didn't want his father to morn on his own because ever
since his mother passed away — Mr. Nott has gone to the lengths of using
substances to ease the haunted mind he possessed.

Amelie slipped down next to the stone, with her spine against it. '' I missed you,
Ella.'' She whispered, and the tips of her fingers grasped at some blades of grass
to roll in between them, '' I miss you so much, and I can take a wild guess and
say that you're probably missing us just as much.''

Amelie dragged her knees up to her chest as she tucked her chin into the hold, ''
Teddy is doing fine, I think, or I hope — he's been distancing himself from me,
Ella, and I don't know what to do.'' She huffed, '' It has always been the other
way around, you know? It has always been him trying to break down my walls,
but now...''

Amelie couldn't finish her sentence because the look of Theo, along with his
father, made her smile.

'' But I would lie if I say that I'm not scared because I am. I'm terrified that he
will leave me. I'm afraid that he'll just wake up one day and realize that this isn't
what he wants anymore. That he doesn't want to be a part of the Death Eaters,
and the only way out of it is—''

Her eyes prickled in tears, and the thought of losing the one person who's still
keeping her sane in all the madness almost suffocated her.

'' So I could really use your help.'' Amelie's throat cleared by a sob, and her hand
moved to wipe the tears off of her skin, '' I could use some help because I can't
lose him. I have lost enough, and if he leaves me — then I have to leave too.''

Her palms settled on the soil-covered ground as she pushed herself of it, standing
tall in front of the rock, '' Thank you for bringing him to me, Ella. Thank you for
blessing me with Teddy because I have no idea what I would've done without
him.''

Amelie's hand brushed over the stone as she settled the flowers next to it, ''
These nine years without you have been difficult, but somewhere along the line,
I like to think that you're still here with us, every step of the way.''

The images of her still being here plagued Amelie's mind. Theodore's mother
didn't live to be a cherished lady. The other wealthy Death Eaters loathed her
because she was the only one out of hundreds who took the muggles in defense.
She was unbelievably young, kind, and nothing a Death Eater should be, but
Theodore's grandfather trapped her in ways similar to how Amelie was chained
to Adrian.

And on the day she turned twenty-three, Teddy's grandfather cursed her just
enough for them to find her, barely alive, nine years ago.

Amelie's head shook as her hair spilled over her shoulders. '' I love you, Ella, and
I promise to take care of your son.''

_____

Blaise sent Amelie the evilest of glares as he slipped down on his seat next to
hers. He huffed loudly to get her attention, '' Where were you last night?'' He
snarled through question, slamming his books onto the desk.

She cringed by the loud sound, and her eyes immediately flickered to please his,
'' I don't know what you—''

'' Don't lie to me,'' He snapped, turning wholly around to face her, and he
completely overlooked the fact that the students around them were paying
attention to his acts, '' You weren't in your room, and not in the bathroom, so,
where did you go?''

Amelie choked on her bravery, too scared to tell him the truth about where she
had been even if it was more than harmless, '' I went to Pansy's room, she needed
help with something...'' She sought to lie, and she looked more than startled at
the boy placed beside her. His fists clenched around the spine of his book, '' I
promise, Blaise. I didn't—''

'' You embarrassing—'' He raised his voice, '' You know that I have to tell him
about this, right? That you just lied to me.''

Gasps of the nosey students echoed throughout the classroom.

'' Mr. Zabini,'' Snape growled out, marching his way up to their desk. His hand
slammed against the worn wood, '' If I hear you talk to Miss. Avery—''

'' No. You know what? Detention for you, Mr. Zabini.'' Snape snarled once more
while he shot Amelie a slight nod.

She could feel herself sinking further down in her seat as every student looked at
her — whispering, mumbling to what Blaise did, and she was more than
ashamed. She felt exposed, embarrassed as if someone had caught her doing
something forbidden.

Even if Amelie was well aware that this wasn't on her and that she did nothing to
deserve this — she still felt at fault.

'' May I be excused, Professor?'' Amelie asked him politely as every head shifted
to hers — she didn't want to be here anymore. She was scared, terrified by the
looks she was given.

'' Yes, you may,'' Snape answered sternly without even looking at her. The
second she had gathered her books, ready to flee the moment she had feared for
so long, Blaise's hand yanked her wrist back, and suddenly he stood dangerously
tall next to her.

'' If she's leaving. I have to—''

'' No. You're staying right here, Mr. Zabini, or do you wish for your mother to
find out about this... situation?''

She rushed out to the corridor with quick steps, headed to her room with the
belief that her overworked mind could find some peace. She didn't want to see
anyone, nevertheless have to talk to a single soul — she just wanted to be alone.

But the second she stumbled around the corner — she crashed right into a
familiar chest, and before she even held the chance to fall back — the cold hands
her skin seemed to be craving grabbed her.

Draco kept her steady on her feet as his gaze fell upon her, and he noticed after
not even a second of looking at her — the flushed cheeks, along with the beaten
mantle her features held.
'' Avery, what—'' He cleared his throat, '' What happened?''

She stayed silent — and Amelie's lack of words caused him to grow impatient
with her. He didn't have time for her stalling anything, so without a thought of
what he was doing — he dragged her with him into a deserted room.

Draco closed the classroom door behind them before he loosened his grip to peer
down at her, and there it was again — the second Amelie's beaten eyes
parallelled his, the hurt, caring look glinted through them, '' Now, Avery. Tell
me what happened.''

Still, Amelie didn't know if she dared to. Even if she, somewhere in all the
confusion around the blonde boy standing in front of her — realized that he'd
flourished to care for her, she still recalled all the hell his missing temper could
bring upon a person. Blaise deserved Draco's missed temper more than anyone
for treating her the way he did, but Amelie wouldn't be Amelie if she allowed
someone to get hurt.

Draco's cold fingertips brushed against her ear before he gently tucked a wavy
piece of hair behind it, '' You know that I can ask anyone in this school what
happened, right? So the best thing would be for you to tell me before I go ahead
and do just that—''

'' Don't—'' Amelie swallowed the hesitation she felt in the cage of her chest, '' I'll
tell you... I just need to—''

The second he pulled his touch away — her eyes unexpectedly flickered to his
arm, and she noticed that the sleeve of his robe had hitched up, inches over his
skin.

Her eyes widened as her breaths faltered by the look of his ashen skin, and the
rolled-up sleeve revealed the mark.

The dark mark.

_____
 Fourteen

This chapter contains scenes of violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

'' Never walk away from me, ever again.''

_____

'' What is this, Draco?'' Amelie uttered quietly, already knowing what the mark
meant since Adrian recently was granted with his — but the thing that nagged
her, that annoyed her mind to the edge of breaking — was that he didn't say
anything, that no one said anything about him getting it already.

He yanked his arm back as he roughly rolled his sleeve down, '' Nothing that is
of your concern,'' He spoke sternly while taking a shoe back, '' Well, if you don't
want to tell me what happened with —''

'' Why should I?'' She snapped, feeling as a wave of betrayal washed over her, ''
Why should I tell you things about myself when you are more than dishonest?''
He rose a brow at her words, and his jaws clasped together,

'' This goes both ways, Draco—''

Draco swallowed his stubbornness as he tilted his head to the side, avoiding her
stare that made him feel more than guilty, '' I know it does.'' He mumbled,
sounding quite annoyed with the truth of needing to explain himself, '' I know it
goes two ways, Avery.''

Amelie didn't believe that he was telling the truth — she allowed him to see
everything, to feel everything she felt, only for him to shut her out, for him not
to trust her the way she trusted him. He didn't trust her. It clouded her mind, and
her heartbeat began to pound in her ears. Even if he didn't speak it, even if he
never said that he didn't trust her, it undoubtedly seemed as if that was the case.
Her sights grounded as her bravery fell. Everything Amelie had worked so hard
for with him — felt as if it was wasted. " I'm sorry." She hushed down in the
attempt to stride past him. She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable with her —
and she didn't wish for him to feel as if he needed to clear anything up — he
didn't owe her a thing, and she could simply walk away.

" I won't bother you anymore."

With a loud sigh, Draco snatched her by the arm, pulling her back to where she
stood, " Don't do that. Don't walk away from me–" His eyes glared through hers,
a quick look of anger rent through them, " If you feel the need to say something,
or if you think my deeds are deeper than I'm letting on, ask me."

" Ask me, and I will try and answer in the most honest way possible, but Avery
—'' His eyes still locked in hers, and she could feel his heated breaths as they
fanned her skin, '' Never walk away from me, ever again. Shout at me, be mad
— I don't care, but never turn your back on me again. Understood?"

A harsh breath filled her lungs to the fullest, and her heart lightly missed a beat
by his touch, " I won't. I promise."

He nodded, hesitatingly, still not convinced that she would do as she promised,
but what Draco Malfoy didn't cherish was that a promise meant much to Amelie
— for someone that never felt the comfort of honesty, a pledge was everything.

" I trust you, Avery—" He said, in attempts to sound severe, to mean it, but
somewhere within, she knew that he didn't. Why would he? She was nothing to
him, simply something to fix — someone to banish the instant he's through with
her.

'' I'm glad that you do.''

" Don't—" He caught again, narrowing grey eyes in hers as the note in his voice
darkened. " Don't push me away. Don't be that shallow.''

Her brows knitted together, and she took a step back over the stone-covered
floor. He was still standing close to her — almost so close that she could see the
light pieces of his hair that held out of order, but then her eyes flickered.

She looked around in the room, over the dusty bookshelves, student desks
standing in a mess to left and right — everything to avoid the eyes that she had a
habit of falling lost in.

His hand slowly moved up to her cheek, and she cringed — her lower back
struck a table the instant the tips of his fingers sought to brush over her skin.

" Don't be afraid of me—" He pulled his touch away, '' I would be the last person
to hurt you.'' Even if she was frightened by the thought of another soul's touch on
hers — Draco's touch didn't bother her; instead, it calmed her, it soothed every
evil thought circling through her worn mind.

'' Can I look at it?'' The puzzle of a girl in front of him made him flustered,
almost visibly distressed as he silently groaned, stretching his arm out to roll up
the sleeve. '' Draco—'' She gasped as a jittery breath ripped her vocals.

The ashen skin was reddened. His arm scratched, burned, cursed — he had done
everything imaginable to eliminate it, to not have the ink coating his pale
forearm.

'' Why did you do this, Draco?'' His neck closed away, withholding his eyes from
hers, and the glance in his eyes shredded in pain. He felt ashamed. '' Does it
hurt?'' Amelie sought to carefully stroke her fingers over it, but the instant her
touch came close to his — he pulled away.

Draco's eyebrows frowned as a shaky hum bolted off her lips. He didn't want her
to touch him. She could tell that this was more than challenging for the blonde
boy with him and all his secrets, emotions, hopes — that he kept buried deep
inside.

But she knew what she needed to do to teach him that he could trust her — to
ensure him that she's more like him than he lets himself believe. With a rigid
swallow — she tenderly pulled the fabric of her shirt down over her shoulder,
and the gesture caused his breaths to hitch.

Malfoy's eyes continuously flickered between her hands, shoving down the
textile and looking away from it. He had no strength in making up his mind —
but the instant the end of her shirt lowered beneath the abuse Adrian had put her
through — his eyes didn't hesitate anymore.

Draco stood as blank as she did, emptily gawking at each other.

 _____

Draco Malfoy.

He was aware of the abuse her boyfriend had put her through, he had heard it —
seen it on the small glances of her body, from when she slipped down onto a
chair in the library and her skirt slightly hitched up, revealing the bruises — or
when she once, as they waited outside of class, tilted her head to the side, and
the purple burn marks of his hands around her neck showed.

And now — now she stood there, before him, and she unraveled her darkest
secret, without question or force. She simply wished to trust him, how she,
without anyone making her, confided in him — that painful emotion in his chest
ached when she was close to him.

Draco's nerves sped in a hurtful way the very minute she held to near, and that
was the reason as to why he couldn't speak to her about the mark. He knew that
she was aware that he was destined to have the dark mark, but not when — and
the only reason he couldn't explain it was because of that stinging feeling, that
sickening ache chewing at his bones.

He was born for this. He was given life to carry and cherish the mark he'd been
given. To serve the Dark Lord. His father was sure to beat that view of life into
his head at a young age — but what Amelie didn't know, what she'll believably
never grasp — is that all of this was intended.

He was deemed to care for her, to grow close to her and be there for her in the
possibility of her father failing the Dark Lord, then she would be next to take
Andrew's place.

Her father was not to be trusted, yet Voldemort went to further lengths in order
to keep Amelie in check. He used Draco to keep an alert eye on her, and he did.
Malfoy carried out his task well until he watched her break down.

He saw her pain. The pain Draco had felt himself all those years before he
managed to restrain it and to look at her, how her voice split in torture, how her
mind haunted her, and all she wanted to do was to leave this life — he decided to
stop it. Malfoy couldn't do this anymore — he couldn't betray her more than he
already had done.
That was more than wishful thinking — as he watched her at Adrian's ceremony,
looking as she within, broke in agony yet held the most gracious of facades; it
took his breath away.

Amelie was irresistible.

Her pain, her humble mind — it triggered him because he knew that he had
fooled her, played her for the benefit of someone else, but not anymore.

Now, he wished to protect her after being given a glimpse of her soul and see the
world spinning in her head. It would be impossible to stay away. It was
something about Amelie and all the hurt, grief, and sorrow she kept that made
him — weak, vulnerable, yet more capable, strong-minded.

It was a strange thing, Draco Malfoy wanting someone he couldn't have.

'' Now, will you tell me what happened?" Draco asked her again, " Or do I have
to speak with Professor Snape—"

" It was just a childish argument with Blaise..." She held, her fingers nervously
whirling a lock of brown hair in between them, " It... we...." Her hands dropped,
her head slightly tilted.

" He did something, in front of the whole class—"

" He did what?" Draco growled as his blood fumed, " Tell me exactly what
Blaise did, Avery."

" Right now."

She blinked quickly, swallowing hard in uncertainty before she stretched her
spine, winning the courage that Malfoy prized rested within her, '' He hurt me.''

It was as if the kindness Draco held within for the girl standing before him
shattered the trice he caught onto the words she spoke,'' He hurt me.''

He hurt her.

Blaise wasn't supposed to talk to her, to touch her — not even look in her
direction, yet again, he did.
And now — now he was more than doomed to settle for it.

Draco marched past her with severe sharp steps as he forced the door shut right
in front of her. He locked it with a spell that he knew she had no chance of
breaking. She had already been in enough trouble, cursing Adrian, her father
visiting the school, she couldn't be held responsible for anything else.

But Draco could — because Zabini hurt her.

He booted the door leading to Professor Snape's classroom-wide open, and the
act made all the students turn their heads in his direction. '' Mr. Malfoy,'' Snape
sighed from the front, ''What are you doing?''

Draco couldn't care less for what the professor spoke. His eyes merely reamed
over the boy he once — before Adrian dug his vicious claws in him — called his
best friend.

'' Zabini,'' Malfoy threatened with his teeth gritted, and the furious gaze upon
Draco made Blaise's face fall into pure confusion, '' Outside, now.''

'' Mr. Malfoy. Do I have to remind you that this is an ongoing class—''

'' Right now, Zabini.'' Without faltering, he did as charged. He sauntered past
Draco, rolling his eyes as he went. Professor Snape returned the favor of Malfoy
interrupting his class with an evil glare, nearly promising with that stare — that
he hadn't nor will hear the last of this.

'' What is it, Malfoy? Why are you—''

His words were cut off by Draco's fist as it collided brutally with the sharp bone
in his jaw — the punch struck him to the floor, and blood shattered all over as he
bent over the wounded boy.

Malfoy hauled a napkin out of his pocket, wiping his knuckles clean of the stains
as he watched Blaise's figure tremble by the aching pain that scored throughout
his bones.

'' That's right, Zabini, that's your place—'' Draco breathed out, dangerously as he
earned a groan from Blaise's whining lips, '' Always second to me.''
'' Remember that the next time you even think about her.'' The blonde spat, ''
That was not our deal. You weren't supposed to harm her, and still, you did.''

Nothing could tame Malfoy's raging temper as his hands gripped around the
collar of the boy's shirt, forcing him up to face him. His head hung, and his jaws
dropped as a path of blood trailed down his lip, '' You pathetic halfwit,'' Draco
snarled inches away from his face before pushing him back, striving to turn
around — and the second he does — Blaise's hand gripped his ankle.

'' What about—'' He coughed, propping himself up more from the stone-covered
floor, '' What about our deal?''

Draco's eyes rolled at the boy's meanless words, '' You will keep doing, exactly,
what we agreed on, but Blaise—'' He held, glaring down at him, shoeing his
desperate touch off of himself, '' If you touch her, ever again—''

'' You're done.''

_____
 Fifteen

_____

'' I missed you more.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

Her fists repeatedly collided with the door as her palms roughly struck against
the wood in a desperate attempt to force it open — non of the spells she sought
to cast did the trick because he was more advanced than her.

Draco knew types of magic. She didn't.

'' Help—'' She yelled out as the note in her undertone slightly broke in
desperation, '' Please, someone let me out.''

Nothing. Not a student, teacher, or ghost present to let her out of the classroom
Draco had locked her inside. Her veins swelled in panic every time her mind
reached the thought of him and what he would do to Blaise.

How upset and missed by his own temper he was when he stormed out, but even
if she wanted to do something, to fend off the blonde boy from hurting his friend
— She held no chance in doing so.

Amelie huffed out. Her fingers brushed through her hair, and she took a step
back as she sought to give up the possibility of sneaking out until he came back.

She couldn't believe him, that he would do this — that he would seal the door
with his magic, but that wasn't a strange thing to her either, because he had
watched her mind, he studied her every thought, and through that, he doubtlessly
knew Amelie better than she knew herself.

She slipped onto a chair, elbows heavy on the desk, as she sighed again. Amelie
remained there, for what felt like hours, bored out of her own mind, with the
only sound circling her was the ticking clock, but barely that scored through her
senses as she got used to it.

Her eyes shifted more than heavy as she rested her head on her arms, nearly
falling asleep before she flinched back — jolting off the chair at the boy ripping
the door wide open, '' There you are.''

Amelie's head shook, and she sucked in a harsh breath as the drowsiness flooded
off her,'' Theodore?'' She practically yawned. Her knuckles rubbed against her
eyes before she stared back at him, '' How did you—''

'' Doesn't matter,'' He mumbled, and he seemed visibly upset. He didn't look at
her as he used to do. His eyes met Amelie's for a slight second before tearing
them apart. '' We should go—''

_____

Days passed without her seeing Draco. The constant feeling of him ignoring her
made Amelie believe that she had done something wrong. She could tell he did,
and that didn't bother her — he was free to do as he pleased, but the sense that
managed to crawl beneath her fragile skin was the truth where he hadn't given
her a reason to why he stayed clear of her.

He simply did, without as much as a word.

Her eyes flicked over her best friend. His hand rested on the table as he chewed
on the last pieces of lunch, '' When is Adrian coming back?'' He asked, his
fingers stretched to take a sip of his pumpkin juice.

'' I don't know, he was—'' Amelie shrugged, holding her tells as she thought of
him — how the peace she felt these past weeks was meant to be over soon, '' He
was supposed to be back yesterday.''

Theodore quietly nodded, peering over his shoulder to look at the girl seated
next to the Slytherin boys, '' Do we know anything else about Pansy?'' His words
iced the blood flushing through her veins, and her mind became dizzy as she
looked at Pansy, how she sat completely numb next to Blaise, how she didn't
speak to anyone.
'' No. She hasn't talked to me since that night.''

He nodded again, his fork placed in between his lips to take another bite, '' I'm
scared,'' He stuttered with a bitter grimace on his face, and his head shook, '' I
don't—'' He held, dropping the fork onto the table, burying his head in his hands.

'' I know—'' She whispered, reaching over the table to stroke her hand against
his, '' I know you're scared. I am too, but we can't avoid this, Teddy. The mark is
something we're meant to get.''

His fingers parted to glare at her as he sighed loudly, '' I know. I just wished we
could run away like we said we would.''

She felt a shy smile as it arched on her lips, and she knew that it would have
been the best option — running away with him, to hide and stay away from
everything their bloodlines craved for them to do. That thought had crossed her
mind a million times.

'' We still could, you know?'' She smiled, prying his hand off his face before she
braided her fingers with his, '' We could leave right now and never look back.''

'' Don't say that—'' The boy snapped, tugging his hand out of her hold, '' Don't
say things you don't mean.''

Her face fell into guilt as she pulled her touch away, and her heart ached. Amelie
really wanted to — she would've done anything to leave the life they both were
living to be free.

'' But what if I do mean it, what if we just—''

'' Amelie,'' A familiar, frightening voice trailed a path of shivers down her spine
as she caught his tone close, '' You need to come with me.''

She spun around in her seat, and her fingers clawed into the backrest of her chair
the instant her eyes caught the brown hues. They bored through hers with might
as not even a flash of emotion showed on his face,

'' No,'' Amelie spoke back as Theodore's neck popped up, and his eyes flickered
between the both of them — she knew the reasonable thing was to leave with
Blaise, to walk to class with him as they did every day, but today — she didn't
want to.

She was tired, sick of being the one in the wrong — to be the one living under
sustained supervision, and she couldn't do it anymore. If Adrian were to be here,
things might have turned differently, but he wasn't — he was still in the wind of
his missions, and Amelie was stuck here, with Blaise.

As it always had been. Adrian always left her, and she was to be held behind,
waiting for her love to return — similar to the wife of soldiers that were to be
read about in old, dusty books.

It was always her waiting.

Always her on hold, for everything.

She had given her life to the boy she promised her hand to, yet it wasn't enough.
He craved to take every single piece of light and heaven away, and he did,
slowly — merely as if she hadn't noticed it.

It started with the way she dressed, how he — in small, gentle words, asked her
to change the little things, but the tiny details shifted in mean comments and
cosmic trades.

Amelie's friends that she always kept close and dear were being replaced with
him — him giving her a guilty mind for spending time with the people she
cherished the most and not the boy he repeatedly told her she loved.

The way Amelie existed. He suffocated every inch of place she held in this
world, a little tiny bit at the time, but those small inches quickly turned into feet
of abuse, and before she knew what was happening — before she even had a
slight chance to get out,

She was trapped, and she was chained in a lie that would be held in play for the
rest of her life, with a boy who sought to do everything possible to kill her,
slowly, unnoticeable.

'' What did you say?'' Blaise growled as he strode forward. His hand stretched in
the air to snatch Amelie by the arm, but before his fingers could clutch her skin
— he hewed himself off, pulling away from the cruel touch he sought to bring
upon her.
Amelie rose a brow. Her view gazed over his shoulder as it immediately locked
on the blonde boy with his shoulder leaning against a wall. Her heart fluttered at
the look of him, standing there, watching over her with his hands shoved into his
pockets and the black signature jacket firmly suited over his chest.

The grey eyes studied her for the briefest of seconds before Blaise closed in
again, bending down to parallel her gaze, '' I told you that we have to—''

'' And I told you that I'm not coming with you." Amelie sought to fight back, and
her sight of the blonde dragged back to the boy standing before her, '' I don't
have classes until after—''

'' Darling—''

Amelie froze.

Her whole self was numbed by his husky vocals as they loudly tore through the
busy dining hall.

Adrian.

He was back, and he was standing in the doorway with his arm held out for her.

Even if there was a slight wash of relief welling over her and all the waver she
had felt. The heavyweight in her chest lingered as if someone put pressure upon
it, a fist clenching around her heart.

The courage she held only seconds ago was blown away, taken from her the
instant her eyes placed on him. He looked worn, yet so much stronger.

Amelie pushed herself off of her seat, and she could feel, all the way up to
Adrian — how Theodore's stare burned into her back with every step she took
until she held — only inches apart from him.

The tips of her fingers lightly brushed over his cheek as he watched, with his
green eyes locked on her startled self — his skin soared weary and pale.

'' I missed you—'' He said with confidence before his head leveled down, and he
placed a kiss on her lips.
'' I missed you more.'' She whispered as her arms moved around his neck to pull
him closer. Still, even if she had him close, near — even if everything Amelie
believed she ever wanted was right here, in her arms, home with her again — her
eyes searched for Draco's, and the longing feeling of him scored through her
every sense.

_____

Draco Malfoy.

His spine arched off the wall as he watched her hold him. The way her arms
wrapped around his neck made Malfoy sick, how he pulled her closer, burying
his head into her shoulder, whispering lies after lies to her.

Draco wanted to kill him — right there and then, but he couldn't do that. Not yet.

He was of value to the Dark Lord, the way Adrian's mind worked — how he felt
no sympathy, no remorse for his acts made him a machine, all for the Death
Eaters to use as they pleased.

He was a murderer — the humans he had ceased of life while being away was of
a countless amount. They wielded the boy to their fullest and turned him into
someone they all feared.

And now, he was here — with his arms wrapped around her waist, breathing the
scent of newly cut flowers in — her scent.

The hands he had used for such horrifying acts were now tangled into her hair,
bending her head back to place another kiss on her lips — it stung in Malfoy's
eyes because she let him.

Amelie was as foolish as he was, but she didn't know — she was manipulated,
toyed with to the extent of not being able to tell the difference between right and
wrong, black and white.

Amelie's world was grey — a fusion of grasping the light of truth and being kept
in the utter dark.

Draco marched past them, out of the hall. He couldn't bear to look at it anymore,
at them, at her.
Malfoy had played her just as Adrian had done, but the difference between the
two boys was that he showed his true colors, and Draco didn't — he lied. He was
soft, gentle with her, and all for acts.

Draco was a liar, and he didn't deserve her at all — he didn't even deserve to
look at her. He wasn't worthy of the respect Amelie kept humbling him with, and
he knew that if she even sought to grow closer to him — he would be trapped,
and he would have no chance of staying away from her.

So he had to avoid her before it was too late. Draco needed to distance himself
— a girl like her, a human with so much compassion and grace, he would never
be named to have because whatever Adrian had done, every cruel, inhuman act
he had executed for the Dark Lord,

Draco had done worse.

'' Malfoy—'' His voice rushed after him, and the heavy palms pushed into his
shoulder to slam him against the wall, '' What are you up to, Malfoy?''

Draco's spine collided heavily with the stone, and his grey eyes snapped up to
face Theo's green ones, '' Don't you fucking touch me, Nott—'' He spat before he
forced himself off the wall, brushing the material of his jacket off.

'' Then tell me what you're up to. What are you doing with Amelie?'' Theodore's
vocals held harsh yet low, presumably scared that his best friend would hear
them, and he grew impatient with Draco's silence.

'' I don't know what you—''

'' Don't lie to me, Draco—'' He cut the blonde off. His hands frustratingly
scratched over his jawline, '' I heard you and Zabini the other day.''

Draco's insides felt as if they twisted, and the guilt of what he had done caved
within. '' I said that I don't know—''

'' The deal, Malfoy,'' Theodore said, '' The bloody deal you two made.''

Theodore's arms bolted out in the air as he narrowed his green eyes in Draco's, ''
Do you think that I'm stupid? That she's stupid? No wonder that you were so
eager to help her, to be close to her—''
But Malfoy's temper missed him completely at Theo's words and his lack of
understanding just how wrong he was — his hand flew to the brunette's throat as
he forced him down onto the ground in a sudden move.

'' You have no idea what you're talking about, Nott—'' Malfoy seethed, and his
teeth gritted with his wand pushed into Theo's chest, '' This doesn't concern you,
or her, so do us both a favor and stay out of it.''

The boy let out a quiet whimper at Draco's doings. His hand roughly yanked his
wand away from the coarse hold in his chest.

'' Why do you care so much, Nott?'' Draco mockingly smirked, '' Don't forget
that I watched your mind too, Theodore. I know how you feel about her, how
she's the reason to why—''

Theo's figure visibly shook, and his skin flushed in color, '' Shut that bloody
mouth of yours, right now, mate or I'll—''

'' Then you should do the same, Nott. Just as I have nothing to do with your
secrets, you have nothing to do with mine.''

Draco felt his hand as it tensed around his wand, and all he craved to do at this
moment was to kill him — to do what he had done so many times before
because Nott had failed her. He knew, he saw, he lived right next to her as the
abuse turned more violent, and he did nothing.

He didn't deserve her, just like Draco didn't.

But Amelie needed him. Malfoy noted that in her mind, that he was more than
necessary to her, that he was the reason she still lived to see another day, and he
could never take that away from her — not after he'd caused her great pain
himself.

Theodore shook his head, and his jaws dragged together into a sharp line, '' But
this is about her, you lied to her—''

'' Who lied to me?'' Amelie's heavenly voice uttered from behind them. Her steps
halted inches away as her head flickered between the two Slytherins.

'' Who lied to me?''

______
 Sixteen

_____

'' Sweetheart.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

She stood, similar to a question mark in front of the two boys. '' Who lied to
me?'' She asked both of them. She was confused as to why they would jump
apart the second she had stepped closer.

'' Well? Who lied to me?'' She asked again, and her eyes dragged across them —
but nothing, neither of the boys, uttered a single word. They merely stood
startled in front of her while their face's brightened by the guiltiest of looks.

Amelie felt a hand on her lower back as it pulled her close into a tight chest, and
she swallowed, trying not to flinch at the touch Adrian brought.

'' Are you ready?'' Adrian urged, eyeing both Theodore and Draco down. '' Or do
you want to keep standing here with those—'' He held as a disgusted glare shot
between them.

'' Don't be rude, Adrian,'' Amelie mumbled while peering up at him. She smiled
shyly to ease his faltering temper, '' I said I'd go with you—''

Theodore took a step closer as his eyes glued intensely into Adrian, '' Where are
you taking her?'' He asked. His tone low yet threatening — his head snapped to
the blonde one as he placed a hand on Theodore's shoulder,

'' Easy there, Nott,'' Draco seethed, almost urgently as he sent the brown-haired
boy a severe look — he didn't want him to start something similar to the last
time the Slytherin boys argued, '' I'd like to have a word with Amelie, if I may?''
Adrian tensed, his body shifted in stone next to hers, and his warm breaths
nearly iced, '' Why?'' He questioned the blonde one's intentions, '' Why do you
need a word—''

'' Adrian,'' Amelie hewed him off, turning around in his hold to fully face him, ''
Go ahead, and I'll meet you in your room.''

Her sight grounded, '' I think I deserve to say goodbye.''

Adrian didn't answer her. His dimmed eyes were plastered in Amelie's as his
fingers dug into her waist before he slowly let her go with a slight nod, '' Five
minutes."

With that, the boy she held so dearly snatched Theodore by his arm, dragging
him down the hall from them. Her heart ached as she met Theodore's stare,
frightened as to why Adrian pulled him away, before her eyes flickered to
Draco's, watching as he stood tall in front of her.

His grey hues caught her off guard — in the same way, she always fell lost in
them, '' What did you—''

'' Where is he taking you?''

The boy's demeanor in front of Amelie changed utterly — the warm embrace he
always brought washed in gravity, '' I asked you a question, Avery.''

She looked at him, how the crease in his forehead formed with his brows drawn
together and how his eyelashes battled the anger that flashed through his eyes.

'' To his mothers. He said—''

'' You can't go there.''

Amelie stepped back, and her arms crossed over her chest as she shook her head
— stray strands of hair spilled over her shoulders by the move. She was trying to
read him, to understand the puzzle of mystery in front of her — to grasp a little
of the reality he granted, but Draco was an unraveled boy.

A boy with many secrets, a boy with a deep, dark hidden place, where no one
but him was allowed to enter — and she tried. Amelie sought to open him up, to
get Malfoy to talk to her, but when she did — he distanced himself even more.

Her face twisted as her lips pushed into a firm line, '' And why is that, Draco?
Why can't I leave with Adrian? We're only going to his—''

He held a look of remorse, hesitatingly holding his tells before he let out a loud
sigh, '' Walk with me?'' His hand gestured to walk down the hall to the entrance
leading out of the castle.

Her head shook yet again as her arms dropped to her sides, '' You know that I
can't. He said five minutes.''

Draco's eyes rolled, and his arm stretched out for her to take. '' I don't care about
Adrian. He can wait, and if he ever does something to punish you for it. I'll deal
with him.''

Amelie doubted the blonde's intentions for seconds, but she had always felt safe
with Draco before — her arm linked with his as he led her in silence, down the
courtyard, over the bridge until he halted at the edge of the dark forest.

Draco's eyes dragged over her before landing over the tree line. The uncertain
fright swelled through her nerves as she stared into the mass of trees — how the
sky shifted darkly just as the forest began and the noises of animals hunting for
their prays between the timber.

Her breaths hitched in the back of her throat, '' What are we doing here?'' Amelie
quietly asked as she strode an inch closer to the tall boy, '' I mean, it's not safe
here, right?''

'' It's safe,'' He said, shortly, before taking long strides in between the wood. His
hand was placed on her arm to prevent her from losing his comforting hold.

The leaves falling from the tree crowns crackled underneath their shoes, and
even if the forest shifted in shades of dimmed dark, it still echoed in peace to her
— as if the evilest of things out in the world couldn't get to her there. They
stayed safe in the danger.

Draco stopped, and he let his hand off hers. He glanced at her with guilt as it
flashed through his eyes, and he tried to hide it, '' I need to speak to you about
something.''
Amelie lightly nodded. Her fingers nervously twitched against the palms of her
hands as she mantled a severe look at the chilly strokes of wind tugging at her
cheeks.

'' There is something you need to know about Adrian—''

Her veins iced. Her heart was heavy as she nodded again. She was brave — she
had to have courage.

'' He's not taking you to his mother.''

Amelie's eyes narrowed in his as her arms hugged around her shivering body by
the brisk wind, '' He's not?''

'' He's not.'' Draco held, and a hand brushed over his sleek hair, '' He's taking you
to the Death Eaters. Your father has requested you to—''

Silence — even if he granted her with quietness. Amelie wasn't a fool. She knew
what this meant and what he was trying to tell her.

'' Why didn't you tell me?'' Her brows knitted together as her breaths ragged, '' I
knew this was coming. I know that he wants me to unite with his side, and I
promised him to do so, but what I don't understand, Draco—''

He furrowed as she kept going, '' What I don't understand is why you would keep
this from me, why Adrian would. Unless...''

'' Unless my father isn't with them anymore.''

'' No,'' She gasped at her own words the second they came to mind.

'' No,''

'' No,''

'' No,''

Draco sighed loudly, gently bowing his head at her suspicion, '' It's true, Avery.
Your father escaped, and he's nowhere to be found—''

Her head shook as she battled the shedding tears in the corner of her eyes — her
father knew the danger he would put her in if he left. If he abandoned the Dark
Lord in his most craving time, and she knew what this meant.

Amelie's flashback.

Her hand stroked Amelie's cheek, fingertips brushed against the tender skin, ''
You know you're safe here, with me, right love?'' Her mother spoke, gently
tucking a curl behind her ear.

'' I know, mother."

Her mother smiled with bravery as she pulled away, dragging the covers over
her daughter's chest, '' But you need to understand something, my dear—''

The brown eyes Amelie always found comfort in stared intensely. The light of the
lamp placed on her nightstand brightened the dark room, '' That one day, not far
from now. I will be gone, and you have to trust your father.''

Amelie's face shifted in a grimace as her head shook against the soft pillow, '' I
can't—''

'' Yes, you can, because in the far future, he will leave too, and then it's just you,
and I need you to understand what will happen to you the day he decides to
leave."

The shaking of Amelie's head turned into a slight nod, giving her mother the
permission she sought to speak — to tell her daughter the truth of her future.

'' The Dark Lord has wishes for your father. Things that he craves for him to do,
that you father can not—''

'' — handle.''

Amelie stayed quiet, laying completely still in her bed, unwillingly taking in
every word her mother spoke.

'' And that means that he one day when a certain request is asked, has to leave,
and when he does, the Dark Lord is going to turn to the next one in the Avery
bloodline—''
'' Me?'' She hushed, closing her eyes as her mother stroked a hand softly over
Amelie's forehead, '' Yes dear, he will turn to you.''

With a harsh breath sucked in between her teeth, she rose from her resting
position, placing herself next to her mother.

'' What does he want me to do?'' She asked politely, not knowing if she would
pass an undrawn line with her curious questions.

Her mother forced a smile, taking her daughter's hand in hers, '' That's not of the
matter right now, when the time comes. I'm more than convinced that someone is
going to tell you about this.''

'' And when they do,'' She hesitated, a fallen look climbed her front, '' You need
to hide, love. You need to stay as far away from the Dark Lord as you possibly
can.''

'' Will you promise me that?''

'' Will you promise me that, dear? That when I'm not here to protect you—"

" —that you will protect yourself?"

Amelie didn't know what to say, so with a slight bow of her head — she agreed
to the words her mother had spoken — deeply within, confused, curious, scared
to what this meant, but she promised her mother.

And a promise, for a girl that never felt much truth — a promise was everything.

_____

Amelie's eyes prickled in tears, and her chest heavily rose and fell beneath her
robe, '' He's gone?'' She asked Draco, wishing for any answer but the truth —
waiting for something else than what she knew was coming.

'' Why do you think they sent Adrian back here?'' Malfoy answered with a
defeated look.

She stumbled back. Her heel stuck in a root as she almost tripped, but before she
had the chance to hit the ground — he got a hold of her,
The boy that no matter what happened, no restrain of where he caught her,

He always did.

His arms wrapped around her as he pulled her into his chest. Amelie could feel
her figure tremble in his safe grip. '' It's alright, Amelie—''

Her name — he said her name again.

'' Remember when I told you that no one can hurt you here?'' He whispered into
her hair as he breathed her in, '' You're always safe with me.''

The salty liquid poured down her drained cheeks as her fingers grasped at his
jacket to pull herself closer to him.

'' Sweetheart—'' Draco held, in an attempt to break through to her, and he bent
his head down to look at her, '' I wouldn't let anything happen to you.'' The
corner of his mouth twitched. His hand cupped her cheek as a ring-coated thumb
rubbed in circles,

'' You have felt more hurt than anyone should ever have to do, but you don't have
to do that anymore.''

Amelie blinked quickly as she sought to find the answer she knew he held onto.
The tree crowns brushed in the wind, and his blonde hair nearly danced in the
frisky breeze.

'' You deserve so much more, and I am ready to give you everything—'' Malfoy
looked around, making sure that no one was close enough to catch them, '' But
we have to leave, and we have to leave now.''

_____
 Seventeen

_____

'' We need to leave now.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

Amelie rested frozen before him. Her lower lip trembling. She didn't want to
leave — she showed it more than well — and Draco could see that the resistance
wasn't held for Adrian. It was for Theodore. She loved her best friend more than
anyone else, and for Malfoy to be the one taking her away from him ached inside
as a waver of doubt scored the blonde.

''Avery—'' Draco sought to reach out for her, but nothing. She held still as her
eyes bored through his and a shaky breath fled her lips.

She shook her head, staring emptily at him, '' I can't go, Draco. I can't leave
everything behind just because my father chose to escape. It doesn't work like
that.''

Malfoy swallowed in an attempt to imagine how this could play out — every
scenario possible flashed through his mind as he grumbled, '' I know it doesn't,
but it has to, staying here isn't working for anyone right now.''

His eyes stared blankly, '' Especially not for you.''

Amelie sucked in a harsh breath, locking her eyes sealed as she placed her palms
over his chest, and her tiny fingers gripped the fabric, '' I don't know what you
want me to do, Draco...''

'' I want us to leave, we need to—''

'' I can't!'' She suddenly shouted. Her voice tore through the timber around them,
echoing loudly, but she didn't move. Her eyes fell to look at his jacket. The tears
prickling in them glinted in pain.

'' I can't, Draco. I can't leave. ''

Malfoy's head rose, looking over the darkness — the crackling noise of the
unknown sounded as the leaves shrugged by the light wind.

'' Why?'' He looked down on her again, and he was scared to touch her. '' Why
can't you leave?''

She huffed as her forehead dipped into his chest — she trusted him. Amelie
trusted Draco in ways she had never trusted anyone before, and even if she didn't
speak it out loud — he knew because, after years of abuse and torture — no one
comes to terms with a touch that easily.

You stay clear of it, and that's what she used to do. She stayed away from every
touch possible because all she ever felt in another person was hatred, spite, hurt
— but not with Draco.

He was gentle with her — kind. He showed her that he was to be trusted, and
after months of trying — she finally did. Amelie trusted him,

Just like he needed her to do.

Draco needed her to join him willingly. That was the only way the Dark Lord
would accept her. Her father did leave. He fled, and Adrian returned for her, but
not to hand her over to the Death Eaters — no.

That was Draco's task. That was his deal with the devil to get his father released
from under Voldemort's power. His life for hers, and even if Malfoy had grown
to care for Amelie, even if he had granted her with many promises — he had to
do this, or the Dark Lord would kill his father.

At first, the Dark Lord used Draco himself as leverage — he sought for Malfoy
to the cruelest of things to other human beings, and he did. Draco used his magic
to take the lives of others, to torture them beyond imagination.

He was a monster, and she — she was his prey.

'' We need to leave, now.''

Amelie still hesitated as her head felt heavy against his chest. Draco didn't know
what to do — how to make her join him. He gripped her shoulders, holding her
back to face the angelic features she held, '' You are safe with me, Amelie.''

He needed to use her name — he loathed speaking it. He hated saying Amelie
because it made him feel so much closer to her. He grew a conscience with her
— Malfoy couldn't do as told when she was near, and especially not when she
was looking at him, in the way she did when he said her name.

'' I promise you that I won't let anyone hurt you.'' He needed to convince her, and
she needed to unite with the dark side on her own terms, or she wasn't of use —
that was the deal.

'' What about Theo—''

Amelie was quickly hushed by the shouting that scored from afar, and footsteps
rushed closer through the woods — they were here.

'' Amelie!''

'' Amelie, are you here?''

Draco held her near as they marched closer, and with his wand glued to his hand
— he rose it against the voices, '' Whatever you do, Amelie, don't believe a word
of what they tell you.''

'' Why shouldn't I—''

She didn't look at him. She merely held onto Malfoy as she was shaking out of
her beliefs that her boyfriend was coming to take her away.

To take her to the Malfoy Manor, for the dark side to do as they wished with her
— to turn her into one of them in order to complete her father's task — when he
was really here, to save her from the boy holding her.

'' What are you doing, Malfoy?'' Adrian's voice tore in spite as his wand pointed
directly at them, '' Let her go right now.''
'' Pucey—''

'' No, let her go right now, Malfoy.''

Draco swallowed. His jaws gritted and unclenched as she stepped back from him
— her head snapped between the both of them, '' Is it true, Adrian?'' She said,
her note airy in disbelief, '' Are you going to—''

'' Amelie,'' Theodore breathed out while striding closer to her, '' Don't leave with
him. You don't know what he—''

'' That's enough, Nott,'' Malfoy spat, and he felt as if his temper missed him —
his blood boiled.

They would convince her to stay — they had the power to do so. Draco knew
that he did, especially her best friend. He had a hold of her that no one else could
ever break through.

He watched her as she watched them. Her eyes glistened, yet they stared more
than blankly, and she tried to clear the battle between her heart and mind.

Amelie wasn't a foolish girl. She was intelligent, witty, and deep inside; Draco
believed that she grasped the fact that in one way or another — she had to leave.
He had studied her thoughts, and the night her mother died — she had told
Amelie all about this, how one day her father would leave, and how Amelie had
to make it on her own

— and for her to do that, she had to leave. If it wasn't with Malfoy, it was with
Theodore, but he could never do that — Theodore had too much pressure upon
him. He couldn't leave. His family would've disowned him if he ever executed
such a thing — and that left Draco because, in her mind, Adrian was a loved
one, but not the one to trust — Malfoy was, and he had to take advantage of that.

He had to take advantage of her.

''Amelie, look at me.'' The grey eyes met hers, and he watched the fallen deem
coat them, '' Remember what I told you? We need to leave.''

Her lashes battled the salty liquid as her chest rose and fell heavily, '' I know.''
She whispered, shutting her eyes closed, '' I know, Draco.''
'' No, Amelie, don't you dare.'' Adrian shouted as his hand clenched around his
wand — his fingers shaking out of anger, '' I will kill you, Malfoy. I won't
hesitate to kill you if you take her away from me.''

'' You're dead.''

Draco simply scoffed at the meaningless words. Adrian was not allowed to kill
him — no one was, not yet, not until he did as the Dark Lord had asked.

His head shook as he kept his eyes in hers, trying to lead the two boys astray
from his actions before he swiftly spun around — cutting them off guard.

'' Expelli—''

'' Stupefy!'' Malfoy shouted, and he proudly watched as his spell forced both of
the boys into a tree before the fall knocked them out completely.

A gasp trailed her throat, and she looked at him with shredded eyes before she
stumbled over to them. Amelie kneeled next to Theodore, '' You didn't have to
do that, Draco.''

She arched over his unconscious body as she held him close to her chest, '' It's
alright, Teddy.'' She whispered into his head, stroking a curl of hair out of his
eyes, '' I'll be back, alright?''

'' I promise that I'll come back.''

Draco couldn't help but feel awful — at least for Theodore, but Adrian had told
him, and he knew what the blonde was about to do — both of them knew about
the task he was given.

'' Amelie, we need to go.''

She still hesitated with her arms around Theo and her head buried in his chest, ''
I'll be back.'' Amelie gently placed him on the ground again as she doubtfully
peered over at Adrian before looking back at Draco.

Her eyes clocked in his and without any more stalling — he snatched her by the
arm as he pulled her closer, '' Apparate.''
 _____

Amelie Avery.

The chilly wind had turned frozen as they stood before the Malfoy Manor — in
the utter dark and not a light in sight, '' Draco, what are we—''

'' Be quiet.'' He hushed her down as his hand tensed around her arm, and he
dragged her up to the entrance before he shoved the door open.

'' Mother!'' He yelled, pushing her in front of him, ''I have her.''

Amelie's veins iced, and her breaths ragged at the words he'd spoken, '' What are
you talking about?''

Draco merely ignored her question, and he didn't even spare her a look. His
jawline sharp by the gritted teeth as they caught his mother's heels stepping
closer — her hair in a gracious bun, the dress lively around her.

'' Amelie, dear,'' Narcissa smiled, and she held her arms out to hug the
bewildered girl — it felt safe to Amelie in her grip as she sensed her fingers
stroking over her hair before she leaned back redoing the same act for her son.

'' I'm so happy you made it here in one piece.'' His mother bowed her head as her
dark eyes clocked Amelie's, and she noticed the confused gaze in them. ''
Amelie, dear? Are you alright?''

She chewed on the inside of her cheek as her head shook — her brown hair
spilled over her shoulders, and she tried in a brave attempt to peer up at Draco,
but only to notice that the blonde stood without a flash of emotion.

'' I don't—'' Amelie swallowed as she gathered her strength and courage to ask
the question Draco constantly ignored. '' Why am I here?''

Draco signed out a loud huff, shoving his hands into his pockets, and the look of
him — that little glimpse of guilt in his eyes, was more than enough for Amelie
to realize that something was wrong — more than wrong.

'' Didn't Draco tell you why you're here?'' His mother questioned her as Amelie's
brows furrowed. Her eyes snapped to watch her son,'' Draco, why didn't you—''
'' There was no time,'' The blonde one hissed at his mother's tells before he once
again snatched Amelie by her arm to drag her past Narcissa, '' I'll show her to her
room,'' He continued, '' And I don't want you in there, mother. You'll stay away
from her.''

She didn't have a chance to look at his mother before his rough grip pulled her
over the black tile floor — up the stairs, and he halted right in front of a large
wooden door. '' Here,'' He mumbled as his hand closed around the doorknob.

The cold breeze slammed against them from the open window, and the grey
curtains hanging next to it danced in the slips of wind.

Draco stormed into the room before he shut the window closed with an annoyed
sigh. His palms were still placed on the window sill as he dropped his head,
slowly wavering.

Amelie seized a shy step inside, closer to the boy, '' Draco, what is this about?
What are you not telling me?''

He cleared his throat as he pushed himself off the sill. He shifted around, '' I lied
to you.'' Draco's hand slipped beneath his suit jacket, and he pulled his wand out,
'' Do you have your wand with you?''

Amelie's eyes narrowed as a rush of doubt scored her senses — he lied to her,
yet he wanted to know about her wand. Her head shook, and the tips of her
fingers gently tucked into the hem of her shirt — not for him to see.

The instant her hand curled into a fist around it — before she could even hold it
properly,

'' Expelliarmus!'' Draco shouted, and her wand was torn from her fingers in a
blink of an eye. His hand rose in the air as he took her piece in a swift move.

Amelie's brows knitted together as she felt startled, '' Draco, what is going on?''

The blonde one stared right through her — before his neck snapped to the
hallway, ''Colloportus,'' Draco whispered, and the door slammed shut, locking
itself as she noticed that the inside of the wood was held without a handle.

He was going to lock her inside. He sealed it with magic, and there was no other
way out.

'' Now, Amelie. Now you will listen to me, and you will do exactly as I say,'' He
held, and she could feel the spite of his grey eyes as they burned through her, ''
Or else, you'll regret it.''

_____
 Eighteen

_____

'' You're safe here, Draco.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

Draco left Amelie in her room for days. The only time he came to visit was to
bring her the meals of the day — or when she heard him walk his way back and
forth in the hallway at night.

She loathed this — to be locked up. To Amelie, this was worse than spending
her summers with Adrian at his lake house. That was a chained life, but this —
this was unexplainable for her.

Draco didn't give her a reason why she was being held in there. He didn't tell her
anything, but she heard from outside her door late the night prior to this one —
that Malfoy was talking to someone, a manly voice that told him that time was
up — that her time had come.

The warm, kind boy who urged in order to help her — had gone missing, and
someone evil had taken his place, someone — even viler than the boy she was
deemed to marry. That scared Amelie because she trusted him.

She gave him her mind to search — she gave him the little dust of faith she had
left in this life, and he brushed it away as if it was nothing.

He hurt her in ways no one had failed her before, and being sealed in this room
without a chance of ever getting out — was one of the worst types of torture she
had ever felt. She was a sitting duck, and she waited for Draco to do as he
pleased with her.

Although the highlight of her days was to write in the little writing pad, Narcissa
pushed underneath the door the other night. Presumably, when her son was
away, because when Amelie knew he was here — she didn't dare to set foot on
the upper floor. His mother held in the kitchen rattling with the dishes or
cooking food that scented all the way up to her room.

_____

Day 4.

I heard him again last night.

I heard him scream and shout in the middle of the night. It woke me up just like
the last time.

I feel like it's nightmares, similar to the ones I have,

The kind that wakes you up with a gasp. The kind that makes your chest feel so
heavy. The kind that makes you sweat out of fear. The worst kind.

He locked me in here.

He lied to me. He broke my trust, and still, all I want to do is help him, just like
my mother helped me.

I want to pull him into my arms, have his head on my chest as I hum into his
skin,

I think that would help him. I think he would feel better with himself if he let me
do that, and I wanted to ask him too. I really did, but he doesn't speak to me.

I feel like I had done something wrong, like he's mad at me for some reason
when all I honestly wanted to do was to get to know him,

To help ease his pain in the same way he eased mine.

_____

'' Avery,'' Draco knocked on her door. He always did that before he dared to
walk inside. '' May I?''

Amelie huffed as she gently placed the book she was reading beside her before
he opened the door. His head tilted in to watch her, '' Good. You're awake.''

A slight nod fell off her head as her back felt heavy against the headboard of her
bed. She was sitting — with her knees dragged up to her chest like she always
did, '' I am.''

'' What can I do for you?'' Amelie asked. She was curious as to why he didn't
have a tray with him like he usually did when he visited — her eyes snapped to
the clock standing on the nightstand, and she realized that it wasn't time for him
to be there yet.

It was early nightfall and hours left to when he normally would've paid her a
visit. Draco closed the door behind him before he strode up to the bed, '' I need
to speak with you.''

" It's urgent."

She nodded again, and her eyes dragged across him — his hair held sleek, and so
did he, with his black suit hugged to his chest — Amelie studied him before he
turned around. He took a seat in the armchair placed in the corner of her room.

Draco's chin leaned against the palm of his hand as he bent forward, '' I know
this must be confusing for you—'' He held, and he rose a brow at her, '' And you
have my apologies for that. I never wanted this for you.''

Amelie felt shivers as it pathed down her spine at his words — a sense that
crawled inside as he kept going, '' My father was granted a task, months ago and
he failed to do what the Dark Lord wanted him to do, and now—''

She could hear him as it broke, and his lower lip quivered, '' Now he's not here
anymore. He's with the Dark Lord, and unless I do what he wants me to do—"

"My father will die.''

Draco nearly shook. His head was once again buried in his hands as she noticed
his bent spine roughly moving up and down. Amelie understood how hard this
was for him. To be the one responsible for his father, when his father was the
one to blame for his pain.

She had been there too, and in many ways — she was there now, and even if she
was more than disappointed at the blonde boy — he needed feeling more than he
required pain.

It was with a thick swallow she rose from her bed and felt as her bare feet scored
cold against the floor — she stepped up to him and dropped to her knees right in
front of the trembling boy.

He flinched back. His eyes bored through hers as he frowned, '' Avery, what are
you—''

'' It's alright, Draco,'' She whispered. Her hand moved to cup his cheek while her
thumbs stroked gently over the pale, nearly ashen skin. His jaws clenched — his
breaths ragged, but he let her — he let her comfort him.

'' I know that this is hard for you, and I understand that you don't want to be the
one to do this, Draco. But I want you to know that I'm here for you.'' She said,
and she smiled shyly, '' I am always here for you.''

The last line made his eyes pool. He sought to swallow the lump growing in his
throat, '' Avery, I—'' The shaking breath quickly shifted into a sob, and he buried
his face in his hands.

" This is all my fault.''

'' I always do this.''

'' Everything is always my fault, Avery—''

'' You don't understand. You don't know the things I had to do.''

'' You don't know what I am.''

'' What I've done.''

He cried. His entire body shook as she forced herself off the ground, and without
thinking — Amelie slipped down on his lap in the same way he had held her the
night she was in shock.

She wrapped her arms around his head, and she pulled herself into him, '' It's
alright, Draco.'' She tried to calm him as she felt his arms landing around her —
embracing the one source of comfort he could find.

'' You're safe here, Draco.''

Her lips against his soft hair, and she stroked the blonde strands of it down his
neck as he buried his head in her shoulder, '' No one can hurt you when I'm
here.''

Amelie repeated the words over and over until he managed to hush down, to
calm himself from drowning in his own mind. He became quiet — nearly too
silent.

The silence shrugged them as she kept holding him, tightly and for a few more
seconds — Draco held her back.

His hands clenched around Amelie. His warm breaths fanned her neck as he
slightly bent back, and he looked at her, nearly breathless to what she had done
for him.

'' You shouldn't trust me, Avery.'' He whispered, so low that she could barely
hear him, almost as if he didn't want her to listen to him, '' I'm not good for you.
''

'' For anyone, really.''

Amelie's heart ached at his words — of how broken he sounded, how much
torture he must have felt. She wanted to ask him what he had done — what was
so terrible and unlawful that he couldn't even speak about it, but at the same time
— she didn't want to push him.

'' I have done things,'' Draco said, and his shoulders tensed underneath her arms,
'' I have killed people, Avery.''

She cringed. Her body jolted at the electricity that shot throughout her veins at
his confession — and that made him coil back, and the hands that rested so
calmly on her waist — let go of her.

'' Are you afraid of me?'' Draco asked. The darkened skin around his eyes was
swollen red, and his cheeks stained by the dry tears, '' Answer me, Avery, are
you afraid of me?''
Amelie choked on her words, and he watched as her face fell into a startled look
— before she could take a deep breath — Draco sighed, lightly shaking his head
at her.

'' Get off.'' He growled, and her brows furrowed,

Amelie's hands slipped off his neck, '' Draco—''

'' I said, get off me, right now.'' He shouted again, and Amelie almost fell off his
lap as he stood tall in front of her — but he didn't speak to her. He simply
brushed his suit off before he stormed out, and the door he'd locked with magic
slammed shut behind him.

And once again — it was her being left behind.

_____

Day 5.

He let me hold him yesterday, even if it only was for a short moment.

It felt good, doing something good for someone and not just sitting here doing
nothing.

Even if he got mad at me again. It was worth it because somewhere deep down
under all that hate and pain I recognize,

The kind, gentle boy still lives, and I hope to see him again,

He didn't even come to give me my meals today. He stayed clear of me and let
the house-elves take care of that,

I talked to this little house-elf, he was similar to the elf that lived with us at
home, and the kind manners of him reminded me of my best friend,

Teddy.

I miss Theodore.

I miss my Teddy so much that I might break. I had never been apart from him
more than a day or two before, but this.
This was torture.

Missing him was worse than being locked in here.

All I want to do is to bury my head in his warm chest and feel his arms around
me.

I want him to tell me what to do because I don't know anything anymore.

I am supposed to be in school. I am supposed to be with Adrian and sneaking

around with Teddy. I'm not supposed to be here. I don't want to be here.

_____

'' I'm not doing that to her. Do you understand that Draco?''

'' No, I don't understand. Why do I have to do this, mother? Why do I always
have to be the one to do all of this—''

'' Draco, this isn't under discussion. We need your father home and if this is the
way to bring him home—''

'' I'm not doing this to her. I'm not.''

'' Yes, you are, Draco. Be honest with her. Tell her what you need to look for and
what you need to know, and I'm sure that she'll help you.''

'' It's her mind, mother. It's her bloody mind, and I can't do that to her. You don't
know what she's been through.''

'' I know, dear. But this is the only thing the Dark Lord will take in order to
release your father. We don't have a choice.''

'' Believe me, mother. I'm far familiar with me never having a choice.''

'' So you'll do it then, Draco?''

'' I'll do it.''

Amelie gulped at what she just had heard as she crawled back in her bed. Her
heart pounded out of her chest the second his knuckles collided with her door.
'' Avery,'' He said. '' I'm coming in.''

Amelie tucked her writing pad underneath her mattress — hiding it so that he
wouldn't take it away from her, before she pushed herself up in the bed, '' Come
in,'' She answered as he opened the door.

Draco's black suit wrapped utterly around his toned body. His hair sleek — the
mantle on his face held in emotion as he bowed his head at her, '' It's time.''

_____
 Nineteen

_____

'' What's your favorite book?''

_____

Amelie Avery.

She walked after him, watching as he nervously fiddled with the rings coating
his fingers, '' This way.'' Draco mumbled. His hand gestured for her to step into
an empty room with nothing but a chair standing in the middle of it.

Amelie nodded, and she did as the blonde wished. She didn't want to provoke his
temper in ways she had done last night. '' Here?'' She asked as she strode towards
the chair.

'' Yes, take a seat.'' He hummed in response.

She slipped down onto the chair. Her hands placed in her own lap as she
watched him — how anxious he seemed as he marched his way back to the
doorway and his hand clenched around the ledge of it.

'' And all I have to do is ask her for it?'' Draco tried to hush himself down while
he talked to someone outside, '' What if she doesn't want to give it up?''

His voice shredded low — not for her to hear.

'' Then you have to take it from her, without her content. She came here
willingly,''

His shoulders shrugged, nearly as if shivers fled his spine, '' I'll try.'' He then
closed the door, and his palms halted at the wood. His shoulders sunk, '' I don't
want to do this, Avery.''
Amelie swallowed, and she pushed herself off the chair. Her steps closer to the
boy who looked as if he might break — were hesitant. She felt scared, '' Do
what, Draco?''

'' I need something from you.'' Malfoy turned around. His hands shoved into his
pockets, '' And I can't—''

The grey eyes shut, and his breaths turned ragged as she walked even closer until
she halted inches away. Draco looked drained — utterly empty, and not one
emotion held on his face. His heavy pants echoed throughout the shallow room.

'' Yes, you can.'' Amelie forced a smile as her hand sought to touch his, '' Tell me
what you want from me.''

The tiny muscle in his jaw twitched, '' I need a memory,'' He muttered, and his
gaze fell to look at her hand, placed on his arm, '' Do you remember the night in
the library? When you were close to giving something up?''

'' I do.''

She did, but what that memory was — she didn't know. Her mind shut her out
the instant she sought to reveal them, and that's what he needed. He wanted that
hidden, buried memory — even if it hurt her, even if her head nearly pounded at
the thought of it.

Draco cleared his throat, shaking his head as he gestured for her to sit down
again, '' Do you remember your safe word?''

'' Blue.''

He pulled the edge of his suit jacket open, and he dragged his wand out before
he demandingly walked up to her. His hands gripped around the armrests of her
chair as he towered over her. She watched as the regret flashed his eyes — the
heavy lingering in his breaths, '' Can you tell me what it is?'' She spoke up, '' The
memory?''

His brows furrowed, and his jaws clenched, '' No. You need to give it to me on
your own.''

Amelie's bottom lip sucked in between her teeth as the hesitancy nagged within.
She didn't want to do this because last time — it hurt. She was a wreck after he
searched her mind to reach that one string of light, that little memory.

'' Legilimens.''

_____

Day 9.

Draco has been searching my mind for days, and to be honest with myself,

I don't know for how long I will be able to stand this.

Every time the light of his mind reaches mine, it's like I can't breathe.

I am allowed a piece of Draco that I'm not even certain he knows I'm able to see.

He's hurting. His mind is more tortured than mine has ever been. I could see
that.

I could see how he hated himself and not just parts of himself as a normal person
would do.

He loathed everything, every single thing of himself, and that broke me.

It broke me more than he did, more than my father or Adrian ever did.

I feel for Draco, in a way I can't begin to understand.

Perhaps it's the way his mind works, how cruel and evil he makes himself look,
but how kind and broken he truly is.

I don't know what, but something about that blonde boy made me feel warm,
cared for, even if he did everything possible for me to hate him,

I did hate him, or at least I tried to.

But somewhere along the line, I couldn't keep it up because I knew he needed me
almost as much as I seemed to need him.

_____
'' Come in!'' Amelie shouted at the knocking on her door, and she watched as
Draco stepped inside with the tray in his hands. His eyes immediately locked in
hers.

The blonde took long strides up to the bed before placing her dinner on the
nightstand, '' Thank you,'' She mumbled.

'' Do you need something else?'' He asked. His hand rushed through his hair,
scratching his neck after, '' I mean — can I do something for you?''

He looked down, miserable as she patted the edge of her bed — she gestured for
him to take a seat, '' Will you stay here, only for a moment?''

Draco's jaws clenched and unclenched as his eyes snapped to where her hand
held before he grumbled something beneath his breath. He slipped down. His
legs held long before him as he peered over her, confused as to why she had
asked him to stay, '' Did you want to talk about something?''

'' No—'' She hushed herself down as she chewed on her bottom lip in hesitation,
'' It's just boring being alone all the time.''

Malfoy huffed at her statement, and his fingers curled into fists. '' You have a
library here, am I right?'' Amelie asked him as she forced a smile to ease the
tension.

Draco nodded, and the blonde strands of hair fell over his eyes, '' We do.''

'' Can you take me there? I have already finished all the books —'' Her eyes
flickered to the bookshelf standing tall against the wall, '' — in here.''

He swallowed as his mind battled if her proposition was a good idea or not
before he forced himself off the mattress, '' I can,'' He held, narrowing grey eyes
in hers, '' But can I trust you, Avery?''

'' Can I trust that you won't try to leave?''

She felt the lump growing in her throat — her veins flushed in disbelief, '' I'm
still here, right?'' Amelie quieted down while she looked up at him, '' If I wanted
to leave you. I would've done so weeks ago at Adrian's ceremony.''
Her hands pushed against the silky material of the sheets, holding in front of
him, '' I think the question is, can I trust you, Draco?''

He sucked in a harsh breath, and his eyes snapped down to the tray on her
nightstand before he held his arm out, '' No, you can't.''

Amelie winced back. Her face twisted in doubt as he stretched his arm further,
urging for her to braid hers with his, '' Not yet.''

_____

Draco pushed the massive doors to the library open, and the second they swung
wide — the room lit up in warm light. The vast bookshelves covered every inch
of the wall in the room.

Amelie shifted around, looking at him as a glint of light tore through his numb
eyes. He looked happy by the swift gaze of her smile. She stepped even further
into the room, hearing as he shoed closer behind her, '' What's your favorite
book?''

Draco cleared his throat, nearly startled by her question, '' I don't have one.''

'' You don't?'' Amelie snapped. Her eyes wide at the confession, '' No, you're
lying.''

'' I'm not lyi—"

'' Yes, you are, because everyone has a favorite book, Malfoy.'' She smirked, and
her fingers dragged over the dusty books, '' But it's okay. You can tell me when
you're ready.''

He scoffed, shaking his head as he slipped down onto the couch placed in the
middle of the shelves. Amelie's eyes searched wild over the novels, looking for
the one she knew Theodore loved — the one book he always used to read when
she was around.

Throwback.

Her eyes fell upon the brunette, watching as he rested in her lap, and she smiled
by the autumn breeze dancing through her hair. The gentle strokes of sun tickled
her nose as Theodore mumbled to himself.

He always did that — muttering the words he was reading without realizing that
he did it.

'' What are we reading today?'' Amelie asked him, feeling how his body slightly
flinched by her unexpected speaking.

Theo merely shrugged, turning a page of his book, '' Same as usual, but you
already knew that, didn't you?''

She held on to her smile as her eyes rolled, '' Only because you've been reading
the same book for a decade now.''

The tips of her fingers dragged gently through his hair, untangling the messy
strands, and the touch of her — brushing through the brown pieces, made him
gaze up at her. His eyes glimmered by the bright light around them,

'' Can I read you something?'' He looked eager.

'' Of course.'' Her fingers kept on brushing over his head as she peered out over
the lake in front of them. Both Amelie and Theodore loved sitting out here, close
to the water, as they read in quietness.

It was one of the many things they always did together, and especially out here,
because here — Adrian couldn't find them. He didn't know about their secret
little place.

'' Ready?'' Theo asked as she nodded, '' Alright. What greater punishment is
there than —''

'' — life, when you've lost everything that made it worth living?'' She finished for
him with an amused cloak on her face, '' And it's still Romeo and Juliet. You
have read me that line a hundred times.''

'' So what if I have?'' He began to pout, shifting around in her hold, '' I like it.
What's wrong with that?''

Her brows knitted together as she sought to hide her growing smile, '' There's
nothing wrong with it, Teddy. It was just the obvious choice for you, that's all.''
Theodore sighed loudly as he rose from her lap, settling himself next to her
instead, but he stayed quiet. He didn't speak against her, and he didn't try to
defend himself like he normally would've.

'' Is that so wrong?'' He humbled, his legs crossed in front of him, '' Is it so
wrong to wish for someone that cares for you so much that they would rather die
than be without you?''

_____

It wasn't — it was nothing wrong to wish for someone that cares about you in
that way because that's how she felt for Teddy. She loved her best friend so
much that living these days without him was torture, and she needed to find that
book — Romeo and Juliet, to feel closer to him.

'' Here,'' Amelie gasped for herself as she tugged the spine of it off the wood. Her
hands brushed over the cover only to smile by the look of it — this book seemed
new as if no one had ever read it before, while Teddy's was worn, the pages
nearly falling out of it.

''Did you find what you were looking for?'' Draco muttered as Amelie shot him a
kind stare, studying him as his elbow placed on the armrest, and his chin rested
in the palm of his hand.

'' I did,'' She gently dropped down next to him with the book glued to her hand, ''
Can I read you something?''

Draco looked shocked, almost agonized, as he slightly nodded, ''Certainly.''

Amelie doubted herself at first, not knowing if she held the bravery to do what
she wanted to do, to let her head fall onto his lap, just like Theodore always
rested his head on hers.

Her eyes shut closed. Her breath hitched as a grimace shredded her features. Her
head felt heavy on his thighs, feeling how his entire body tensed at her doings.

She dragged her knees up to the backrest of the furniture as she shifted around,
looking up at him from below.

'' Is this alright?'' Amelie hushed, making his brows furrowed, his hands
nervously fiddling with his rings.

'' Hm,'' He hummed, biting his own tongue from ruining this moment.

She sucked a harsh breath in, raising the book over her chest as she searched to
find the page she needed.

'' Here,'' She called out, '' Okay, are you ready?''

'' What greater punishment is there than life when you've lost everything that
made it worth living?''

Draco froze completely as she peered up at him, his teeth clasped, his nostrils
flaring.

He didn't know what to say or what to do — she made him nervous with the
quote she just read to him.

'' Have you ever felt that way for anyone, Draco?'' She asked, lowering the book
to let it rest on her chest,

'' No,'' He spoke, severely, '' I don't get those type of feelings,''

She jolted up from her laying position, her legs over his as he cringed at the
sudden move, '' What? Are you telling me that you have never been in love?''

Amelie's face sunk in question as her nerves ached at the look of his numb eyes
— he hadn't.

He had never been in love. He had never cared for another person in the way you
always dreamed of doing — he was alone, lonely in his misery.

'' No,''

Her head tilted as she sought to read the cold, mysterious boy in front of her, ''
Have you ever cared for anyone?''

''No.''

''Do you want to care for someone?''

Her pushing made him snap his head to level hers. His heart pounded hard
within, '' No,''

She felt the twisting feeling inside. The sinking sensation wavered her as his lips
parted again — but not a word fled them.

The tension thickened as he leaned closer to her. His cold hand put pressure on
her lower back, almost urging her to move forward, and she did.

She pushed herself onto him until she was straddling him on the sofa.

''But I do,'' Draco breathed out, his nose brushed against hers, and that made her
breaths flutter, the kind, gentle heart she possessed hammered out of control in
her chest.

'' I do care for someone.''

The corner of her mouth twitched as her hands moved slowly over his arms
before she tangled her fingers together behind his neck.

The tips of her fingers played with the soft strands of his hair, '' You do?''

He looked at her — in a way no one had ever looked at her before, it was as if he
could see all of her, as if he wished to see more.

Draco's arms clung tighter around her as he pulled her just an inch closer, '' I do.''

And without another thought shared between the two broken souls they tended to
be,

Amelie's lips collided with his.

_____
Twenty

_____

'' Did I hurt you?''

_____
Amelie Avery.

Draco kissed her back, and his hands wrapped around her waist in the most
protective — heartwarming way she had ever felt. It was as if his bones were
made for hers. His arms fitted her perfectly.

'' Avery—'' He hummed into her parted lips as he slightly tended back. His eyes
fell upon her, '' Are you alright?''

Her eyes peeled open as she looked at the blonde boy holding her — Draco
looked so at peace, so gentle as if this was all he had wanted to do. He finally got
to kiss her, to taste the purity on her lips, and there wasn't a thing in this world
that could compare to that.

Amelie's fingers brushed against the sleek hair on the back of his neck, and it
was soft — smoother than she remembered it to be, but not everywhere — not
like the strands that fell over this forehead, they were much softer.

It felt like silk, and his scent of clean cotton tore through her senses,

'' I'm okay.'' She mumbled, and as that word escaped her lips, giving him the
reassurance and the blessing that she was more than sufficient with what
happened between them — his face still shifted in doubt, his eyes flickered all
over her as if he was scared — worried that he'd hurt her again.

But he hadn't. He couldn't because her heart wouldn't stop fluttering. He cared
for her — he told her that he cared for her, and she cared for him — in a
heartbreaking way — in a way that lingered with pain, hurt, and memories that
held nothing more than torture.

This, right here, was greater than any stain of the past had the possibility to be.

'' It's Amelie.'' She blurted out, her eyes fell dearly over him as she still rested in
his lap, '' I want you to call me Amelie.''

He rose a brow. His jaws clenched and unclenched, '' Really?''

She smiled, and her heart once again tripped a beat, '' Really.''
Draco's hands moved down the length of her back, and he leaned in one more
time — with her lips pushed against his — he smiled.

'' Then Amelie it is.'' He mumbled into her parted lips, and the tips of her fingers
combed through his hair, '' Amelie, Amelie, Amelie.'' Draco kept on saying her
name — he never wanted to stop speaking it.

It was just them, him and her — and not a problem in the world could touch
them right now. His grip of her waist loosened for a slight moment before he
pulled her inches closer again. The second he did that — the instant their lips
parted and the cold air tickled at her lower lip,

Adrian.

Reality hit her — more severe than a train at high speed. Her hand forced into
Draco's chest before she pushed herself off of him, and she ran out. Amelie
stumbled her way back to her room, and she slammed the door shut behind her.

Draco called out for her — with every step that she took before she found shelter
behind the door leading into her room, he shouted her name.

Amelie felt as if she couldn't do this. She was deemed to get married to a boy
that she believed to love more than anything — still, she was unfaithful. She
kissed someone else.

Even if Adrian had been faithless towards her — she wasn't this person. Amelie
couldn't do this — maybe Adrian deserved it, perhaps he didn't, but one thing
that seemed to be set in stone was that she didn't deserve to feel that way about
herself.

Her spine collided with her door, and she slid down against the wood, with her
knees dragged up to her chest — like she always did.

'' Amelie—'' Draco's voice caused her to flinch, and the tone in it broke at the
taste of her name falling off his lips, '' Amelie, why did you—''

'' Draco, don't come in, please,'' She begged him as she stood up. Her palms
against the timber, and she heard his heavy breaths.

'' Was it something I did, Amelie?'' She caught a light pound on the door as his
fist struck against it, '' Did I hurt you?''

'' Did I fucking hurt you?''

Her entire body trembled as her head shook. She wanted to say no — to tell him
that this was about her and not him.

She wanted to tell him just how perfect he was to her and how much he'd helped
her by taking her to the manor, but not a word escaped her throat — she couldn't
speak.

'' It's my fault,'' He sighed out, sounding worn, '' It's always my fault.'' And then
— he walked away.

He left.

He left because she hurt him. After all, she wasn't strong enough to tell him
otherwise. Amelie had been disappointed in herself many times before — but
not like this — this was torture to her.

This was all about her, how she was to blame and not Malfoy — she was too
insecure, too wounded by her life experiences to know what she truly deserved
in this world.

She wanted Draco, he was good for her, but she didn't feel as if she was worthy
of him.

The wind in her lungs ragged, and all she wanted to do was to sleep — she was
exhausted.

_____

Day 12.

Draco hasn't been here for days, just like the last time he got mad at me, but I
believe he left home altogether this time. I couldn't hear his screams in the early
morning or his steps hovering outside at dusk,

He simply left, and I was all to blame.

Narcissa kindly took after his act to bring me meals and new books to read, she
even asked me if I wanted to join her for dinner downstairs last night, and I did.

I believe that she's lonely, that the absence of her husband and the continuance
of Draco needing to serve the dark lord leaves her behind, nearly forgotten,

I enjoy her very much. She has always been so kind to me, even before all of this
happened before Draco brought me here.

She told me more about him. She filled in some of the blank spots of knowing
when it comes to him, her blonde-haired son.

But even if she tried to open up as much as she knew how it wasn't enough.

I know it will never be enough, and I know that I may never know him in the way
I wish to do, but for now, it has to do.

If anything, I know how hard it is to let someone in, to let someone have a piece
of you, to allow another soul to search yours, and I let him,

I did.

And now, I just hope that he will let me in as I let him in.

_____

Amelie's body jolted off the mattress as she searched to turn the lamp on her
nightstand, on. She usually slept with the light on because the dark had always
scared her — it was when the dim circled that her demons paid her a visit, but
not the past few nights — these nights she had been getting used to the darkness
and the smoothness it brought her.

Until she heard him again — his scream, how his shouts shredded, how he
sought to suffocate the heartbreaking sounds with his pillows.

Draco was home.

The panic flushed through her veins, and the constant ache of knowing that she
could help him — that she could take all that hurt and pain away if he'd just let
her, scored heavier than it had ever done before.
Her feet stumbled across the floor as she kneeled down, and her fingers
scratched underneath the bottom of the door, gripping the wood as she put her
other hand up, placing pressure on the timber just at the right time — and it
clicked open.

Amelie knew that Narcissa refused to lock her door with magic, and with a few
tries the night Draco was nowhere to be found — she learned how to open it
without a handle.

Her eyes fled down the hallway to make sure that no one else was awake before
she caught onto his sobs again. The harsh, painful voice broke into a trail of cries
as she rushed down the hall in nothing but her nightdress.

Her hands placed on his door as she slightly shoved it open — and there he was,
in the middle of the night. Draco sat up, leaning against the headboard of his bed
with his head in his hands. Amelie could almost see his body as it shook
violently.

She didn't say anything, not a single word, as she struggled up the mattress, and
he flinched. Draco winced back as she looked at him. His eyes were hooded, his
skin ashen and stained in tears.

'' Amelie,'' Draco breathed out, and he watched her climb on top of him — one
knee on each side of the boy as she straddled him in the darkness.

She stayed quiet, and her hands wrapped around his head, her fingers tangled
into the blonde strands as he — for once, was the one to bury his head in her
chest.

'' I'm here, Draco,'' Amelie whispered, as his arms sheeted around her waist, and
he sought to drain her of all the comfort he knew she could bring him.

'' You're safe when I am here, Draco,'' She kept on whispering, giving him the
exact words that he always granted her with when she was the one in need, ''
You're always safe with me, Draco.''

His head fell to the crook of her neck, and she could feel his heart as it beat in
bearing with hers again, '' Do you feel that, Draco?'' Amelie hummed into his
head, '' Do you feel your heart beating with mine?''
'' I do.'' His heated breaths fanned the tender skin of her shoulder, '' I can feel it.''

She smiled, even if her heart ached — she smiled, and she had no thought about
the boy she was deemed to marry. All that mattered to her right now was Draco.

'' What did you dream about?'' Amelie asked him quietly as she leaned back, '' I
have nightmares too, you can tell me if you want.''

Draco's head tilted, and he avoided her stare, yet he looked straight back at her
— as if he couldn't tear eyes from how she looked in the strokes of moonlight, ''
Who said I was having nightmares?''

Amelie's brows knitted together at his smug yet shy act, '' Well, do you know
what I dreamed of?'' She forced a smile as her fingers trailed over his exposed
chest.

She was studying his marks and his scars that were carved into the pale skin.

His head shook. His lips pushed into a firm line at her question.

'' I dreamed about a boy.'' Her head tilted along with her hair, and the brown
strands kissed her shoulders, '' It was about this boy and me, and we had a
special moment together...''

Draco's grey eyes widened, and it sounded like his heavy breaths ragged.

'' And when we had this moment, I got scared, and I ran out.'' Amelie swallowed
thickly.

Her knees on each side of him felt soft against his skin, '' And I wanted to
apologize to this boy because it wasn't my intention to run away, but when I
wished to say sorry — he had left, and...''

Her eyes blinked quickly as the hands on her waist dug deeper, '' I couldn't say
anything then, but I can now, and I just wanted to say that— ''

Draco nodded slowly at her words as his chest rose and fell.

'' I'm not a bad person, Draco. I'm really not, but I am a fragile one and doing
what we did in the library after you said that you care about me...''
Amelie's bit down on her lower lip as she realized her own words, '' It was stupid
of me because you blamed yourself, and you left, and that wasn't my—''

'' Don't ever say that,'' Draco snapped as he pulled her just an inch closer in
between the sheets, '' Don't ever call yourself stupid.''

The flash of sudden anger flickered in his eyes, '' I never want to hear you say
that about yourself, ever again.''

Amelie instantly nodded, and she could feel the warmth as it flushed through
her, '' I won't.''

'' Good,'' He said, and he looked at her, more intensely than ever, '' This boy...''
Malfoy smirked, '' May I ask why you're pushing him away if you don't want
to?''

His minty breaths tasted sweet on her lips of how close they were to each other, ''
I don't know, but isn't it always like this?'' Her eyes landed on his chest again,
and the marks in his toned muscles,

'' That our hearts run from the people who give us pulse?''

The tiny muscle in his jaws twitched, and without speaking a word — the grey
eyes flickered down to her lip before he gently connected them. He kissed her
again, kindly, emotionally.

Draco's cold hands wrapped around her as he shifted them around in the covers,
and her spine collided with the downy mattress.

'' Don't run away again,'' Draco whispered into her lips, '' Promise me you'll
never run away from me again.''

He pulled back, leaving her lips parted as his sight studied hers for a brief
moment — before she dragged him back down, and she allowed him to kiss her
again.

His freezing touch caressed her cheek as he lowered himself closer to her, '' I
promise, Draco.''

A shy smile rose upon him as he leaned back down, pressing his lips against
hers, and he loosened them to let his tongue battle hers.

'' I want to do things to you, Amelie,'' He whispered into her mouth, and she
smiled, '' I would never do anything until you're ready, but God—''

Her hands fell gently over his back as she felt his soft skin on hers, '' You drive
me crazy, Amelie. I just want to take care of you. I want to take such good care
of you.''

'' No—''

'' You can't be here!''

The shouting from downstairs caused them both to jump apart. Her breaths
hitched as his eyes snapped to the door.

'' She's not here!''

'' It's the middle of the night! You can't be here.''

Draco forced himself off the mattress with his wand tightly gripped in his hand, ''
Wait here,'' He mumbled as he dangerously stormed towards the door.

'' Draco, wait,'' She called out for him as she pushed herself off the bed, taking
strides up to him — a startled look mantled her face as he turned around, '' Don't
leave me, please.''

Draco watched as the shocked look upon her fell into a terrified one. Her hands
grasped at his arm as she tugged herself closer to him. The furious gaze he held
softened at the look of her, a cold hand cupped her cheek as he pulled her face
closer to his,

'' I will never let anything bad happen to you. You need to trust me—''

'' Where is she?''

'' She's not here, now leave or I will—''

The sound of glass shattering as it crashed to the floor made her whole body
flinch, and he held her closer — tighter,
'' I will hurt anyone who tries to take you away from me. I promise you that, now
go back to bed,'' Draco's shoved her to the side, his exposed muscles flexed by
the heavy breathing, '' I'll be right back.''

Amelie's feet scored cold against the floor, and she stumbled back in the dark —
the anger in his eyes darkened as the door flung wide open,

'' There you are.''

_____

The art for this chapter is illustrated by @ dra.a_art (on Instagram and Tumblr)
 Twenty-one

_____

'' Choose.''

_____

Amelie's breaths hitched in the back of her throat as she watched him in the
doorway. Adrian rose a brow before his eyes snapped to Draco, standing with
nothing but his night pants on,

'' What the—'' Adrian shouted, pure spite trailed his tongue as his wand
threateningly raised against Draco, '' What are you doing in here?''

She swallowed — he was here.

'' Adrian,'' Amelie chocked out, looking at him as her heart shattered. It felt like a
curse to her — as if she couldn't resist it. She couldn't resist him, and after two
weeks apart — her body ached at the loss of his.

She caught a step forward, but as soon as she sought to take another one —
Draco snatched her by the arm, dragging her back as he stepped in front of her.

'' Not so close, Pucey,'' Draco spat, his jaws gritted, '' Now leave.''

A cruel smirk curled onto Adrian's upper lip, and his green eyes narrowed in
Draco's grey ones, '' I'm not leaving without her.''

Draco strode forward in the darkened room. His wand pushed up against
Adrian's throat as his other hand grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, '' I said
leave, Pucey.''

This had to be what he talked about — Draco.

This had to be what he meant when he said that he had a dark side — a side with
no remorse — a side of him that is more than capable of taking the life of
another.

'' Don't forget that we share the same position, on the same side,'' Adrian
grinned, seemingly fearless by the blonde one. His eyes snapped over Draco's
shoulder, looking straight at Amelie as she stood terrified behind him,

'' But by the look of it, we share a lot more than that—''

'' Crucio,'' Draco shouted, without hesitation, as the green light of torture scored
Adrian to the floor. His body trembled, trails of screams left his throat at the
curse, and by the look of this — Adrian battling one of the cruelest of spells, her
heart felt as if it was being ripped out.

Tears pooled as she wanted to throw herself closer, but once again — Draco
stopped her from doing so, and his hand gripped around her arm, '' You don't
have to feel bad for him.'' Draco said, and he looked at her with a painful stare, ''
He has done so much worse to you.''

'' Please, Draco,'' Amelie begged him as her knees weakened, '' Please. I
promised to stay with you, and I will. I promise I will, but you need to stop this.''

'' Oh dear—'' Narcissa gasped from behind them, and the unexpected sound
caused Amelie to look at her, but Draco didn't — all he could ever see was
Amelie.

'' My son, listen to the girl. I know you—''

'' No,'' Draco snarled furiously, teeth clasped as he turned to face his mother, '' If
I didn't do what I did, he would have—''

'' I know, son,'' Narcissa stared bewildered at the both of them. Her hand
stretched in the air, '' Let me at least take her out of here. There is no need for her
to see this.''

Draco tilted his head back to hers, and a flash of guilt tore through the numb
eyes before he shut them close, slightly nodding his head at his mother, '' Of
course,'' Draco said, cruelly, '' Take her downstairs, and I'll be down in a
minute.''
Malfoy breathed in heavily before his hands signed off her body — it stung in
both of their chests at that — it felt as if they were letting each other go.

Another loud scream fled Adrian's throat as Amelie shot Draco an agonized
look, '' I don't want to leave you.'' She said, saddened.

'' Then don't leave me, just go downstairs, and I will be right down.'' His eyes
pierced through hers, '' I won't let anything happen to you, Amelie.'' He put
pressure upon his vocals as he said her name, almost as if he needed to show her
that he was serious.

The blonde strands of his hair fell messy over his head as he shifted around,
aiming his wand back at Adrian.

Narcissa tangled her arm with Amelie's as they walked down the stairs — she
was still in her nightdress, and the late hour made her dizzy.

His mother cleared her throat to hush the sounds of Adrian's torture, '' I have
someone that I know is happy to—''

'' Amelie!''

Her heart skipped a pathed beat as she halted on the last step of the stair. Her
eyes prickled in tears by the look of his brown curls,

'' Teddy?'' Amelie breathed out, and he ran towards her as Narcissa smiled
proudly at the two best friends. Theo's arms wrapped around her, picking her up.

'' I missed you,'' Theodore mumbled into her hair before he buried his head in her
shoulder, '' I missed you so much.''

Amelie couldn't hold the tears back, and she let them fall — her entire persona
weakened at the feeling of Theodore close to her again. Everything she sought to
think — every destructive mindset, every cruel thought, faded by the scent of
him.

Honey — Teddy always scented, similar to honey.

But the second her hands grasped around his neck to pull him even closer — to
give her haunted mind and her worn soul a bit more peace — he dragged away.
Theo nervously peered over his shoulder to look at Narcissa before he stared
right back at Amelie, '' We need to leave,'' He lowered his voice, '' We need to go
now.''

Her face twisted in a grimace, '' I can't do that.'' She whispered as her eyes shut
close. It hurt saying those words to him because Teddy was the person she had
first promised that she wouldn't leave.

'' You can't do that?'' He took after her, and his heart dropped, '' Why can't you
do that?''

She sucked in a harsh breath, and her eyes peeled open to match his, '' I can't
leave. I can't leave without Draco. I promised him.''

'' You promised him what, Amelie?'' Theodore snapped, taking a shoe back, ''
Why would you let him manipulate you like this? What did you promise him?''

The disbelief flushed through her veins at his words, '' I promised not to leave
him.''

A scoff fell off his lips as he looked away. His hand rushed through the thick
locks of a mess on his head, '' This is unbelievable...'' He mumbled, taking a
stride closer again.

'' He kidnaped you. He locked you in here for weeks, and you go and fall in love
with him?'' Theodore's hands clasped around her shoulders, nearly shaking her. ''
How could you do that?''

Narcissa's heel over the tile floor caught Amelie's attention as she placed a hand
upon Theodore's shoulder, '' There is no need to get upset, Theodore. Listen to
what she has to say before you accuse her.''

Amelie could hear him swallow, and the tiny muscle in his jaw twitched, '' Then
what could this possibly be about if you didn't fall in love with him?''

The bravery she had kept inside missed her as her lips parted to speak, '' I'm not
in love with him.'' It hurt. Nothing had hurt as much as saying those words.

Theodore rose a brow with his sight narrowed in hers before his act dropped, his
eyes shredded in doubt, '' You are. I can see it on you, damn it, Amelie!'' He
shouted, '' How could you do this?''

'' I said that I'm not in love with him.'' Amelie frustratingly shouted back as her
foot stamped against the floor, '' Listen to me, Teddy. I am not in love with
Draco. I used him so that he wouldn't hurt me.'' She lied. Amelie had to lie to
Theodore.

The reality of her feeling more for Draco than she was ever allowed to was
dangerous for them both. '' I promise, Teddy. I was just using him so that he
wouldn't—''

'' Is that so?'' Draco's voice scored low from behind her, and her heart stopped,''
You were just using me?''

Amelie's eyes fluttered close as Theodore stepped back, and she could hear how
Narcissa urged for him to join her in the kitchen — to give both Draco and
Amelie a minute alone.

'' Look at me,'' Draco mumbled from in front of her, and she immediately did as
asked. Her eyes fell upon him, looking as he stood tall, eyeing her down.

'' So you used me?'' He questioned her again, jaws clenched, and his lips pushed
into a firm line, " You fucking used me?"

Amelie's head shook as she seized a step closer to him — but Draco merely took
one back, '' I didn't use you, Draco.'' She said, calmly, honestly, '' I only said
those things to Theodore, because he will—''

Her mind battled her heart in a hopeless fight.

'' Because he'll do what? He'll despise you for feeling something for someone
like me? Or is it you, Avery?'' Draco's voice was heard louder, ''Is it you who is
ashamed for feeling something for me?''

'' No!'' Amelie nearly yelled out, making his eyebrows furrow, '' Don't say that.
Don't ever say that. This had nothing to with you, and deep down, you know
that.'' She sought to take another step closer, but this time, he didn't take one
back. He let her close to him.

Amelie's face softened at the look of him, standing this close to her again — it
had been minutes since she left his bedroom. Still, it felt like hours to her — she
didn't want to be without him ever again.

'' I would never do that. I would never use you. You looked inside my mind,
Draco,'' Her hand stretched in between them, and the spine of it stroked against
his cheek, '' You know what I think of you,'' She whispered, and his hands
slowly wrapped around her waist.

'' I do,'' Draco said sternly. His hands fitted perfectly around her as he held her
close.

It was addicting for him to be close to her — it was as if he couldn't get enough.

She had him trapped, hooked in the grip of emotion that he had no control over.
Her pain, her tortured mind, was mesmerizing, and all he wished for was to be
better — better for her.

It was something about her eyes and how they held what his thirsted for. Amelie
was pure, chained, angelic, and the urge to rob her of that purity yet keep her
exactly as sinless became overwhelming.

How she stood in front of him — stretched up on her toes with her hands gently
pushed against his chest. She wasn't afraid of him anymore. She didn't flinch
when he sought to touch her —when he came close,

'' What the—'' Theodore's voice echoed from behind as he watched them hold
each other, '' Amelie, you just said...''

Her feet stumbled away from Draco, and the loving look she held so bravely
shifted into a startled, guilty one, '' Theodore—''

Draco's eyes snapped to the brown-haired boy he knew she held so dearly as he
shook his head. The green eyes flashed in anger, and without another word — he
stormed off towards the front door.

'' No, Teddy. Please don't go,'' Amelie called out for him, '' We would never
leave each other, remember?"

'' Well, it looks to me as if you gave that promise to someone else,'' He quieted
down, standing frozen in the doorway, '' How could you do that?''
'' It's not like that. I have to—'' She sought to speak, but his arm thrown out in the
air hushed her, and her shoulders sunk because of it.

'' Choose.''

Draco swallowed Theodore's words as her arms dropped to her sides and her
eyes glinted in tears, '' What?'' She whispered in complete disbelief, '' You don't
mean that, Teddy—''

'' I said choose. Him or me, Amelie,'' He repeated himself, and he looked at her
furiously, '' You can't have both.''

''No. I won't. You can't do this. You didn't even listen—''

'' Because he filled you with lies, Amelie!'' Theodore turned around, pointing a
finger directly at Draco, '' You let him inside of your mind. He could easily plant
thoughts or even—''

'' Or even what?'' Malfoy snapped, evilly staring the boy down, '' Do you truly
believe that I would do that?''

'' You took her away from us, Malfoy. There is a lot of things you have done that
I could never imagine that you would do a year ago,''

Amelie stepped in between them. Her face twisted in doubt at what she needed
and what she wanted, '' Stop it.'' She gulped, '' I'm not choosing it's as simple as
that. I shouldn't have to.''

She shouldn't, and she knew that — she spoke those words with such force as if
she realized her own worth in all of this.

Draco knew she shouldn't, and even if he would give anything up, take any life
to be the one she chose — he could never be that person, not right now. She
didn't deserve this, any of it, and it would never be safe for her with him, not
until Adrian was gone.

Malfoy's head fell forward, and his eyes shut as he inhaled the deepest of breaths
— and he was already regretting what he was about to do.

The tumbling voices of his mother, Theodore, and Amelie tore through his ears
as he leaned his head back, looking at the breathtaking girl standing in front of
him, in her nightdress — with her hair spilled messily over her shoulders, the
faded marks on her skin from every horrible act she had ever had to live through
— shun.

Still, he looked at her as if she was the most gracious human he had ever had the
pleasure to watch.

'' Take her with you, Nott,'' Draco spoke up, aiming to turn around — to walk
away before she ever had the possibility to stop him, but her hand instantly
yanked the blonde back. His eyes matched hers,

''What?'' Amelie's voice slightly broke, '' Why would you say that?''

Draco swallowed again, and he did everything in his power not to let his
emotions and the look of her cloud his mind — he couldn't turn back now.

'' Leave, Amelie,'' Draco growled, narrowing his eyes in hers, and her entire face
fell. He hauled out from her grip, but that didn't stop her from grabbing his arm
once again.

'' No,'' She breathed out, one clear tear rolled down her cheek, '' I promised you
not to—''

'' I don't want you here.'' He said. Draco could almost hear how her heart tore in
two within the cage of her chest, at the exact time his own heart broke, '' I want
you to leave. I'm done with you now.''

Amelie's small hand rushed up to her cheek, wiping the tears off before her eyes
grounded, her skin whitened, '' You used me,'' She whispered, '' You said that I
could trust you, but you used me.''

Malfoy's veins flushed in hurt, in torture was graver than any curse he had ever
lived through, but he needed to do this. '' I did. I used you, and now that I have
what I wanted—''

His chest heavy, and his eyes flicked off hers. He couldn't look at her anymore
— he broke her, more than anyone else had ever done before, but he was
desperate. He needed her to believe him. She wasn't safe here.
'' I don't need you anymore, now leave.''

Amelie's breaths fluttered as she nodded. Still, in the most hurtful time, she stood
with more bravery than anyone could carry, '' All I wanted to do was to help you,
and to be enough for you,'' She whispered as she gently let go of his arm.

She was — she was more than enough for him, and he could never deserve her.

'' I just wanted to be with you,'' She held as she took a step back, avoiding his
eyes searching for hers. '' I'm sorry that I wasn't enough for you, Draco.''

And with that — she spun around, still refusing to look at him as she ran out of
the front door.

She was gone, and every emotion that made him a decent human being went
with her.

_____
 Twenty-two

_____

'' It's your mother.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

'' Amelie,'' Theodore yelled as he stormed after her, rushed steps over the gravel-
covered ground echoed throughout every tree on the Malfoy property, '' Amelie,
wait!''

She stopped as her heart beat roughly within. The strikes of disbelief tore
through every flush of blood in her vessels.

She didn't want to do this anymore.

No matter what she did or didn't do. She was always the one ending up with a
heart shattered into an infinity of pieces, and now,

Now she stood outside his manor, where he had kept her locked up for nearly
two weeks, in the beginning, against her will and still,

Still, her mind was tortured by him, Draco, and what he had spoken to her.

'' Leave Amelie.''

'' I don't want you here.''

'' I used you.''

'' I don't need you anymore.''

Amelie deserved more, so much more, but that seems to be the thing harder than
anything else for a girl who had walked through most of her life in violence.

She didn't know. She had no clue of what she deserved or not.

To her, it was both a blessing and a curse to feel everything so deeply.

'' For gods sakes, Amelie. Just wait,'' Theodore yelled again as the chilly autumn
breeze scored against her bare skin, shivers fled her spine in the collusion of
tears prickling her eyes.

'' I don't want to—,'' She stuttered, the highest pitch in her voice cracked, '' Take
me away from here.''

Amelie stopped, her eyes shut close in the attempt to fight the salty liquid.

'' Just take me away from here.'' She spoke again, almost beneath her breath as
Theodore stepped in front of her.

His hands moved to her cheeks as his warm thumbs stroked over the tear-stained
skin.

He looked at her with such compassion, nearly as if he could feel her pain. How
her heart repeatedly crippled for people who could never deserve her.

Her eyes fluttered open as a tear, a perfect, clear, tear rolled down the pale skin, ''
Please, Teddy,'' Amelie begged him again, quietly.

Theo's hands wrapped around her shaking self, pulling her straight into his chest
as he gripped his wand.

'' Anything for you,'' He whispered, before raising the wood in between his
fingers.

'' Apparate.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

He stood frozen in time as he caught the sound of wind swirling in a rough act
outside.
Draco recognized the sound, she left.

She left him, and even if he told her to, almost demanding her to leave.

It hurt.

It hurt that the one person who brought out that little ounce of good in his
haunted mind, the person he had hoped to be his redemption, left.

And he was all to blame for it.

The wind whirled through the front door as the curtains hanging gracefully over
the massive windows wavered at the act, in a way her hair always did in the
summer air.

The stands off hair falling over her shoulders always danced in the warm gust.

Draco shook his head, trying to shake the image of her out of his mind.

'' That was a reckless thing of you to do, son,'' His mother spoke softly, calming
from feet away, '' She would've stayed with you.''

His head rose, looking straight at her as he swallowed.

'' I know she would've stayed. That's exactly why she had to leave.'' Draco
mumbled, still haunted by the frame of her glued to his mind.

'' Then why, Draco? Why would you push her—'' His mother sought to speak.

'' Because she's not safe here. I can't focus when she's around. I—'' He hewed
himself off, shutting his eyes closed. '' It had to be done sooner or later. I was
foolish for keeping her here for as long as I did.''

Narcissa let out a muffled huff, slightly nodding to the words spoken by her son,
'' That was truly selfless of you then, Draco.''

Her hand scored warm on his shoulder, making him flinch back at the sudden
touch, '' I'm proud of you, Draco.''

'' Don't be,'' He snapped, shrugging his mother's touch off as he marched towards
the front door. Severe steps clicked over the tile floor.
'' You may be a lot of things, mother, but being proud of me shouldn't be one of
them.''

Draco's hand slammed against the timber, shoving the door shut before his fists
struck against it, over and over and over.

His breaths ragged, the air in his lungs tightened at the thought of what he had
done. He crumbled within, the skin coating his body suddenly felt chained, as if
he was trapped in his own mind.

'' Draco,'' His mother tried to call out for him, to make him stop hurting himself,
'' Draco, please,'' She begged.

He sucked in a harsh breath, feeling the warm scent of Amelie still lingering
around him as he turned to face Narcissa.

His fingers stroked over the blood-stained knuckles, but it didn't hurt. Nothing
could hurt more than what he had done moments earlier.

He had to forget about Amelie. That was the only way he could serve the dark
lord properly, but how could he ever do that.

Forget someone so enchanting, mesmerizing, trapping,

Draco was never the one to be in contact with his feelings, to the emotions
another human being would be, but he was with her.

The tears pooling in Narcissa's eyes brought him back to presence; her cheeks
drained of color as she watched her son quietly fall apart in front of her.

'' No, mother,'' He sighed before taking urgent shoes up to her, " I'm sorry."

His arms placed around her utterly, hugging her trembling body straight into his
chest. Draco held her, similar to how she used to hold him when he was the one
in need of comfort.

'' I didn't mean to upset you,'' He mumbled into the colliding strands of blonde
and brown hair, a cold hand swept over her back, soothingly stroking the soft
fabric of her shirt.
'' Please don't be upset,'' He continued, holding her tightly for minutes. He felt
her heart pounding, her breaths hitching with every sharp inhale, not to give in to
her emotion.

'' I need to take care of our...'' Draco quieted down, rolling his tongue in the
inside of his cheek before he tended away from her, '' Our guest.''

The grey eyes flickered up the stairs to the second floor, remembering how the
boy who had been intruding their home still laid unconscious on the floor of his
room.

'' Be careful, please.'' Narcissa pleaded as he withdraws from her touch

completely, brushing a messy strand of hair off his forehead.

'' I will,'' He muttered as he stormed up the stairs, in the complete understanding

that he just lied to his mother.

If anything — Draco would never be gentle with the boy who had hurt the girl
he cared for so deeply.

_____

Amelie Avery.

With her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms hugging around them — she
rested entirely still on the sofa. Her eyes held plastered on the flames sparkling
in the fireplace in front of her.

Theodore had brought her to his family cabin, deeply buried in a forest not many
souls knew about.

It was safe here; no one could bother them as they rested in the quiet peace of
birds singing in the early dawn and the leaves shrugging against each other as
the dusk settled.

She was safe here. She knew that, yet she couldn't help but flinch every time her
best friend closed in on her, every time a fork dropped to the wooden floor,
every time he mumbled something underneath his breath.

Her mind held restless, worn, nearly defeated by Draco's tries to work inside it,
and he did.

He searched her mind to a point where she couldn't possibly reach on her own
still it wasn't enough.

Still, she never found that hidden place she knew he sought to find. Amelie still
had no grasp of what it was he needed from her or if he found it on his own.

She shouldn't care. She shouldn't bother.

She was safe here, with Theodore. The one person who had never once failed her
in the years she spent on this earth.

'' A penny for your thoughts?'' Theodore's voice smoothly broke through the
numb trance she found herself in.

Her head arched to gaze at the boy standing in the doorway with two cups of
blue porcelain in his hands.

She didn't answer. She merely nodded as he stepped inside the living room, his
neck lightly bent not to hit his head in the roof,

That was one of the many things she adored about this cabin — the structure of
it.

Nearly something you could read about in the old dusty children's books.

Her hands reached in the air as she gently took the cup from her friend before
falling back against the furniture, '' Thank you, Teddy.'' Amelie spoke, sending
him a smile they both knew not to be a real one.

'' My pleasure,'' He smiled back. The dimples in his cheeks showed as her heart
melted.

She had missed him so much, more than she ever believed in doing.

It was strange to her to be attached to another human being in a way that ached
the second you weren't close to them.

The scent of honey her best friend brought was the one thing she always found
comfort in, and now — here he was, sitting next to her, both of them a little
more broken than the last time they saw each other.

Not that it mattered. The two best friends had a record of always gluing another
back together.

Her head clocked towards the bright flames scoring low between the bricks; the
scent of burnt wood soothed her senses as she stretched the porcelain up to her
mouth, taking a sip of the tea.

'' It's supposed to rain tomorrow,'' Theodore broke the calming quietness, making
her look at him as he sweetly chuckled.

'' I mean, we can go for a walk, maybe? Like we used to do?''

She smiled, huffing to herself as she shoved closer to him.

Her head on his shoulder, '' I'd love that,'' Amelie whispered, her fingers
nervously twitched around the heated ceramics in her hands.

She wanted to ask him something. She needed to know why he was so upset
with her back at the Malfoy manor, why he acted in a way he had never done
before.

But she didn't want to ruin anything. She was scared to set him off, to make him
leave just like every other person had left her before.

'' I just miss the scent of rain, grass, trees, all of it bound together, you know?''
Theodore kept going as he gently rested his head on hers, his arm settled over
her legs.

'' Teddy—'' Amelie nearly choked up out of doubt,

His head rose as he tilted it, looking curios at her, '' Yes?''

Even her breaths were to be hesitant; the slight hitch as she sought to exhale
made his brows furrow, his face twisted in a grimace.

'' What's wrong, Amelie?'' He asked her, shifting around in his seat to face her
fully,
Amelie anxiously tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, looking down at
her cup, '' Do you know something I don't?'' She asked, '' I mean, about me?''

Theodore's face fell into confusion as she looked up at him, her sight matched
his, and the glint of guilt flashed through the green, honest eyes she always
sought the truth in.

'' Such as?'' Theodore shot back, his tone slightly harsher, '' I don't know what
you—''

'' I think you do,'' She cut him off, still staring straight at him, '' I think you do
know, Teddy, and I think you're lying to me.''

His pink lips pushed into a firm line as he reached over to the coffee table,
putting his cup down before leveling her again.

'' And I'm so tired of people lying to me, so please, Teddy. Please just be honest
with me.''

He swallowed thickly at that, knowing that the words fleeing her throat were
nothing more than reality.

Everyone always kept the girl in front of him, in the dark.

'' What do you want to know?'' He grumbled, '' I'll tell you anything you want to
know.''

Amelie slowly nodded, '' Adrian,'' She spoke up, '' Did he tell you why he didn't
want me to go with Draco? Before we left?''

Her hands tightened around the drink, she knew that something was suspicious
about Adrian's actions that day, but Draco never answered her questions about
that.

He did what he did best. He ignored it, every time she attempted to speak to the
blonde boy about the other boy she had promised to marry.

He shut her out.

'' He did,'' Theo nodded, sending her a doubtful look.

'' Was it because he cared?'' Amelie questioned, feeling the restless feeling of
wanting to know the truth, fume within, '' Or was it something else?''

Theodore hesitated. He tore his eyes from hers, staring down at the floor as he
thought about what to say, how to put it.

Because he knew why Adrian wanted to protect her that day, but he also knew
why Draco took her away.

He knew what he wanted from her. Adrian had told him, one night in the
common room as he got in after a late-night walk — he found Adrian resting on
one of the couches, with a glass of moonshine in his hand.

And that drink turned into two, three, five, seven.

Until Adrian was dizzy enough to open up and tell him everything he wished, he
didn't know.

'' Something else,'' Theodore blurted out, still avoiding to face his best friend as
he felt her eyes burn right through him.

'' What?'' She breathed out, her hand gripped his, '' Tell me what it is, Theodore.''

He knew that she deserved to know. It was her life, her future that was on the
line, yet he held the understanding that his best friend had a heart, more fragile
than any other, and what he was about to tell her,

Would break it, more than anything else had ever done.

'' He didn't care, Amelie,'' Theo sighed, his hands placed on his elbows, his head
buried in his palms.

'' He wanted to protect you because of the vow. If something were to happen to
you, or if you got hurt, or even worse—''

'' He does too,'' She finished for him, her vocals left in stutters, her voice airy, ''
He wanted to save himself.''

'' Yes, he did,'' Theo confirmed what she feard so severely, '' He wanted to
protect himself.''
Amelie didn't think the ache in her heart, the scoring pain pushing throughout
her blood, could hurt any graver, but it did.

At this moment, it did.

Tears formed in her eyes as she blinked quickly to hide them. Her breaths
fluttered, '' And Draco? Do you know what Draco wanted, which memory he
was looking for?''

Theodore swallowed once again, his head shifted to look at her, '' I do, but I don't
think it's a good idea—''

Her eyes grew wide, her skin ashen, '' Tell me.'' She nearly demanded, '' Tell me
right now.''

He halted as his lips parted. He wanted to save her from this, and apparently —
so did Draco; otherwise, he would've told her weeks ago.

But he didn't. He knew, just as Theodore knew, that this could live to be the end
of her.

'' Please,'' Amelie begged, " Just tell me, please."

Her eyes shun in liquid as his jaws clenched. The battle he felt within nearly tore
him in two,

He softly nodded, placing a hand on top of her shaking one.

''It's your mother, Amelie.''

''She's alive.''

_____
 Twenty-three

_____

'' Everyone uses everyone.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

She stood, merely frozen on the edge of the cliff, and even if she held exposed to
such an opportunity, where she had every chance in the world to finally end her
years of suffering.

This was the first time she didn't want to.

Her eyes flickered over the treetops, hearing the whirl of chilly wind as it danced
through the wavy strands of her hair.

The color on her cheeks flushed as she hugged herself. Her knees weak from the
lack of sleep she possessed, the purple rings underneath her eyes faded into an
even paler tone of skin.

She was losing herself in a moment where she was supposed to be happy.

The one thing she held dearly in this life, yet haunted her so deeply, was the
truth of her mother's death.

Nobody could ever take that memory away from her because it was true.

It happened.

She was there when the last sip of air tightened in her mother's chest. She was
there to witness her body as it turned cold. Still, her best friend, whom she had
confided most of her existence in, told her the otherwise.
He told her that her mother was alive. He told her that she, deeply buried inside,
was the only one with the knowledge of where her mother had gone.

What plan she had because the one person her mother trusted was her.

The strokes of gust nibbled her cheeks as her eyes snapped to the lake, buried in
between the tree bunks, glinting in the sunbeams that kept peering out from
behind the heavy clouds.

'' There you are,'' Theodore stepped close from behind, standing next to her on
the cliff, '' I looked for you everywhere.''

She flinched back, still not used to another person being close to her after her
weeks of being locked inside. Draco always made himself known before he
approached her, but not Theodore.

He was familiar with her being appreciative of his closeness, but she wasn't. Not
now.

Because now, it felt like someone had ripped a piece of her skin off of her. As if
someone was taken from her, and the touch she craved more than anyone else's.

She couldn't have.

Draco had lied to her again, and she knew that he wasn't to be trusted, yet her
mind refused to give in. She needed him.

Every day that passed without having him close to her, feeling the cold hands as
he lingered, hearing the huffs he always made, looking into the grey,
mesmerizing eyes as they watched her,

How he looked after her everywhere, she went without question.

Her mind battled in the confusion of the blonde boy. The ache she felt of her
mother's lies tore through her as her best friend stepped closer.

'' Did you eat breakfast?'' Theodore asked her, looking concernedly at her as she
slightly shook her head.

'' I didn't,'' Amelie whispered back, nearly inaudible by the wind around them,
the leaves shrugging against each other.

Theodore closed in, his hands around her shoulders as he brought her into his
chest, '' Let me make you something. It's important that you eat, love.''

Her eyes shut, eyelashes battled the salty liquid she felt urging in the corner of
her eyes.

'' I know.'' Amelie whispered again, her arms still crossed over her chest, '' I just
needed some air first.''

He held her as close as he possibly could, and he couldn't help but feel an
amount of shame to shred within.

Theo knew what Draco wanted, why he tried to make her trust him. Why he
always was there in every moment, she might have needed him, all because he
needed an entry to her mind, to find out about the secret she had been holding
for most of her life.

Draco knew her mother was alive, but so did Theodore, and the guilt he felt for
keeping such a secret from his best friend killed him. It was torture, if not more
than it.

Theodore's thoughts interrupted by the huff fleeing her lips. Her body lightly
shook at the cold breeze around them.

His head tilted, his hands scored large on her small face as he held it up,
allowing her eyes to match his.

'' I want you to know something,'' Theodore mumbled, staring intensely at her. A
slight nod made a strand of hair fall off her shoulder as he gently tucked it back
behind her ear.

'' I'm sorry, Amelie.'' He held and his jaws clenched together as a look of guilt
rose upon him, '' I know, even though you'll probably never show it — I hurt
you.''

He sighed, '' You haven't spoken to me in days, and I don't want you to be upset
with me. I need you to understand why I did this. Why I never said anything.''
Her eyes grew wide in suspense, reserved to what he was about to inflict on her.

Amelie gazed up at him as the soil beneath her shoes sunk. Theodore sucked in a
harsh breath before looking out over the forest, seizing more than calmly below
the cliff they were standing on.

'' I promised Draco, never to say anything about this to anyone. He convinced
me that this was for your own good, that you would be in danger if I told you
about this.'' Theodore's eyes flickered, his lower lip quivered.

'' And I know it was the wrong thing to do. I understand that now, but there and
then, with Adrian being gone, with Malfoy trying to earn your trust because of it
— it felt like you had enough to worry about and I just couldn't.'' Tears pooled as
he tensed the grip around her chin, his thumbs swiped over the skin of her
cheeks.

'' I couldn't bear to tell you. I didn't want to be the one to break you.''

Amelie swallowed in the hold he had of her, looking up at her best friend as he
stood tall in front of her. The curls on his head were messy. His eyes exhausted
as the dimples usually showing in his cheeks looked faded.

'' So you let him do it?'' She asked him, her head dipping to his chest as she let
her forehead rest against it, '' You allowed him to break me?''

Theodore shook. He knew that it wasn't easy for her to speak against him. But
ever since she left with Draco that evening and the two weeks they spent apart,
something was different with her.

Amelie had grown. She was still fragile, worn to the deepest of depths, yet not.
Draco had given her hope. That even after years and years of misery — she
could still find happiness.

Real happiness.

'' I'm not mad at you. I just don't understand why you would do that,'' Her neck
arched to peer up at him, '' We tell each other everything, Teddy, no matter what.
It has always been like that. I don't understand why you chose to lie about this?''

He let out a huff as he pulled her closer. His chin rested on her head as he looked
out over the world in front of him.

'' I don't know, Amelie.'' He hushed down, swallowing as her scent filled his
every sense, '' I just do foolish things sometimes.''

'' That's not fair.'' She shot back, still in his hold, '' You had months to tell me
about this, Theodore, and yet you blame it on—''

Amelie's veins ached as her mind circled the boy she was more than desperate to
forget about. The boy who told her to leave, and the boy who, without cause,
abandoned her when she needed him the most.

If she could go back, just a few months ago in time.

She would.

To where Draco never gave her much affection. To where she still remembered
her mother to be dead. To where she knew how to handle Adrian. To where she
and Teddy still had to sneak around.

But also, she knew that it was impossible, inevitable, to avoid the things that had
passed her,

She missed the feeling of the known. She missed the sense of familiarity as she
buried her nose into the chest she always sought comfort in.

'' And yet you blame it on Malfoy,'' Her words left in stutters, and even if he
didn't want to admit it. He reacted to the way she spoke his name.

She always said Draco, but not now,

Now the name dropped coldly off her tongue as if she needed to distance herself
from him, as if she wanted to deny everything that had happened between them.

'' But I wouldn't have it any other way.'' Amelie finished, holding her best friend
close,

The sun tickled his nose as he breathed her in, '' I am sorry, love. I am so sorry
for this. I really wanted to—''
'' It's alright, Teddy.'' She hewed him off, feeling his head heavy on hers. '' I
know why you did what you did, and I'm sorry you got dragged into this. I'm
sorry that he used you too.''

Theodore bent back, his hands on her shoulders as he held her steady, looking at
her as a confused look arose him.

'' He didn't... I mean, why would you say that?'' Theodore shrugged.

Her head tilted, '' Everyone uses everyone, it's just how it is, isn't it? That we
take what we want from someone and then leave them just a little more broken
than when we found them?''

A gasp fell his lips as his brows furrowed, '' Why would you say that?''

'' Because it's true, Teddy. Adrian wanted me for my bloodline. My father only
wished to hurt me. My mother is clearly alive and left me with the responsibility
of finding her when she needed me too, and Malfoy—''

She said Malfoy again.

'' He... He took what he needed, twice.''

She exhaled, deeply, almost as if she let all of that anger and sorrow she held for
him — out.

Her eyes flickered over his shoulder, and even if the words spoken hurt her, she
felt a flame of peace burning within because in all of this — all of this hurt the
people around her had put her through, she was still good.

She never gave in or gave up.

She never let the haunted mind of hers take over.

She was still here.

She stood, on a cliff, with the possibilities of ending it all, and she didn't.

All the hurt, all the pain, all the torture — it wasn't a loss.

It was a win.
She made it.

And even if she doubted herself to a point where she almost allowed the
darkness to seize her,

She was still here.

Her mother lying to her. Her father leaving her when he knew what would come
if he did. Draco using her for her memories. Adrian abusing her for as long as
she could remember.

It hurt. It really did.

She felt a shy smile arch in the corner of her mouth as her arms slipped around
Theodore's neck, placing her chin on his shoulder.

But it wasn't the end.

'' I love you, you know?'' Amelie whispered through the gust, '' In that, real
fairytale way.''

Theodore held her back, just as tight, looking out over the treetops, '' I know. I
love you even more.''

This was only the beginning.

This was her beginning.

_____
 Twenty-four

This chapter contains violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

'' I know we will.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

Day 12.

Twelve days I've been here now.

Twelve days of Teddy and me.

Twelve days of learning about myself in ways I didn't think would be possible.

Twelve days of a mixture of constant heartbreak and a glint of hope.

Twelve days of long walks in the forest, watching the sun from the kitchen
window as it rose in between the mountains, over laughter and a cup of tea with
my best friend.

Twelve days of thinking. Thinking about everything and nothing. Thinking about
my mother, my father, Adrian, Pansy, Hermione...

And Draco.

Twelve days of thinking about Draco.

I miss him, even if I do everything possible not to miss him,

I do.
I don't think I miss him as the person he lived to be. I miss the promises, the
closeness of another person who would never bring violence upon me, the
constant reassurance that I would be safe with him, and I was.

I was safe with him. No place had ever felt safer than being close to him, even if
he lied. I was safe.

But that is not the thing that hurts about missing him, missing the feeling he
brought me. The feeling that makes me want to cry every time my mind circles it.

The thing that makes my heart split in two is that he was safe with me, and he
knew that.

He had never felt much affection. He even said so himself.

'' I don't get those types of feelings.''

But he did. I think we both know he did, and I think that's why he told me to
leave, because at the end of the day,

He cared. He cared enough not to bring me into the darkness he mastered. He

cared enough to let me go.

But how am I supposed to let that go?

How am I supposed to let the person who carried out such a selfless act go?

Teddy asked me the other night if I fell in love with him. If I had grown to care
for Draco in ways I never saw coming,

And I don't think I did. I don't think I fell in love with him, and I don't think he
fell in love with me.

I think we needed each other. I think the both of us are broken in ways we could
never explain to each other, and I think that was what we needed.

Someone who understood the pain and the torture without ever having to explain
it.

But I don't know. I don't know anything anymore.

All I know is that he smelled like love, and it consumed me.

_____

'' What are you doing?'' Theodore placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, smiling
at her as he did, '' Are you writing on those napkins again? You know I can give
you a real note pad—''

'' No.'' Amelie cut him off, her head tilting to rest against the hand on her
shoulder, '' I had a notepad, but...'' She held.

The memory of the little pad resting underneath her mattress at the Malfoy
Manor made her veins ache. Her heart felt heavy as she once again thought
about the blonde boy.

'' I lost it, and I don't want a new one.''

Theodore nodded slowly as he watched the white napkin in front of her, '' When
you write on those, do you save them after, or do you throw them away?''

Amelie sighed, her eyes shut as she felt the evening sun slipping through the
cracks of the window warm her skin. '' I throw them away.'' She lied, knowing
that she didn't.

She saved them.

She saved every single one in that red little jewelry box underneath the bed, with
the hope that she one day can look back on them and remember how far she'd
come.

How much she had accomplished.

'' I throw them in the fireplace and let all my feelings burn along with them,''
Amelie said, smiling shyly for herself as her cheek stroked against his hand,
feeling the warmth he always brought her.

Theodore nodded again as he placed another hand around her, pulling himself
closer to her from behind. He leaned down, holding his best friend gently as she
looked out of the window in front of her.
'' Do you remember when you asked me if we would make it?'' Amelie smiled,
her eyes glinted as she folded the napkin, '' If we would be okay?''

Theo nodded, his head on top of hers, '' Of course, I do.'' He said, holding her
tighter, her hair felt soft against his skin, '' How could I ever forget?''

Amelie smiled again. The corner of her mouth twitched as she scrunched the
material of what he had written in between her fingers,

'' I think we will.'' She whispered, peering up to look at her best friend, '' I think
we will be alright, Teddy.''

He hummed at her, his arms around her entirely as he hugged her, '' I know we
will.''

Amelie hadn't felt at peace in a long time, but she did now.

Right here.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, looking out over the sunset as Theodore held
her close. That was all she needed right now. That was all she wished for.

She knew that everything around her would come to change. That everything she
believed she knew would not be known again,

That her mother was alive and that Amelie herself was the one carrying that
burden of a secret hidden within.

A secret that many souls were longing to get a hold of.

That her father had escaped in order to save himself from the punishment that
would come along with the secret of her mother's wellness.

She was exposed, threatened, and even if she was expected to be scared, to fear
the darkness she knew was coming,

She didn't.

She wasn't scared anymore because they couldn't possibly do anything to break
her more than she had already been broken before.
 _____

Draco Malfoy.

'' Where is she, you ask?'' Adrian spat, his hands tied together in a visionless
spell, '' You took her from me, remember? You tell me where she is."

Draco chuckled, his expression amused as he dragged the wooden chair over the
floor, making a horrifying sound as he did.

'' She's not your property, Pucey.'' Draco hissed, his hands clenched around the
timber as he stopped, right in front of the boy. '' She can't be taken, from
anybody, because she belongs to no one but herself.''

'' Is that so?'' Adrian smiled devilishly, '' Did she tell you about the vow?''

Draco swallowed quietly, not letting on any emotion as he slipped down onto the
chair, eyeing Adrian down.

'' She did.'' Draco lied, knowing that she didn't, but he knew.

He knew that something was keeping her from leaving Adrian. The bruises on
her body. The constant flinching in her muscles when someone caught her off
guard,

Amelie was always scared, and this made the last piece of his puzzle fit together.

Adrian scoffed as he leaned back against the stone-covered wall in the basement.
His head dropped to it as he breathed heavily.

'' Then you do know that she does belong to me,'' Adrian heaved, still catching
his breath from the torture Draco had put him through moments earlier,

'' There is no way out of a vow, Malfoy. Sure, you can fuck her, but you can
never—''

The shoe colliding with Adrian's ribs as Draco shot up from his seated position
made the boy fall to his side; a trail of coughs escaped his lips as he spat out
blood,
Draco took a boot back, hunching down on his seat again as he placed both of
his elbows on his knees,

'' That should teach you, never to talk about her in that way, ever again.'' Draco
endangered, the tone in his voice was dangerously cold,

'' I won't hesitate to kill you, Adrian.''

Adrian's hands pushed against the floor, allowing his aching body to lean against
the wall again, '' Yes, it will—''

Another cough left Adrian's throat as he sought to collect himself, '' If you take
my life, you take hers too.''

Draco's arms felt heavy on his knees as he thought about it, how true this must
be. She would die if he did, and he would die if she did.

This made Amelie, in his mind — even more exposed. That she one day could
take her own life knowing that she'll take the person haunting her with her.

She could end her own suffering, along with everyone else's, but what Amelie
didn't know was that she was his salvation.

Draco needed Amelie, and the thought of her being in harm's way made his
veins ice. The numbness found within sparked.

'' And that's not what you want, right, Malfoy?'' Adrian choked out, making the
blonde one face his provoking stare.

Draco sucked in a harsh breath as he forced the chair back, with one hand — he
slammed it into the wall next to Adrian, causing pieces of wood to spill
everywhere,

'' There you go,'' Adrian smiled, blood slipping the corner of his mouth, '' That's
the spirit, isn't it? Protecting someone who could never be yours.''

'' I don't need her, and I don't want her, Pucey.'' Draco lied, making his own
stomach twist in disgust at his words, ''This is about my family. I need her to
save them. So—''
Draco strode closer, kneeling down beside Adrian's weak body, '' I have kept you
here for weeks, and I will continue doing just that until you tell me where Nott
took her.''

Adrian looked straight through him, attempting to breathe through the pain of
the endless torture the blonde one had him go through, day in and day out,

'' I still don't understand why you want to—'' Adrian quieted down, looking
curiously at Draco as his mind caught being, '' You told her to leave, didn't you?''

His words made Draco visibly uncomfortable as he rose a dangerous brow,

swallowing the temper he was about to miss, '' I asked you a question, Pucey,
and I recommend that you answer it.''

Adrian let out a weak chuckle, almost an airy huff as he licked up the blood
flooding from the cut in his lip, '' How did you do that, Draco? Did you tell her
to leave? Did you lie to her? Oh—''

Adrian laughed again as he noticed the guilty look climbing onto Draco's face, ''
You lied to her, didn't you?''

'' That's none of your—'' Draco seethed, his teeth gritted as his fingers clenched
around the wand placed in his pocket,

'' But it is my business, when will you understand that? Here—'' Adrian propped
himself up, his hands still tied together as he swung his head to the side, making
the brown strands of sweaty hair off his forehead,

'' Let me tell you a little secret about Amelie. There is nothing you can say or do
to ever make her stop caring. She is loyal, more loyal than a person should have
the power to be.''

'' She doesn't care about herself, and that's why I chose her. Because she will do
whatever I want her to do, and she will be whomever I want her to be. That's the
beauty of manipulation mixed with magic, Malfoy—''

Draco swallowed as he felt his blood rising to boil,

'' Even if she cares for you, she will never be free of me, and you know what? I
hope you kill me. That way, she'll die too, and I don't ever have to see her
again.''

Adrian's head struck against the wall as Draco's hand flew to his throat, his
fingers squeezing into this skin,

'' Tell me where Theodore took her, you filthy disgrace.'' Draco shouted, his
voice echoed hoarsely throughout the basement, '' Tell me where he took her
right now, or I swear to god that I'll—''

'' Kill me?'' Adrian repeated himself, '' Please do.''

Draco's head shook, his lower lip sucked in between his teeth as he shot up
again, standing tall on his feet with Adrian still in a firm grip his hand,

The blonde one threw Adrian over the stone floor, making him whine out as he
slowly walked towards his struggling body,

'' I won't kill you, Adrian.'' Draco smirked, hauling his wand out of his pocket,

'' That would be too kind to someone like you.''

Adrian's eyes grew in fear even if he sought to hide it. His tied-up hands tried to
push him off the floor as he watched the light in Draco's eyes darken,

'' Now, where were we?'' Draco spat, raising his wand, '' Oh, right,
Sectumsempra.''

_____
 Twenty-five

_____

'' Draco was like the sound of rain.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

'' Why is that?'' She smiled as she stumbled over the roots embedded into the
soil, '' How come that after nearly ten years, you're still obsessed with that
book?''

Theodore shot her annoyed glare as his hand stretched into the air, holding some
branches out of the way for her to walk past him.

'' I don't know. I just like it.'' He hummed, taking a stride after her, '' Some things
just stick with you, you know? Even if you like it or not.''

Amelie smiled again. Her hand tucked into a glove brushed a strand of hair out
of her face. Her cheeks grew red by the minute of the late chilly autumn breeze,

'' Like you got stuck with me, you mean?'' She mocked him, her shoulder
nudging his,

Theo's eyes rolled, his mouth pushed into a firm line not to laugh at what she just
told,

'' Maybe.'' He taunted back, his arm slipped to intertwine with hers as they kept
walking through the woods towards a place they both cherished,

'' Do you smell that?'' Theodore smiled cheekily. His veins flushed in warmth as
he looked down at her, stumbling over the branches beside him,

'' Yes — it smells like rain, doesn't it?'' Amelie whispered as she remembered.
She nearly halted in her tracks, to breathe in the scent of this,

The trees, the leaves, and the feeling of rain coming to seize her senses — all in
a breathtaking fusion.

Theodore tilted his head, gazing down at his best friend, who stood almost
mesmerized by the surroundings. He noticed the hat on her head had slipped
down a little too far,

But he didn't bother telling her about it. She looked beautiful either way.

Her glove-covered hand reached up to her reddened nose, gently scratching it as

she looked back up at him.

'' It does smell like rain.'' He mumbled before placing a hand on her back,
gesturing for her to keep going.

'' Come on, we're almost there.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

His head was placed in his hands as he rested on the last steps of the stairs.

He wanted to give up. He had looked everywhere imaginable for her, and even if
he did what was right for her at the time when he asked her to leave,

He regretted it now.

Amelie would be so much safer with him. He knew that.

But nothing he did helped his urge to find her.

He had torn her room apart. He had ripped every book off its shelf, shredded
every page in two to see if there were any way she would've saved something —
something that could tell him where she could be hiding.

But once again, nothing.

Draco loved being in her room, even when she wasn't there. At night, when he
sought to sleep but the nightmares woke him up at the hour of twilight,

He usually walked into her room. He slid down next to the door, with his knees
hugged to his chest — in a way he knew she did.

And it brought him comfort, in all the unknown — it granted his haunted mind a
spare of peace.

It was a well-needed rest of his mind. The energy and the focus he had put into
searching Adrian's mind drained him. It took more of Draco than he would ever
let on because as he searched every memory Adrian had of her,

As he looked through every flash of light to find her, he watched everything

Adrian had put her through. Every word, every hard grip around her arm, every
shoe he forced into her chest, every vein in her skin that burst out of exhaustion,
every bruise, every cut,

Everything.

Everything a person shouldn't have to go through — she did, and that made his
need to find her even graver.

Draco didn't fully understand why he had such a desire to help her fix the broken
pieces of a puzzle within her, but he did.

He needed to help her, and in some unexplainable way — he believed her to

need him too.

Perhaps it was the task he knew about, where she was held more than exposed.

Where the dark lord was on a witch hunt for her mother, and Amelie was the
only human standing in his way.

It was almost time. The time where he was to see Voldemort again, where he
had no choice but to come with the answer the dark lord craved,

He needed his father, and his mother lacked him more — but those weeks of
holding Amelie here, in his home, made him realize that he could never do that
to her.
He could never give her up for the dark lord's pleasure, even if it meant that he
would lose his father.

She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve anything he had put her through, and
the anger with himself for coming to that realization too late caved his bones.

In some way, the dark lord would get to her; that was inevitable. She would have
to face the figure of darkness himself,

But Draco would make sure to be there when she did. To spare her every ounce
of harm that was coming her way.

He would always protect her. Even if he wasn't aware of doing it, he always
would.

The grey eyes flickered out of the basement, watching every stone of the floor
covered in blood before they settled on the boy,

The cruel, vile boy laying all crawled up in the corner of the room, exhausted of
the torture he had put him through.

'' You know—'' Draco rose as he pushed himself off the stair he rested on. '' This
could be much easier for you if you tell me where she is.''

Adrian signed out a huff that split in the hurt of his broken ribs, knowing that
pieces of bone endangered the air in his lungs every time he sought to speak.

'' I told you—'' Adrian hewed himself off with a weak cough, the wind escaping
his mouth brought blood to spill over the floor,

'' I don't know where she is.''

Draco felt his blood boiling, and the craving to kill the demon struggling on the
floor almost turned overwhelming — even if he knew he shouldn't.

It triggered him. I brought out more than the worst of him.

''Then again, Pucey. Tell me someone who might know.''

'' I don't—''
'' Oh, but you do. You do know someone. I saw it in your head. You're keeping
something from me, and I want to know what it—''

Draco's words faltered as they came to mind, as someone who knew where they
could be circled his head.

He felt a shy curl on his lips as he let out a provoking chuckle, '' Never mind.''
He mumbled, turning in his shoes to walk up the stairs,

He brushed a strand of blonde hair off his forehead, '' I'm confident that Mr. Nott
is willing to speak on this, more than you have been.''

The words fleeing his throat made Adrian shiver, knowing that the blonde boy
would leave to find what he'd been hiding,

Knowing that Draco would find Amelie before he did, and the reality of Draco
knowing where she was, meant that he had no use in keeping him here anymore.

_____

Amelie Avery.

'' It's just how I remembered,'' Amelie whispered to herself as they stepped out
on the overgrown beach.

Masses of grass now covered the sand they used to play in as children; the trees
that held no more than an inch taller than them years ago — had now grown
majestic.

Theodore walked over the treeline, out on the sand mixed with grass as he turned
around to look at her, and she couldn't do anything but smile at the boy in front
of her,

In remembrance of how they used to play here all summer long before life got
complicated, messy.

They used to sneak out of the cabin, just as dawn climbed the mountain tops
before anyone else was awake — and they sprinted their way down through the
woods, in nothing but their nightclothes, not even with shoes on their feet.
And they loved it. Every single second of it.

They loved making sandcastles. They loved putting the tips of their toes in the
cold water as the sunrise welcomed a new day,

Amelie smiled again, her head tilted as her teeth showed. She loved it here.

'' Do you think the water is as cold as it used to be?'' Theodore shouted from
further away. The heavy strokes of wind muffled his vocals,

He felt proud of himself for making her smile. That was the only reason why he
took her here, to a place he knew she cherished.

She hadn't smiled much in the weeks they had spent together here, and he knew
their time together in peace without another soul bothering them was about to
run out,

He had to make the most of it. He had to.

Her head shook as she strolled after him, her shoes slightly sunk into the sand as
she came closer to the shoreline. Amelie sat down, her knees all drawn up to her
chest, in a way she always sat,

She watched Theodore as he pulled his glove off before carefully dipping his
finger into the blue, darkened water,

He made a freezing sound, his shoulders tensed, his figure lightly shook as his
teeth clasped together.

'' It's definitely just as cold.'' He muttered to himself before staking up to her,
slipping down on the grass,

Theodore's eyes flickered up to hers with the hope that she had paid attention to
what he was saying, but she wasn't.

Amelie never paid much attention to him anymore — he noticed.

Not that it bothered him. They had spent weeks together, and a person can only
take so much of another,
But this was different. Amelie was different.

She was here, with him, yet her mind was far, far away — someplace where he
could never go,

And deeply in his kind mind, he knew who she was thinking of, even if she
never said it.

Theodore didn't want to push her, he didn't want to bother the calmness he
believed she found herself in, yet he sought to think that she needed to talk about
it,

To not bury her thoughts, to not go through her pain alone.

'' Do you—'' Theo rose, his head tipped to look at her, to watch as her head spun
around to match his.

He swallowed, the crease in between his eyebrows scrunched together, '' Do you
think of him?''

'' Of who?'' She nearly whispered, even if she knew who he was talking about.
Amelie didn't want it to seem obvious. She almost felt ashamed that he asked her
such a question,

'' Malfoy.'' He puffed out, his hands placed behind him for support as he stared
out over the lake,

Amelie did the exact same thing. She looked out over the water in front of her,

"Sometimes.'' She whispered again, '' And sometimes not.''

'' He really hurt you, didn't he?''

She swallowed, and a gentle nod made a strand of hair fall over her shoulder, ''
In some ways, he did, and in other ways, he didn't.''

'' What do you mean about that? That in some ways he did, and in other ways he
didn't?'' Theodore met her eyes, watching how her lips pushed into a firm line,
how she sought to hide the emotion inside of her,
'' Draco was...'' Amelie held her chin on her arms that hugged around her knees
as she watched the world before her,

'' He was kind to me, not in a way you would've expected from someone with his
reputation, but he was, and even if it was all an act at times, it still felt real. You
know, like he meant it?''

Theodore nodded,

'' I don't know. It just... It felt safe with him.'' She sighed, burying her chin
deeper in between her crossed arms. She felt the air tug at her cheeks, making
them flush in color,

'' Draco was like the sound of rain. It comforts you when you are in need of it but
still soaks you with all of its sorrows when you're not. You could listen to it all
night, but despise it in the light of day, and you—''

Amelie swallowed the lump she felt growing in the back of her throat as
Theodore's eyes stayed on her,

'' And you miss it terribly when it's not raining anymore.''

Even if this was hard for her, talking about Draco in the way she did — she
couldn't help but smile at the thought of him,

'' He was my favorite feeling on my bad days, and I think I... I think I was all of
his good days.''

Theodore kept looking at her, his sight was soft, sympathetic, but he didn't say a
word. He let her speak her mind in a place he knew she was safe.

The thunder echoing over the mountains made her shiver as she held herself
tighter, her eyes fell gently over the heavy clouds storming closer,

'' But that's the thing about rain, isn't it? Eventually, it stops pouring.'' She smiled
again, holding onto the little piece of bravery left inside of her,

'' And god... I miss the sound of rain.''

_____
 Twenty-six

_____

'' What brings you here?''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

He didn't want to do this; he didn't want to do any of this. The thought of

questioning Theodore's father was cruel, it hurt him in ways not imaginable, but
he had to.

He had to find her. He had driven her away. He made her go, and he felt the
weighty responsibility of bringing her back,

She wasn't safe. Her mind wasn't safe.

The truth of her mother still being alive threatened the girl he refused to believe
he cared for so deeply.

No one ever understood why — why her mother's wellness mattered to the dark
lord, but Draco, he did.

A chilly night, before his fate to enter Amelie's life was decided, he had
overheard the dark lord in a heated conversation with his father, where they
discussed the matter of her mother still being alive,

The dark lord is a man, who is buried so deep within the darkness — who is so
ruthless in his mind — sadistic, wicked to the point that even one person, one
single person fleeing the life he had planned for them to live, caused him to
retaliate,

The dark lord was fooled the night he had gotten the news of Amelie's mother's
death, and somewhere inside that twisted, wrecked mind of his, he knew — he
held the truth of her still being here,

She was alive, and the fact that she carried a piece of his soul with her — made
him furious.

Not many things in this life — in this world scared Voldemort, but the fact that
Amelie's mother left with a piece that could be the end of his cruel ruling made
the dark lord vicious.

And with Amelie's father's escape from under his deviant throne was testimony
enough for him to realize that he was right all along,

The vengeance he was destined to seek for her doing such an unruly act — was
grave, more than it.

He planned to hunt her mother and the happiness she had found in hiding, to the
end of the earth if he was in need to. He would never give up.

The dark lord never gives up.

Draco held the reality of that, and perhaps that was why he was so scared, so
intimidated by the thought of Amelie not being safe, all because he knew that
Voldemort is capable of the most unforgivable acts, and he would use his dark
magic on her, every chance he could get,

His mind was clouded as he stormed up the stairs — it must have been
somewhere he hadn't looked yet,

Someplace where she kept something from him. He even tried to search her
wand, in attempts to find her through her magic, but it was impossible —
because he never got the chance to give it back to her, it rested on his nightstand,

Almost as if he believed that a part of her was with him through it — that she in
some way were safer with him holding on to her wand,

And it granted him some peace in the unknown. It comforted him, the thought of
her being just an inch safer than she was before.

With his own wand firmly clenched in between his fingertips, he twitched his
wrist, mumbling the words apparate to himself,
And in the swifts of moves, he stood safely in front of the Nott residence.

Draco felt guilty being here. He felt ashamed, knowing that he would be able to
do anything towards Theodore's father if he didn't reveal what he wanted to hear.

If he didn't speak of where Theodore had taken her.

With another swift of his wand, the door to his friend's childhood home flung
open, and Draco's steps over the wooden deck scored severely.

'' What is this—'' Mr. Nott mumbled, the newspaper in his hand annoyingly tore
from his eyes as he stumbled out in the doorway.

He looked around, hoping to catch whatever it was that made the door rip open,
but nothing — from his point of view, the entrance was as empty and deserted as
he had left it hours before.

But what Mr. Nott had no clue off was that a tall, blonde-haired boy, dressed in
his all-black suit — stood lurking behind the wall leading to the living room,

Draco couldn't expose himself just yet, even if he — weeks ago, had established
that Amelie wasn't to be found here, he couldn't be too certain.

His ears on edge as he shut his eyes closed, trying to listen if there was possible
for another person to be here, and even if the light of hope burning within him
went out years ago before any of this had the chance to occur,

The thought of Amelie was similar to a match, a heavenly glimpse of hope that
could torch a fire within the walls of his own hell.

The grey eyes flayed open in the consciousness of her still not being here, of his
mind holding so worn out of exhaustion that it is intended to play tricks on him.

He took a step over the wood, meeting the doomed eyes of Theodore's father,
and as he did — as he watched the green eyes flicker in confusion as to why he
was standing there, in a living room that was supposed to be empty,

He saw a glint of fear in a brave fusion with hope — the hope of Draco being
able to tell him where his son had fled,
Mr. Nott straightened his spine. His head dipped in a swift nod as he greeted the
blonde one who was already standing in his home,

'' Malfoy.'' Mr. Nott quietly spoke, his hand gestured towards the kitchen for
Draco to join him as he walked across the room,

Theodore's father pulled out a chair, flopping onto it as his elbows slammed the
glass table. He let out a sigh of frustration before his hand tilted, pointing over
the table to the vacant seat,

Draco met his gesture kindly — like the well raised, mannered boy his parents
taught him to be, he did what Mr. Nott had urged.

He slipped down onto the chair, staring emptily at the man in front of him.

'' What brings you here, Draco?''

But Draco stayed quiet. Not speaking a term as he looked around the room, how
small it felt to what he was used to, how friendly and greeting it felt to be in such
an environment as simple as this one.

The ticking clock caught his attention for a brief second — and even if it was a
slight moment, it took him back to the night in the library.

The night he had been given a chance to feel her, touch her, and kiss her.

And he did.

He explored the sweet taste of purity falling off her lips as she kissed him. He
felt the softness of her skin soothe against the palms of his hands in the most
tender way. How the tips of her fingers gently stroked against the silken strands
of his hair.

He breathed the scent of her in. That sugared, unchained wind of freshly cut
flowers and light pouring rain filled every sense he had,

And as his eyes flayed open to face the truth of her still not being here — he
could feel a slight drop in his chest. It was a strange feeling, an unfamiliar one,
but it hurt. It iced his veins in an aching sensation,
Theodore's father cleared his throat to Draco's silence, and it made the boy
became unfoggy of his haunting thoughts.

'' I—'' Draco mumbled, swallowing the pain he felt stinging in the back of his
throat, '' I have some questions about your son—''

The look Mr. Nott gave him threw him off his terms before he quickly sought to
gather the missing words and the confidence this would take,

'' About Theodore.'' Draco corrected himself politely in an attempt to show

respect,

Mr. Nott's head fell and rose in a hastened move, similar to a bow for Draco to
keep talking.

'' It has come to my... attention that Theodore and Amelie are nowhere to be
found, and the reason to why I am here on such an unaccountable matter is to see
if you have any idea to where they could be.''

Theodore's father nodded slowly as the mention of his son shredded within.
Theo never told his father that he was leaving — not that he had any time to do
so, but he couldn't help but be mad at his son,

Because no matter how complicated life turned to be, both Theodore and his
father always communicated. They were in many ways inseparable, and the
betrayal for Theodore to leave without even a word hurt him.

Mr. Nott cleared his throat, and only that sound made Draco aware that he didn't.
He didn't know.

The tone leaving his tongue shredded in pain — in suffering,

'' I don't.'' Theodore's father sternly spoke, his fingers intertwined in nervosity, ''
What makes you believe that I would know where they are?''

'' Theodore.'' Draco answered, his jaws gritted as he rose his chin, looking at the
man in pain, '' He always confide in you.''

'' Well—'' The man huffed as a fallen look beat his temples, '' He used to, but I
suppose things change with age, Draco. You'll learn about it when you have
children of your own someday.''

Draco gulped at the statement Mr. Nott had made. He felt a wave of ache tear his
vessels as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat,

'' But if you don't mind me asking...'' Theodore's father held his breath, his eyes
studying Draco's as he sought to avoid the fatherly stare,

'' Why are you looking for them? And don't get me wrong, Draco, but you were
the last person I would believe to come looking for them.''

Draco gulped again.

'' When I realized that Theodore left — I believed that Adrian would find his
way here, not you.''

The burning light of anger flickered through Draco's eyes at the mention of
Adrian, and he did everything in his power to hide it,

But the second the thought of Adrian stung his mind — so did Amelie.

The scent of her once again clouded his whole being, and in that moment of
malice, it soothed him.

Draco swallowed, his eyes frustratingly tore from the man,

'' I guess your son doesn't tell you everything, after all. Thank you for your
hospitality, but I have to be somewhere. '' Draco mumbled as he forced his chair
back before politely putting it back, and just as he was about to walk out of the
room,

'' Draco—'' Mr. Nott kindly called out for him, '' I know that my son is keeping
secrets, and that is what a child is meant to do, and I can see that you have your
fair share of secrets torturing you.''

The blonde stopped, his hand placed on the door-post as he tilted his head to the
side, peering over his shoulder to listen,

'' Amelie is a sweet, caring girl, Draco, and it would be devastating to see her get
hurt in any of you Malfoy men's doings...''
He quieted down, both of them still with their backs facing each other.

'' But I wouldn't put it past you not to look under her bed.''

The words leaving Mr. Nott's mouth made Draco freeze, a trail of chills erupted
his spine as his eyebrows frowned,

''As I said, Amelie is a sweet, caring girl, Draco, and I believe that she could use
someone on her side, besides — her hiding her things underneath her mattress,
and Theodore snooping around to find them, wasn't a rare thing.''

Draco turned around in his shoes, eyeing the back of Theodore's father down as
he felt the knot in his throat swell,

'' Take care of yourself, Draco, and please — do me a favor and keep an eye out
for the both of them.''

_____

Draco slammed the door to her room shut, the harsh sound of wood colliding
scored loudly throughout the walls,

His eyes fell over her bed, and he hesitated.

He faltered as he felt a sinking feeling of doubt waver within.

Draco didn't want to do this, he didn't want to overstep her privacy, yet he
couldn't keep himself from doing so because he needed to find them,

He needed to keep her safe.

Draco fell to his knees as his hands tucked underneath the soft fabric of her
sheets, and the slight puffs of wind — that kept hitting his face as the covers
sunk back into the mattress made his heart ache,

The scent that traveled by air scoring softly against his skin felt like home — it
scented just as Amelie did the night she found him, deeply haunted in a
nightmare,

The night he was allowed to kiss her again. The night he told her to leave.
His head shook at the memory, his hands kept searching for something to tell
him where she could be, and just as he was about to give up,

Just as he was about to break every piece of furniture in this room out of defeat
— the tip of his fingers rubbed against something,

He jolted up on his feet, ripping the covers off the bed, and there it was —
bounded in what looked like a little book,

He grabbed it, studying the plain cover before he unfolded the sheets and
hunched down to rest on the edge of her bed,

His elbows placed on his knees, his chest felt heavy, and with a harsh breath
sucked in through his teeth, his eyes hewed over the first page,

Day 4.

I heard him again last night...

_____
 Twenty-seven

_____

'' Let's get to work.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

With her knees drawn up to her chest, her hat pulled down over her forehead —
she hugged herself on the porch like she always does when her mind is
somewhere else.

She was thinking about everything she had been trying to escape, her mind
clouded by every thought she did anything possible to flee.

Her head tilted, watching the forest in front of her, and she couldn't help but
shyly smile at herself, how calm — easy everything had been these last few
weeks.

She was held in the dark. She knew that.

She knew that Theodore was keeping things from her, and she didn't want to
bother him with it, even if it was bothering her.

Amelie didn't want to cause trouble, to be a burden to her best friend.

So she remained there, on the porch in the complete depth of her thoughts.

'' May I join you?'' Theodore caught her attention, making her head snap to
where he was standing.

She smiled, a courageous, kind smile as she nodded, '' Of course.''

He forced himself off the doorway he was leaning against, taking long strides up
to her before he slipped down to the bench next to her.

Theo stared out over the yard, over the trees and the mountains showing behind
them, just like she had done a minute ago,

She looked at him, at the kind-hearted boy she had loved for most of her life.
The chilly strokes of wind made his cheeks flush in color, spreading light-pink
stains of warmth upon his skin,

Amelie always looked at him like this. She still noted the tiny details of him
when he didn't notice — she used to peer up at him, smiling for herself how
tender he looked and was.

'' I was thinking about something.'' Theodore broke the silence. His head tipped
to the side to face her,

'' You were thinking about what?'' She shoved herself closer to him; her shoulder
pressed to his,

Theo huffed, almost as if he was hesitating before he nervously began to fiddle

with his fingers,'' I was thinking about your mother.''

Her eyes fell from his. Her head dipped down as she stared at her hands.

She didn't say anything back; for moments, she remained quiet to his question —
but still stayed close to him.

'' And I was thinking about Adrian...''

Her head shot up, her brows furrowed as she eyed her friend down, '' Why are
you thinking about Adrian?''

Her question made him nervous. His eyes flickered all over her features before
catching her eyes again, '' I wasn't—''

'' It's just that we need to do something, Amelie. We have been here for weeks,
and we haven't done anything to try—''

'' To try what?'' She hewed him off with a frown. '' What can we do, Teddy?
With Adrian — there is nothing to be done. You can't break the unbreakable
vow. You just can't, and you of all people know this; why are you bringing this
up?''

She didn't mean to be rude to him, and the fallen look on his temples made her
heart ache.

'' I wasn't trying to—'' He quieted down, sighing loudly, '' You didn't even let me
finish. May I speak, and when I'm done — then you can yell at me?''

Even in a conflict like this one, where she was supposed to be annoyed —
frustrated with the way he was acting, she couldn't help but to playfully roll her
eyes at her best friend.

'' Then speak,'' Amelie muttered, her arms crossed over her chest.

Theodore sighed again, '' I was just thinking about what we can do — what we
can try. I just feel so useless. It's like I can't do anything for you. All I do is keep
you here when I really want to help you.''

Amelie swallowed at that because he did. He always helped her, even when she
wasn't in need to — he always rescued her.

And the truth that he didn't think he did, made her eyes pool, small drips of
liquid stung the corner of her eyes,

'' But you do, Teddy. You do help me.''

His head shook, nearly as if he was disappointed with himself — angry, '' But I
don't, Amelie. I feel like this is all my fault. If I just hadn't made you choose,
maybe we could've—''

'' Stop,'' Amelie whispered,

'' Then maybe we could've figured this out, then perhaps Malfoy had been able to
search your mind, and—''

'' Stop it,'' She whispered again,

'' And all of this would've been easier. I mean if we had stayed with Draco—''
'' If we had stayed with him, he would've made me leave in one way or another.''
She finally called out. The seriousness in her tone scored thunderously through
the crowns of the trees,

'' I know you want to help me, Teddy, and I adore you for that — I really do. But
he asked us to leave. He told me to go with you, and I know he did that to keep
me safe — I know...'' Her tongue halted as her chin rose,

'' But it's been three weeks, Teddy, and he hasn't come looking for me. I just
thought—''

The bravery she held within missed her as she stared out over the autumn
elements and the worn leaves falling off the crowns of the trees caught her
attention,

'' I thought he would, that's all. I hoped he would look for me.''

The valiant curl on her lips fell into a grievous line, '' I wished he would've come
looking for me.''

Her tells left in an airy, slightly breaking note, '' He used to look for me, Teddy,
every time I was in need — he would find me. Why didn't he do that now?''

Theodore's insides crumbled at her words. His heart suffered its beat for a brief
moment because he watched the sun stroke against her skin, revealing the tears
prickling in the quarter of her eyes,

'' You don't know that, besides, no one knows about this place, even if he was
out there, looking for you. I highly doubt that he would find us here.'' Theo
sought to comfort her as he placed a warm arm around her shoulders.

'' I'm sure he's waiting for you, Amelie. I mean, as you said — he wanted to keep
you safe, why would he do that if he didn't—''

'' I don't know.'' She whispered, nearly holding her breath, not to let out the
whimper she felt growing in the back of her throat, '' I really don't know.''

Theodore kept his eyes on her, holding her tightly in the bitter wind, '' Don't you
worry, love. I'm sure he's looking for you.''
All she wanted to believe was that it was true. That he was looking for her, that
he was searching to find her — even if she was safe, she needed him.

She needed the calm safety he brought.

'' I do.'' Theodore smiled as he peered down at her, '' I do know that he's looking
for you. I truly think he is, love.''

And maybe he was, perhaps he wasn't.

It didn't matter to her because it didn't change how she felt.

Her heart still fluttered at the mere thought of Draco. Her blood flushed in
warmth as she remembered how he treated her.

How he was gentle — kind.

Flashback to a night in the Malfoy Manor,

She was seated in the chair he had put out for her in the deserted room, and she
was ready for another session of him searching the memories he believed she
kept hidden from him.

" Are you ready?" Draco mumbled with his wand firmly hugged in his hand,

Amelie nodded. She wished to do anything she could to help him — even if this
was draining her of everything,

" And you remember your safe word?" He asked her as he took a shoe closer.

" Blue."

Draco bowed his head, his shoulders tensed underneath the black suit jacket, "
Then remember to use it if you have to."

She nodded again, and she kept her breath steady to gather the strength for what
she knew would come.

The tips of her fingers tensed around the wood of the armrests, her nails dug into
it.
'' Legilimens'' Draco spoke, making the bright light fume around her,

Amelie closed her eyes as her whole body tightened,

'' Does it feel right?'' Draco questioned her as he kept her eyes on her trembling
figure,

'' It does.''

Her head clouded as he tried to break the walls around her haunted memories
down, but what Draco didn't know was the fact that when he searched her mind
— she could watch his.

And that tended to be the most painful part of this — not that he searched her
head, but that she was allowed a piece of his.

Amelie sought to focus on the echoes in her own mind. The calling of her mother
and father, the cursed relationship she had with Adrian, but nothing.

All she was able to see was his.

She watched as he raised his wand towards people before shouting the most
unforgivable spell. She looked as he used the darkest of magic to harm other
souls, all to prove himself to his father and the dark lord.

'' Amelie—'' Draco said, soothingly, in need to give her comfort, '' Think about
your mother, Amelie.''

And she tried to. She truly did.

But all she could see was his mother — as he hugged her, as he held his mother
close.

His mother meant the world to him. She lived to be the only person he honestly
trusted more than anyone.

Her eyes flickered behind her eyelids as she spun around in the darkened room
her mind was kept in.

She watched as Draco lowered his wand, away from a man seated in a chair,
Amelie flinched back at the voices she heard in her head, at the image of
Voldemort approaching Draco.

'' Draco—'' Amelie whispered, all consumed in the memory she was seeing,

Voldemort patted his shoulder before giving it a gentle squeeze. He told Draco
how good he had been doing, how talented he was interrogating people.

But as she watched Draco's memory, she could also see how terrified he was —
how extremely frightened and scared he was of the dark lord.

'' Amelie, please.'' Draco mumbled from in front of her, '' Think about your
mother.''

She nodded, but her mind stayed in the memory. She couldn't let it go — it kept
her chained.

Voldemort stepped up to the man bounded in the chair before he gestured for
Draco to join him, and he did. He walked up to them while holding his breath,

The dark lord whispered into Draco's ear, something Amelie couldn't hear, and
with those words — Draco rose his wand towards the faceless man still tied to
his seat,

Amelie felt her blood ice, her eyes squeezing shut harder, '' Draco. I don't want
to do this anymore.'' She whispered, clenching her fingers around the wood,

'' Amelie, focus on your mother. Focus on her and let me in.'' Draco said again,

But she had no strength to do so. She still looked at the image of Draco holding
his wand up against the man,

Amelie knew what she was about to witness, even if it was just a memory in
Draco's head — her body shook, her breaths hitched — she was scared.

'' Draco, no, no, no.'' Amelie whimpered, and she tried to force her eyes open.
She wanted to end this. She didn't want to see what he was about to do.

'' The safe word, Amelie,'' Draco grumbled, and she felt his hand on hers — yet
her mind refused to let her go.
She still watched as Draco's wand was held close to the man, his fingers
shakingly grasped around the timber,

'' Draco, stop!'' She screamed out as her hand grabbed his, '' Draco, please,
please stop.''

'' The safe word, Amelie.'' His voice almost cracked in desperation.

He needed her to say it. He couldn't break the magic he held her in if she didn't
utter the word they had agreed on.

Draco wasn't aware of what Amelie saw. He simply believed that she was
thinking about her mother, that all of the memories of her was too much,

But in reality, Amelie watched Draco's haunted mind — the form of Draco in her
head took a step back, aiming his wand entirely at the man, and just as he was
about to shout the deadliest of spells,

'' BLUE,'' Amelie heaved, breaking free of the thought she was kept in, '' Blue,
blue, blue,''

'' Finite,'' Draco shouted, allowing the bright swirl of light off her as she
completely collapsed into the chair,

Her body trembled as her skin was covered in a thin layer of sweat, her eyelids
felt more than heavy, and that simple memory of Draco harming someone almost
took her out,

She didn't even wince by Draco's hands wrapping around her, lifting her up
before placing himself in the chair, with her on his lap.

He held her closely, hugging her into his chest to calm her down — to give her
exhausted mind some ease.

'' Sweetheart,'' Draco whispered into her hair, moving a large hand to stroke the
tear rolling down her cheek — away, '' You're safe now, Amelie.''

Her breaths were ragged, her heart was beating out of control within the cage of
her chest,
'' Draco—''

'' Shhh...'' He whispered again, '' It's alright, just breathe.''

" You're always safe with me, Amelie."

And she was. Her head fell against his chest as she dragged her knees up, fully
giving herself to the boy holding her.

This was a painful moment for her as she realized what Draco had done in his
past. That cruel, vicious act that he was capable of should be the cue for a sane
person to leave — to not get more involved in the darkness she knew surrounded
him,

But not for Amelie.

She felt his pain. She felt the weight of his heavy heart, and all she wanted to do
— was to fix it.

_____

Her head shook at the remembrance of that night and how she missed being held
in his protective arms. Even if she knew that it was real — that she was allowed
to enter his mind when he searched hers,

It didn't feel real. It felt more than far away to her.

It felt to her as if she was falling in love with a memory.

She tried to keep her mind in check, to not let it flee to the blonde boy her skin
craved, but it hurt.

It truly did.

Because it was always her, waiting for him.

Amelie forced herself off the bench, taking strides over the wooden deck, '' Let's
not talk about him anymore." She smiled, heroically,

'' But what about my mother?'' Amelie kept her smile as she jumped down the
stairs, strolling over the gravel-covered ground,
'' You said that you were thinking about my mother?''

She bent down as she picked the book she had left on the dried-up grass before
walking closer to her best friend again.

'' I did—'' Theodore said, placing his hand in his lap as he fiddled with the edge
of his shirt, '' I mean, I wanted to ask you how you were doing with that.''

'' With what?'' She stepped up the stairs again, looking curiously at Theo, '' With
my mother?''

'' Yes—'' He held, watching as she slipped down next to him again, '' You haven't
said anything about your mother.''

With the book firmly hugged to her chest, she looked up at him, '' What is there
to say? She's alive. She's alive, and she left me when she knew what my father
was capable of.''

Amelie was never the one to hold a grudge. She wasn't the one to be angry — to
keep hate towards another soul, but she did now.

She couldn't in a million years understand why her mother had left her in the
way she did; why she would leave her daughter with the monster, her father
tended to be.

And Amelie was livid with that — that her mother had abandoned her in her
gravest time in need.

But as the faithful, humane soul Amelie lived to be, there was still a glimpse of
hope burning within.

A little dream that she had a reason for leaving, that her mother didn't abandon
her without cause.

'' But Amelie—'' Theo called out for her, sinking down in his position to rest his
head on her shoulder, '' I know this is hard for you, but I think we need to find
out why she left. I think we need to figure all of this out before we jump to any
conclusions.''

And how right he was. He was more than right.

She should be able to give her mother the benefit of the doubt and not level her
with the thoughts of loath she held.

'' How are we supposed to do that?'' Amelie asked her friend, '' How are we
supposed to find anything — I can't search minds, and neither can you. Only
Draco was able to do that.''

A timid smile grew upon his lips as he jolted off his chair, '' No, but I have my
herbs, and we have magic, Amelie.''

'' But I don't have my wand. Draco still has it.'' Amelie's sight fell over his best
friend before hitting the ground, and once again, she felt hopeless in such a
doing,

'' You don't need your wand, love. Take mine.'' Theodore stretched his hand for
her to take, sending her a trustful look as he almost started to chuckle at the sight
of her hat — how it nearly hung in her eyes at this point,

'' Are you sure about this?'' She asked him again, holding her breath as the
evening sun lowered between the mountain tops, '' I mean — do you think this
might work?''

'' We need to find your mother before anyone else does, Amelie.''

He was more than happy to finally being able to use his talent within healing to
try and help the girl before him, as she looked at him with a glance of hope in
her eyes.

This was the first time she had looked hopeful in days,

'' We need to at least try, don't you think?'' Theodore mumbled, still with his
hand reaching out in the air,

'' We do.'' Amelie nodded, taking his hand as he pulled her after him — into the
warmth safety of the cabin,

'' Then let's get to work.''

_____
 Twenty-eight

_____

'' You're always safe with me.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

His eyes prickled in tears as he looked down at the bounded piece of paper. He
wasn't sure if he was ready for this, to violate Amelie's privacy, to read the
thoughts she had of him as he kept her locked in this room.

He was remorseful. He regretted the truth of him treating her so badly — that he
had made her scared of him.

The scenarios in his head flickered in all the different ways he could've handled
it — how differently he could've handled her.

Still, she always came to his rescue. Even if she held a feeling of fright for him
and everything he had done, she would still be here,

His eyes fell over the first page as he pushed himself off the bed, taking long
strides up to the wall she used to slip down against,

He did the same thing. He slipped down the wall, next to the door, before
dragging his knees up to his chest,

His arms were held tightly around his legs as he sucked in a harsh breath to see
all the vicious things she thought about him.

Day 4.

I heard him again last night.

I heard him scream and shout in the middle of the night. It woke me up just like
the last time.

I feel like it's nightmares, similar to the ones I have,

The kind that wakes you up with a gasp. The kind that makes your chest feel so
heavy. The kind that makes you sweat out of fear. The worst kind.

He locked me in here.

He lied to me. He broke my trust, and still, all I want to do is help him, just like
my mother helped me.

I want to pull him into my arms, have his head on my chest as I hum into his
skin,

I think that would help him. I think he would feel better with himself if he let me
do that, and I wanted to ask him too. I really did, but he doesn't speak to me.

I feel like I had done something wrong like he's mad at me for some reason when
all I honestly wanted to do was to get to know him,

To help ease his pain in the same way he eased mine.

_____

Draco looked up from the pages, from the words she had written, and he felt his
blood fume.

His insides wrenched as he sought to swallow the pain.

He felt guilty, at fault for all of this.

How could he be so heartless, so cruel to someone so pure?

Even when he hurt her, when she realized that he had lied to her, when he kept
her locked up against her will — she still wanted to help him, to save him from
himself.

Draco's head tilted back to the wall, and a loud noise came after it as he slammed
the back of his head against it again.
He was mad — furious with himself as he groaned at the pain flashing within his
mind.

But he needed to keep going. He needed to find Amelie and to fix all of the
mistakes ha had brought upon her.

Flashback to a night in the Malfoy Manor.

Draco tossed and turned in his bed as he tried to comfort himself back to sleep.
He had woken up by her screaming again.

She screamed a lot in her sleep, and every time she did — he wanted to relieve
her. He needed to ease her pain,

But he couldn't.

He refused to touch her without her consent. He didn't want to do that to her. He
didn't want her to feel another person's hands on her that she didn't wish for.

She had been through enough — she had felt unwanted touches on her, beasts
praying on her pure skin, and he would never supply to that.

Draco shoved his hand underneath his pillow, pressing it hard against his ear as
he pulled his cover over his head — all to not hear her whimper at the dreams
flooding through her mind as she slept,

This night was different. She usually woke up or calmed herself after a few
minutes — but not now.

Now she kept on screaming, almost as if she believed to be hurt in reality and
not in the world of imagination.

He flinched. His face was twisted. His insides wrenched at the sound of her
broken tones — her voice kept cracking in torture.

This was torture — to him, this was worse than anything he had ever gone
through. To hear her hurt but not have the strength to help her.

Another heart-wrenching shout left her lips as he shot up from his bed, and in
nothing more than his night-pants, he stormed out of his room in the direction of
hers.

With his wand in his hand, he twitched his wrist, making the door click open —
and he shoved it wide, carefully so she wouldn't wake up,

And there she was — shaking in her sleep, her whole body trembled as he
silently stepped closer to the bed,

Amelie looked so at peace yet so haunted.

Her hair spilled graciously over her shoulder as her chest rose and fell violently
beneath the white sheets — he couldn't drag his eyes off of her.

He watched her for minutes as drops of sweat rolled down her forehead, as her
breaths lightly ragged in her throat, and her skin shivered.

He wanted to hold her. He wanted to calm her down — to ease her pain.

But he didn't dare to. The situation he found himself in scared him as much as
her nightmares frightened her.

She whimpered yet again, and he couldn't do anything — he had to help her.

He gently lifted the end of her cover before slowly slipping under the sheets, but
the instant his cold touch rubbed against her warm skin — he froze.

He didn't move a muscle. He simply laid there, next to her, on complete edge to
what he was supposed to do next.

Amelie shifted in her position, her head fell to the side as her body followed, and
in her unconscious state, she buried her face into his chest,

Draco stared down at her through the moonlight in a fusion of fright and hush.

Her breaths fanned against his pale skin, her nose softly stroke against it, and he
found himself not regretting this scenario.

He realized that by this effortless, chain-free touch he brought her — she had
stopped crying, and it felt good.

It felt soothing as he pushed an arm underneath her neck, against the little area
between her shoulders and the pillow she rested on, and he smoothly pulled her
inches closer to him,

Draco dragged her in, right to where he needed her, closing the longing space of
pain between them as his chin rested on her head,

" You're always safe with me, Amelie." He whispered into her hair.

His eyes sealed, his breaths steady. He knew that he had to sneak out of there
before her mind clocked back to being — before she woke up,

But he felt as if he could do this again, as if he could get used to this, to feel her
skin on his, her breaths against his chest as she rested heavily,

She was safe here, and even in her sleep — she knew that.

_____

Day 5.

He let me hold him yesterday, even if it only was for a short moment.

It felt good, doing something good for someone and not just sitting here doing
nothing.

Even if he got mad at me again. It was worth it because somewhere deep down
under all that hate and pain I recognize,

The kind, gentle boy, still lives, and I hope to see him again,

He didn't even come to give me my meals today. He stayed clear of me and let
the house-elves take care of that,

I talked to this little house-elf, he was similar to the elf that lived with us at
home, and the kind manners of him reminded me of my best friend,

Teddy.

I miss Theodore.

I miss my Teddy so much that I might break. I had never been apart from him
more than a day or two before, but this.

This was torture.

Missing him was worse than being locked in here.

All I want to do is to bury my head in his warm chest and feel his arms around
me.

I want him to tell me what to do because I don't know anything anymore.

I am supposed to be in school. I am supposed to be with Adrian and sneaking

around with Teddy. I'm not supposed to be here. I don't want to be here.

_____

It was as if his heart had been torn in two.

She hated him, at least that's what he believed. That she hated him.

Draco pushed himself off the floor, looking over the mess of books and glass
that shredded on the ground from when he had searched her room.

His hand flew to the collar of his shirt as the tips of his fingers tugged at his tie
in attempts to loosen it — he sensed the panic growing within.

Draco had never hated himself more than he did now.

Never.

He had never been more disappointed. He remembered the night he was

breaking down in front of her like it was yesterday and not many weeks ago,

He remembered how her arms clung around him to hold him closer than ever, to
ease his pain in a way she believed he eased hers.

It hurt. Thinking about how much he must have troubled her as he stormed out,
but what she didn't know was that it pained him too. It tortured him to leave her
in the belief that she was in the wrong.

He never meant to do that, but she provoked something in him.

Something human, something sensitive, and Draco as the dark, haunted boy he
believed himself to be — he wasn't ready to feel the gentleness she brought out
of him,

His head shook as he leaned against the window, his shoulder felt heavy against
the wood as his chest ached,

But once again, he needed to keep going.

Day 6.

I'm scared.

I'm scared for my safety here, and I'm scared for his.

I know that Adrian is looking for me because he would never let me go that
easily.

I almost feel like this is a part of some big plan. That they all are working
against me.

But that's probably my mind playing tricks on me. I read that it could be like that
if you were to be kept in the same space for too long.

And another thing that has come to mind here is how much I miss the sun. I
never thought it would be possible to miss the sun as much as I do today.

Theodore is like the sun. Happy, mellow, the strokes of him heats your heart, just
like the scent of honey. God, I love how he scented like honey, but when it starts
to get cold when you begin to freeze — you miss the warmth more than terribly.

And today, today, I do.

_____

Draco sucked in a harsh breath in between his teeth, his jaws gritted as he
noticed that there wasn't a day 7 or 8.

The numbers were there — but the only thing covering the pages was dried
stains of tears.
She had cried.

She cried instead of writing those days, and he never knew because she never
cried in front of him.

Amelie always showed a brave face — a courageous smile as he came to bring

her for her sessions. He didn't know she was hurting.

And now, it was too late for him to comfort her. He would've. He would always
have comforted her — if he only knew how much she was breaking.

She broke entirely at the tips of his fingers but was still valiant enough to hold it
inside, to not show how her life crumbled in the chains of his magic.

Day 9.

Draco has been searching my mind for days, and to be honest with myself,

I don't know for how long I will be able to stand this.

Every time the light of his mind reaches mine, it's like I can't breathe.

I am allowed a piece of Draco that I'm not even certain he knows I'm able to see.

He's hurting. His mind is more tortured than mine has ever been. I could see
that.

I could see how he hated himself and not just parts of himself as a normal person
would do.

He loathed everything, every single thing of himself, and that broke me.

It broke me more than he did, more than my father or Adrian ever did.

I feel for Draco, in a way I can't begin to understand.

Perhaps it's the way his mind works, how cruel and evil he makes himself look,
but how kind and broken he truly is.

I don't know what, but something about that blonde boy made me feel warm,
cared for, even if he did everything possible for me to hate him,
I did hate him, or at least I tried to.

But somewhere along the line, I couldn't keep it up because I knew he needed me
almost as much as I seemed to need him.

_____

Draco threw the book across the room as his face twitched into a grimace. He
did everything possible not to cry — to not let one single tear out,

But to no use.

A clear, biting tear rolled down his drained cheek. It stung. It hurt him as if it
was crowded with emotion, and he didn't wipe it away.

The tones of his ashen skin faded even more as he let the drop of salty liquid fall,
just like everything else around him did.

His life crumbled around her, at the edge of her mercy, but if anyone deserved
his tears, if anyone deserved his vulnerable, unshielded self — it was her.

His hands flew to the window ledge, his fingers gripped around the marble as he
leaned over it, staring out over the grey, cloudy world, cursing to himself
beneath his breath,

'' Stupid, stupid, stupid—''

His knuckles collided roughly with the wall next to him, over and over and over
again. Blood shredded all over his shirt, all over his arms, all over the dark mark
still inked into his skin, his hair,

All over — but that was nothing in comparison to how his heart shattered.

How he shattered.

Draco had no chance of controlling himself anymore — he felt as his chest

closed in on him, how his vessels tightened and the sweat flooded down his
neck.

He panicked completely.
He didn't know what to do anymore because she saw everything.

She had watched his mind when he was supposed to search hers.

She saw it all — every mistake, every cruel act, every time he had brought harm
upon another human.

Amelie knew him — he was exposed to her in a way he had never been to
another soul.

She knew how much he loathed himself, how much he wanted this hell of a life
to come to a miserable end.

How he tried to take his own life.

And it broke her, just like he did.

He let out a loud sigh, scratching his bleeding hand against the fabric of his shirt
before he shoed over the messy floor, hunching down to pick the diary back up.

_____
 Twenty-nine

This chapter contains mentions of self-harm. Please read with caution.

_____

'' The cabin.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

Day 10.

I feel lost, but at the same time happy, does that even make sense?

It's as if I am lost in my happiness like I can't tell the difference between when I
should be sad and when I should be happy.

Or even mad.

I think I should be mad. That's the reasonable thing to be.

To be mad.

But I can't be mad. I don't want to.

I just want to hold him. I wish to save and heal him.

I remember the night he showed me his scars like it was yesterday. That's the
first time he had been vulnerable with me. The first time he let me see something
human inside him.

I should be happy that he has come so far, that he keeps showing me his true
self.
But why can't I stop crying?

_____

Draco let out a shaky breath as he thought of that night.

He had forgotten about that. That he once exposed himself to her, only to save
her from hurting herself.

Flashback to that night.

She felt a wave of doubt lingering as Draco's face turned completely cold. " Why
would you do that for me? Why would you help me? You don't even know—"

" What?" He snapped again, hewing her off as he strode closer. " What don't I
know?" He rose a brow as Amelie pushed herself off the ground in a try to stand
on her weak limbs.

He shook his head, huffing annoyingly, " Do you think that you're the only one
who has someone that lectures you, Avery?"

" Don't you think I know how it feels when the cigar burns through your skin?"
Pearly eyes still tore through hers, '' How you scream within when it's forced
further because you don't dare to open your mouth.''

He had been through this.

" How every punch, every slap, every forbidden spell hurts a little less over
time," She swallowed, staring back at him as he kept going.

" Don't you think I know that?" He threatened with his teeth gritted, " But I
learned how to manage the pain, and so should you because this won't stop until
you make it stop,"

Draco stood close, usually too close for comfort; as she searched his eyes, the
honesty ripped through them like the wind at a mighty sea.

He was broken,

He fated the same variety as she did.

And she didn't know because, just like her — he kept it hidden inside.

" You have to make it stop, Avery. " He nearly shouted, and a dark chuckle
escaped his throat, " Or you'll end up like this. "

Draco caught a step back, and without hesitation — he started to slowly

unbutton his shirt.

Her eyes grew broad with each button. Her breaths missed as she stared at the
marks fixed in his skin. The pale porcelain surface was ruptured by faded scars
all over.

Cuts of knives.

Bruises of belts.

Burns of cigars.

All faded into a beautiful mess over his light skin.

She felt her eyes as they began to prickle in tears and the lump stuck in her
throat increased, " Draco..." She stammered, struggling to glace away, to not
stare at the truth standing before her, but she couldn't.

He knew pain.

He knew her pain.

And she knew his.

" You see, Avery—" He cleared his throat, " You're not the only one."

Draco buttoned his shirt back up before straightening his jacket, " I don't know
how Adrian treats you, but this—" He seethed, tilting his head against her
trembling self.

'' This is not the answer. Trust me.''

_____

He swallowed the mass blocking his airways. He couldn't think about this
anymore. He couldn't let his weighty heart give in to his heavy mind.

She clouded everything for him at this point, and he needed to keep going.

His fingers fiddled with the pages, turning to a new one as his veins flushed in
pain — there wasn't a day 11.

Draco stared out over the empty room, trying to remember what could've
happened the night she decided not to write,

And when it came to mind that it was the night he had kissed her — his eyes
shut close, his breaths hitched as another wave of tears burned in the corner of
his eyes.

He placed the truth of that he never told her what his favorite book was. She
asked him, and he refused to tell her — why was he so incredibly stubborn?

Why didn't he just tell her?

His head shook again, his hands clenched around the spine of the book,

Flashback to that night.

'' Did you find what you were looking for?'' Draco muttered as Amelie shot him
a kind stare, studying him as his elbow placed on the armrest, his chin rested in
the palm of his hand,

'' I did,'' She gently dropped down next to him with the book glued to her hand, ''
Can I read you something?''

Draco looked shocked, almost agonized as he slightly nodded, ''Certainly,''

Amelie doubted herself at first, not knowing if she held the bravery to do what
she wanted to do, to let her head fall onto his lap, just like Theodore always
rested his head on hers.

Her eyes shut closed. Her breath hitched as a grimace shredded her features.
Her head felt heavy on his thighs, feeling how his entire body tensed at her
doings,
She dragged her knees up to the backrest of the furniture as she shifted around,
looking up at him from below,

'' Is this alright?'' Amelie hushed, making his brows furrowed, his hands
nervously fiddling with his rings,

'' Hm,'' He hummed, biting his own tongue from ruining this moment.

She sucked a harsh breath in, raising the book over her chest as she searched to
find the page she needed,

'' Here—'' She called out, '' Okay, are you ready?''

'' What greater punishment is there than life when you've lost everything that
made it worth living?''

Draco froze completely as she peered up at him, his teeth clasped, his nostrils
flaring.

He didn't know what to say or what to do — she made him nervous with the
quote she just read to him,

'' Have you ever felt that way for anyone, Draco?'' She asked, lowering the book
to let it rest on her chest,

'' No,'' He spoke, severely, '' I don't get those type of feelings,''

She jolted up from her laying position, her legs over his as he cringed at the
sudden move, '' What? Are you telling me that you have never been in love?''

Amelie's face sunk in question as her nerves ached at the look of his numb eyes
— he hadn't.

He had never been in love. He had never cared for another person in the way
you always dreamed of doing — he was alone, lonely in his misery.

'' No,''

Her head tilted as she sought to read the cold, mysterious boy in front of her, ''
Have you ever cared for anyone?''
''No,''

''Do you want to care for someone?''

Her pushing made him snap his head to level hers, his heart pounded hard
within, '' No,''

She felt the twisting feeling inside. The sinking sensation wavered her as his lips
parted again — but not a word fled them.

The tension thickened as he leaned closer to her. His cold hand put pressure on
her lower back, almost urging her to move forward, and she did.

She pushed herself onto him until she was straddling him on the sofa.

''But I do,'' Draco breathed out, his nose brushed against hers, and that made
her breaths flutter, the kind, gentle heart she possessed hammered out of control
in her chest.

'' I do care for someone,''

The corner of her mouth twitched as her hands moved slowly over his arms
before she tangled her fingers together behind his neck,

The tips of her fingers played with the soft strands of his hair, '' You do?''

He looked at her — in a way no one had ever looked at her before, it was as if he
could see all of her as if he wished to see more,

Draco's arms clung tighter around her as he pulled her just an inch closer, '' I
do.''

And without another thought shared between the two broken souls they tended to
be,

Amelie's lips collided with his.

_____

It stung in his chest — his lips ached at the missing of her sweet, soft taste
against them.
How could it hurt so much? How could she make him break so much just out of
the thought of her memory?

Draco peeled his eyes open, once again staring down at the pages she had
written so beautifully,

Day 12.

I did it again yesterday and again and again.

Draco hasn't been here for days, just like the last time he got mad at me, but I
believe he left home altogether this time. I couldn't hear his screams in the early
morning or his steps hovering outside at dusk,

He simply left, and I was all to blame.

Narcissa kindly took after his act to bring me meals and new books to read, she
even asked me if I wanted to join her for dinner downstairs last night, and I did.

I believe that she's lonely, that the absence of her husband and the continuance
of Draco needing to serve the dark lord leaves her behind, nearly forgotten,

I enjoy her very much. She has always been so kind to me, even before all of this
happened before Draco brought me here.

She told me more about him. She filled in some of the blank spots of knowing
when it comes to him, her blonde-haired son.

But even if she tried to open up as much as she knew how it wasn't enough.

I know it will never be enough, and I know that I may never know him in the way
I wish to do, but for now, it has to do.

If anything, I know how hard it is to let someone in, to let someone have a piece
of you, to allow another soul to search yours, and I let him,

I did.

And now, I just hope that he will let me in as I let him in.

_____
He would. He would do anything if it meant that she never harmed herself in any
way — ever again.

Even if it meant that he would have to let her within the hardened cages of his
feelings, even if he would have to be honest to her about himself — he would,

Draco felt a burning urge whip throughout him as he stared down at his hands,
where the book was placed, and there was just one day left,

One day of words remained, and if those letters couldn't tell him where she was
— he would lose his mind completely.

Draco was almost scared, what if she never wrote anything — what if he would
never find her again, and all of this would've gone to waste,

Because she was everywhere, except right here with him.

Day 13.

Today I'm happy, and I don't know why.

I just feel like things might be alright after all. That some things might turn for
the better for me.

I miss Teddy more than ever today.

I was sitting on the ledge to my window earlier, with the glass slightly cracked
open, and I felt the wind, and somewhere, it just felt as if he was here with me.

It reminded me of the times we used to sneak out of that little cabin.

In the early mornings, we used to run out of the house and sprint our way down
to the lake without anyone knowing.

I miss those times. I miss the cabin. I miss Teddy. I miss his father and my
mother. I miss it all,

_____

His head shot up. His grey eyes narrowed at the door in front of him as his mind
spun,
The cabin.

_____
 Thirty

_____

''Draco?''

_____

Amelie Avery.

They had been trying for days and days to find a way for them to break through
the barrier of her memories, but nothing.

Nothing happened, nothing caved in, nothing.

Theodore mixed every fusion of potions and herbs he had and could find — in
the utter hope that with a bit of magic, varied into the mess of different elements,
he could succeed.

But he didn't.

No one did.

Not Theodore, and not Amelie, no one.

No one but Draco.

He was the one they knew had the possibility to search her mind. He was the one
who knew how to, yet Amelie refused to let Theodore bring him to them.

'' I think you're acting petty about this,'' Theodore mumbled from the kitchen
table. He seated himself across from where Amelie used to sit,

'' I mean if you just let me—''

''No.'' She snapped, her head tilted to the side as her hand clenched around the
ladle, '' I don't want you to bring him here.''

With Theodore's hands thrown out in the air, his eyes narrowed at her, '' That's
what I mean with petty. There is no reason for you to act like this. He could help
us. He can find your mother, and you just refuse? I don't understand—''

'' There is nothing to understand, Teddy. I don't want to. I don't want to disturb
him. I'm sure that he has much more important matters to attend to than to help
me find my mother.'' Amelie huffed as she kept stirring the pot,

She was making him his favorite soup — a recipe Theo's mother taught her as a
kid, but even if that bundle of ingredients was to be one of the most leisurely
meals to cook, Theodore never caught on to it,

And refused to eat it if Amelie wasn't the one making it for him.

'' But...'' Theo rose, his legs stretched long in front of him as he leaned back in
his chair, '' Wasn't he the one who wanted to find her in the first place?''

Amelie froze in her actions. Her eyes squeezed shut for a mere second before
flying wide open again. In the attempt to gather her thought,

It wasn't that she didn't want to — she wanted to see the blonde boy her mind
couldn't spare a moment of rest from, more than anything.

Her skin craved his, her soul ached for the safety he brought her — her mind
longed for his comfort,

But he didn't look for her.

That's the only thing that kept haunting the pleasurable memory of Draco. He
didn't come for her — and now, almost a month had passed, without him trying
to find her,

If she only knew that the boy her thoughts always managed to touch — looked
for her everywhere.

'' He was,'' Amelie spoke, shortly, before picking up the knife. She started
cutting up the carrots, one after one,
'' So what is the problem, Amelie. I know there is something you're hiding from
me. What is it? Did you do something? Did you see something? ''

She stayed quiet, and Theodore, as the boy he tended to be — he took her silence
as a clear yes.

'' You saw something, didn't you?'' His face fell into confusion, '' But what...
What could you have seen that was so horrible—''

He hewed himself off, staring blankly at her back, '' He searched your mind,
what if you saw his?''

'' Ouch—'' Amelie muttered, airy, almost underneath her breath as she dropped
the knife; blood oozed from her finger,

Theodore flew up from his chair, stretching his arms around her from behind as
he grabbed her hand, bending it up for him to look at,

''See... This is why you should've let me—'' Theo smiled, rolling his eyes as he
spun her around in his arms,

'' Here—''

His hand in his back pocket brought his wand out, aiming it at her bleeding
finger,

'' Ferula.'' He whispered, and as the light trail of light scored her skin — the
wound tightened, and it healed.

She felt a smile on her lips as she looked up at Theo. Her eyes fell over his
angelic features. He was beautiful. Her lovely best friend,

'' Thank you,'' Amelie whispered, drawing her hand back from his touch, and he
wrapped his arms around her.

He held her close as the soup on the stove simmered, and the scent of it made it
all easier. It felt safe here, just like it had done while they were kids.

'' What did you see, Amelie?'' Theodore mumbled into the soft strands of her
hair, '' Tell me what you saw.''
She hesitated. She didn't want to break Draco's trust. In her mind, he wasn't
aware of what she saw — to her, he had no idea that she nearly watched as he
took the life of another person.

'' It was nothing.''

Theodore leaned back, gazing into her eyes in the complete wonder of what she
was keeping from him. He could read her like an open book, and when
something was to be wrong — he could sense it from a mile away.

But he didn't push her further, whatever it was that kept haunting her — she
audibly needed to deal with it on her own terms before she could confide in him,
and that was okay, more than it. He knew that when she was to be ready — she
would tell him.

'' Do you need any help with that?'' He gestured towards the stove, looking over
it as the fume of spices reached the ceiling.

'' No. I got this—'' Her hand sought to grab the knife one again, in the
continuance of chopping the vegetables, but Theodore seemed to be faster — he
snatched the knife from in front of her,

'' I think I'll be doing that now,'' He chuckled, sending her an amused smile,

Her eyes rolled as she huffed, '' Fine. I'll set the table then.''

_____

Theo slurped on his spoon, licking it clean of all the soup before he dropped it to
his bowl, '' I still can't understand how you make it just like my mother did.'' He
mumbled,

'' Well — I guess I just have the talent for it.'' Amelie held her smile, wiping her
mouth clean with the napkin,

His elbows placed on the table as he shoved his bowl away, '' What do you want
to do tonight? We could maybe go for a walk, or read?''

'' I think we have done everything we can do, Teddy.'' Her mouth slightly fell,
His brows furrowed, '' What do you mean?''

Amelie held her breath, biting down on her lower lip as she thought about it.

They had been here for a month, and each day slowly faded together, every hour
turned the same, and the restlessness in her body couldn't take it anymore.

She was grateful, more than it — that they held this beautiful place as a safe
haven. That they could come here and rest from all the craziness that has
surrounded her, but somewhere along all of that stillness — her mind snapped.

She thought about Adrian a lot. She was angry — furious, because this was the
first time in years she was able to distance herself from him in the way she did
now, and that made her realize, more and more, for every day that passed,

What he had done to her. What he had put her through in all those years of
violence.

Amelie knew she wasn't anywhere safe from him — and she would never be
because he had her life chained in magic. Still, she had been studying ways out
of it.

When Theo had fallen asleep at night — when she heard those small noises he
made as he dreamt, she would sneak up with a candle and read.

She read, and read, and read. She studied. She educated herself on what the vow
meant and what she could do to break it.

She even studied the darkness. The darkest types of magic, to find an escape —
to maybe, somewhere in her doomed life, finally reach the true peace she
deserved, to be able to feel something more for the blonde boy her heart
continually skipped a beat for,

But nothing — the only way out of it, was for her to die.

And she had thought about that too.

To die.

To let her body and her innocent mind rest for internity and to hopefully wake
up somewhere else.

Somewhere she didn't have to be scared anymore. Somewhere she could live
freely — chainless.

It was an intriguing thought. To escape this life, and to start over, to do it right.

To love herself.

Flashback to a night in the Malfoy Manor.

Her body shook violently in the late hours of twilight.

She had woken up again, out of breath — terrified for the dreams that kept
haunting her, over and over.

Amelie held her breath. She turned over to her side as she hugged herself
underneath the covers. The darkness swallowed her as she sought to calm
herself down.

It was always at night, every time she believed herself to be safe — it all came
crashing down on her, over and over.

Every memory, every beating, every cruel word that her biggest nightmare had
burnt into her mind came back.

She was exhausted — tired of all of it.

'' Amelie.''

She flinched, her hands grasped around herself denser as she didn't hear anyone
enter her room.

She stayed still for a brief moment, thinking whether she should pretend to be
asleep or if she should face the boy standing in the doorway.

Eventually, she peered out from underneath the sheets, looking directly at the
blonde.

He stood, partly hidden behind the door — covering his bare chest with the
wood.
'' Amelie, is everything alright?'' Draco asked her in a whisper, '' I heard you—''

'' I'm okay.''

His face twisted, the blonde strands of hair fell over his eyebrows as he shook
his head,

'' You're not okay. I just heard—''

'' It was a bad dream, that's all.'' She mumbled, pushing her hands into the
mattress to prop herself up, '' It's nothing to worry about, Draco. I promise you
don't have to—''

'' But I want to.'' He took a step inside, sliding the door closed behind him. '' I
need to know that you are safe.''

Her breath turned airy as the moonlight shunned on his naked chest. She tried to
tear her eyes off him, but she couldn't.

It was like porcelain. His skin was ashen, beautiful, just like she remembered it.

'' I am safe. I just... I couldn't sleep. That's all.''

Draco took another step closer to her bed, his arms dropped to his sides as her
eyes dragged over his body — the toned muscles of his chest made her heart
flutter.

'' What did you dream about?'' He kept his tone low as his eyes stayed on her,
watching as the tips of her fingers played with her sheets,

'' Nothing—''

'' Don't lie to me, Amelie.'' Draco hewed her off, raising a brow as he did, '' Tell
me what you dreamed about.''

Amelie sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth, slightly chewing on it in the
battle of her thoughts.

She didn't want to lie to him. She tried to be honest — but it scared her. Even if
Draco searched her mind, it still frightened her to speak about it, to actually tell
someone about her bad dreams.

'' Why are you up?'' She asked him instead as he leaned against the frame of her
bed, '' It's the middle of the night, why are you—''

'' Bad dream.''

She could feel her heart ache at his words. She knew all about his bad dreams —
she heard them a lot when she wasn't the one sleeping.

'' What did you dream about?'' She pushed as she shoved herself to the edge of
the bed, her feet scored cold on the chilly floor.

'' Nothing.'' Draco smiled shyly.

The corner of her mouth arched, '' Don't lie to me, Draco.''

He didn't say anything else. His eyes locked in hers as he moved towards her in
the darkness.

'' Come here.'' He whispered, reaching a hand out for her to take, and she did.

He pulled her up, making her stand on her feet as she wrapped her hands
around his body.

Amelie shivered at the touch — at the feeling of his bare skin against hers. She
had never felt him this close before, this vulnerable.

She didn't know about the times he had snuck into her room at night to comfort
her when she was screaming in her sleep. To her, this was the first time she had
felt his skin on hers.

Draco stroked the thin material of her nightdress. His hands moved in gentle
circles over her back,

'' Tell me what you dreamed about.'' His chin on the top of her head as her nose
brushed against his skin,

'' I just—'' She quieted down, holding her breath for a second, '' I'm just scared,
of everything.''
He nodded gently, '' Tell me something you're scared of.''

'' The future, for what is going to happen to me once I leave here. Teddy, where
he is, how he's doing. My father, Adrian.''

Draco's body tensed at the two names spoken, trying to tame his temper by
holding her tighter.

'' I feel like bad things are following me. No matter how hard I try to do good or
how hard I try to fix things. I mess them up. I complicate everything and I—.''
Her face fell as she believed every word she spoke about herself.

'' Never—'' Draco leaned back, his hands flew to her face as he cupped her
cheeks, arching her neck to look at him,

'' Never say those things about yourself, Amelie.'' He stared right through her, he
watched her lower lip quiver, '' How you love yourself is the way you teach
others how to love you.''

His thumbs traced circles, '' Never think that badly about yourself. You didn't
choose this life.''

The moonlight touched their bodies.

'' Promise me never to think about yourself in that way again.''

She smiled, even in a time as heartbreaking as this one — he made her smile.

Her hands dropped from around him, moving over the scars in his chest, '' I
won't.'' She held, the tips of her fingers stroked every mark of torture carved into
his pale skin,

'' But only if you promise me to do the same.''

_____

Every time a bad thought had circled her mind — she strived to remember what
he told her, and it soothed her.

Every time she reached a memory of him, she turned calm.

'' So...'' Theodore cleared his throat, '' Is that a no, for the walk then?''

Her eyes rolled as she scoffed at her best friend, '' I think I want to read, outside.''

Theodore nodded, giving her an encouraging smile before he forced his chair
back, '' Then go and read love. I'll clean up in here.''

_____

The wind soared her cheeks as her spine felt heavy against the tree.

Amelie loved sitting next to this tree. It was massive and majestic. It felt safe,
resting underneath the hanging branches.

She fiddled with the pages of her book, her fingers grasped around the sheets as
she slightly shook by the cold air.

Her hand tugged her hair out of her eyes as her legs crossed in front of her.

Every now and then, she looked up from her book, peering over her shoulder to
watch Theodore do the dishes through the kitchen window — it was as if she
was checking that he was still there — that he hadn't left her,

And every time she looked, he was. He was always there.

'' Teddy, Teddy, Teddy.'' She whispered to herself, smiling at the silence of birds
chirping from far away.

She continued reading about Romeo and Juliet. She never finished that book —
she said she did whenever Theodore asked her about it, but she lied.

She couldn't. It ached, reading about a love so strong and powerful — when she
was sure that she'll never experience that herself.

But she wanted to give it a try. She wanted to finish it, so she kept on struggling
with the words that struck her soul and heart.

'' I have a favorite book, you know.''

Amelie flinched. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat at the voice
speaking unexpectedly from behind her.
She recognized it. She could place that voice in a room of hundreds without
falter.

'' But I'm curious...'' The voice kept going as she stayed frozen in time, '' What is
yours?''

She couldn't turn around. She couldn't move.

It was as if her mind played her, as if her whole being toyed with her head.

Her hands fell to the ground as her fingers dug into the hardened soil, pushing
herself off the grass.

Amelie hesitated, her eyes shut closed as she took the deepest of breaths.

'' What is your favorite book?''

She turned around. Her cheeks drained of all their color the second her eyelids
peeled open.

Her heart stopped as her sight fell upon the boy standing in front of her.

'' Draco?''

_____
 Thirty-one

_____

'' She will never be free of me, remember that.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

The cabin.

Why had he never heard about that cabin before — he had helped Theodore with
his fear of his grandfather. He had searched Theodore's mind, yet he had never
come across anything about a cabin.

Draco stormed out of her room with heavy, rushed steps — he made his way
through the corridor, down to the library, but just as he was about to force the
doors open,

He stopped.

His palms halted on the wood as his eyes shut closed. It hurt, pain spread
throughout his veins, his eyelids squeezed harder — he hadn't been here since
the night she let him kiss her, and the memory of that was torture.

He tried to convene himself, taking a deep breath in between his teeth,

attempting to convince his own mind that it wasn't that hard — he knew where
she was now.

He knew that she would most likely be at the cabin she wrote about, and he
would find her safe and sound with her best friend.

She was safe. She was safe. He needed her to be safe.

Draco thrust the doors open as the soft, warm lights brightened the room.
He knew that his father kept a section for the history of the purebloods, and he
remembered seeing newspapers and books containing the name Nott.

His steps echoed along the floor as it traveled up the shelf-covered walls, making
him feel less alone in the desperate time he found himself in. The grey eyes
snapped to the couch, still standing in the middle of the room,

The air tightened in his lungs, but he couldn't give in. He needed to keep his
mind straight. Nothing mattered as much as finding Amelie did.

Draco didn't really understand the urge he had of finding her, himself. He didn't
know why he was so hopeless against his own mind that he craved to be close to
her so badly.

She had grown on him. Ever since he found her in the school library, standing
wholly broken in front of him, he knew that he had to help her, and even if it was
a task — a deal he had made with the dark lord,

His feelings for her sparked and continued to push him further, and just as he
was about to get what he wanted — just as he was about to find what the dark
lord wanted him to find,

He couldn't, because watching, searching, and understanding another person in

the way he did with Amelie, was something he had never experienced before,

She was torn, wounded, and hurt, just like he was.

She understood the power of darkness, and she lived through it so gracefully. He
knew that he would never have to explain anything to her because she already
knew it all.

She knew everything, and she still wanted him. She still wanted to be with him.

That wasn't something that came easy to Draco. He was scared of himself —
everything Voldermort and his father forced him to become. He would never
admit to the cruel and violent actions he had executed under the power of the
darkness,

And even if he wouldn't avow it — she knew about it, and she stayed.
He didn't know if it was her tortured mind, her gentle touch, or the kind soul she
carried — the human side of him she managed to bring out, or simply the fact
that he knew that he would be safe with her, just like she was safe with him.

But it didn't matter what he felt for her. All he knew was that no task from the
dark lord, no deal with his father, no threat from Adrian, no over-protective best
friend would ever come between them again.

Draco stopped right in front of the section of old, dusty books and newspapers.
His eyes flickered over the letters, eagerly looking for the letter, '' N.''

'' There.'' He mumbled to himself as he began to drag his fingers over all the
listed names.

'' Nott, Nott, Nott, Nott.'' He kept on going until he reached the last name he was
looking for — he dragged the book out, flipping through it as quickly as he
could, but nothing.

There was not one single mention of any cabin.

He threw the book across the room, cursing underneath his breath as the panic
caved within. The dread chewed at his every nerve as he spread his fingers
through the blonde hair, tugging it back in defeat.

He stormed out of the library — marching his way down to the basement.

Draco understood that the boy, still locked up in chains, may not know where
this cabin could be — but it was worth a shot. He needed to try everything he
could.

'' Adrian,'' Draco growled, shoving his hand into his pocket to haul his wand out,
and with a quick twitch of his wrist — the lattice door swung open,

Adrian shot up on his feet by the harsh noise of metal crashing against the stone-
covered wall.

'' I need information, Pucey.'' Draco mumbled, taking intimidating steps closer to
the chained boy, '' And I need you to be absolutely honest with me, can you do
that?''
Adrian narrowed the green eyes in Draco's grey ones, sending him an evil glare
as he eyed the blonde down,

'' And why should I give you the courtesy of being honest, when all you have
done is—''

Draco's curled-up fist collided heavily with the cage of Adrian's chest, making
him stumble back over the rocks,

The blonde's head tilted, granting the brunette with the most devilish of stares, ''
I don't expect you to show me any courtesy, Adrian. This will be about how
much pain you'd like to spare yourself — and don't worry..."

"I won't be using magic this time.''

The air in Adrian's lungs failed him as Draco granted him another punch. He
leaned back, looking at the struggling boy on the ground,

'' I have a question for you—'' Draco's voice scored low, '' If there was to
be...let's say a cabin, somewhere, hidden.''

Adrian slammed his hands over his chest as he rolled over on his back, '' What
cabin?'' His voice broke at the hurt shredding through him,

" Would you know about it?" Draco pushed, ignoring the question falling off
Adrian's tongue.

Adrian's head shook as he peered up at the blonde.

Draco noticed how much Adrian had changed these past few weeks, how his
muscles had faded, how his skin had ruptured, how the evil flash in his eyes
turned in pain, how he had torn the cocky, vile boy down, piece by piece.

But Draco didn't care. He enjoyed ripping Adrian apart, after all — he was the
one who had made Amelie crumble.

" I asked you a question, Pucey." Draco spat down on him, booting the boy in his
stomach, " Would you know about the cabin?"

" No—" Adrian choked out, blood slipped the corner of his mouth as he hugged
himself on the chilly floor,

" I don't know about that bloody—" Adrian was cut off by Draco dragging him
up by this throat, staring intensely into the green eyes,

A grin arched on his lips as he saw just how desperate Draco was to know about
the hidden place,

" And even if I did—" He smiled through the cracks in his chest, " I would never
tell you."

Draco's fist struck right across his jaw, and it made Adrian fall down onto the
ground once again.

He knew that he couldn't be down here anymore, not a second longer, because if
he were — nothing would hold him back from killing the brown-haired boy that
crawled away from him. The raging anger pounded through Draco's veins as he
stepped back,

His chest rose and fell violently, and the temper he tried to tame was on the edge
of missing him.

Draco shifted around, walking towards the stairs leading out of the basement as
he caught Adrian shouting after him as he went,

'' You'll never find her, and even if you did—'' A trail of coughs escaped his
throat, '' Even if you would find her. I will always be here, haunting the both of
you.''

'' She will never be free of me, Malfoy, remember that.''

Draco slammed the lattice door shut before sprinting up the stairs. He did
everything possible to convince himself that he couldn't kill Adrian.

He couldn't do that because Amelie would face the same fate he did.

With his hands against the hallway wall, he repeatedly punched it, over and over
— trying to get his anger out on something else, trying to focus on something
that wasn't Adrian, and the urge he had to end that pathetic excuse of a life.
'' Oh, my dear.'' Narcissa's voice made him flinch, nearly jumping apart from the
wall he so violently struck, '' Is everything alright, son?''

Draco merely huffed at his mother's statement before dragging his eyes off of
her,

'' I'm just—'' He hewed himself off, swallowing the fury he felt inside, '' I'm just
trying to—''

His mother stepped closer before placing a warm hand upon his tensed shoulder,
'' Come with me, dear. Let me make us some tea.''

He followed her into the kitchen, seating himself on a kitchen chair as he

watched her fiddle with the cups and the hot water.

'' Here you go.'' She smiled at him, placing a cup in front of him before slipping
down onto a chair across the table, '' Now tell me what is on your mind, Draco.''

He hesitated, biting down on his lower lip as she so curiously studied her son.

'' What makes you think that there is something on my mind?'' He questioned her
back, his fingers warm around the porcelain,

Narcissa let out a chuckle, moving her own cup up to her red-painted lips, ''
Well, for starters, your hands, son.''

Her eyes fell upon the bruised, bloody knuckles,

'' And secondly. You have kept that boy down there for almost a month, and
you're still here — and she's not, so that means that you have more than
something on your mind.''

Draco's eyes rolled, his lips pushed into a tight line.

'' And third. I am your mother, Draco. I know when something is bothering you,
so don't even try lying to me. Tell me what's on your mind.''

He watched as she placed her cup back on the table, and he nodded slowly. He
knew that she was right. His mother was a bright lady.
'' I'm looking for something — a place,'' Draco mumbled. His spine felt heavy
against the backrest of his chair,

'' A cabin.''

Narcissa bowed her head, '' Go on.''

'' But it's hopeless. I will never find it.'' He huffed, sensing how the burning
feeling of defeat shredded through him and how the words he spoke — hurt.

She looked concernedly at him, noticing the sunken skin underneath his eyes —
the messy strands of hair over his forehead.

'' Tell me more about this cabin, dear.'' His mother sought to encourage him, ''
Does this cabin belong to someone?''

Draco nodded, his head dipped to the side, '' It does. I think it belongs to Mr.
Nott.''

Narcissa's eyes widened, her fingers nervously tugged at the wooden table, '' Mr.
Nott, you say?''

Draco hummed back, staring down at his hands as he felt every piece of hope
leaving his body — it was to no use anymore. He would simply have to wait
until Amelie found her way back to him,

He couldn't help but wonder if she ever thought about him. If her mind ever
came across everything they went through together — or if she simply chose to
forget about him and try to live in peace with her friend.

'' Draco,'' His mother called out for him, making him snap out of his head,

'' Yes?''

Narcissa cleared her throat, looking right at him, '' I know about the Nott cabin.''

Draco's veins iced. His breaths hitched, '' What did you— Where is it?''

His mother faltered, swallowing another sip of tea, '' Do you really think she's
there, Draco? That cabin has been untouched for so many—''
'' Where. is. it?'' He slammed his hands onto the table, forcing his chair back in a
rough move, '' Tell me where it is, right now.''

'' Manners, Draco.'' His mother tried to warn him, '' We don't speak in that way
towards each other.''

He couldn't help but feel bad, regretting using that harsh tone against her, '' My
apologies.'' He muttered, '' But, please. Tell me where it is.''

'' From what I remember — it's hidden in the forest at the far end of the black
lake, completely separated from everyone and everything—''

Before his mother had the possibility to finish her sentence, Draco had already
stormed towards the hall,

'' Draco—'' She called out again, flying up from her seat as she rushed after him,
'' Draco, please, hold on.''

He halted as his back faced her, feeling how her hand wrapped around his arm.
He turned to level the doubtful look she held. Her hands moved to his cheeks,
and she cupped them.

'' Please be careful, and bring them both back here, safe and sound.''

Draco nodded, tilting his head as he let it rest in her hands for a brief moment, ''
Take care of our guest until I return, will you?'' He asked her, hauling up his
wand,

'' Of course, dear.'' Narcissa smiled, taking a heel back, '' Be careful.''

'' Apparate.''

_____

He landed among the massive tree trunks, and the soft, cold breeze made his skin
flush in color.

Not a sound shredded in between the nature he found himself in. He looked
around, trying to figure out what way — in which direction the cabin could be,
His shoes slightly sunk in the soil as he walked towards the lake, through the
greenery, and over the branches.

Draco didn't like this at all. He didn't enjoy nature —he believed it to be messy,
dirty, and he couldn't understand how Amelie and Theodore managed to stay out
here for a month.

'' Teddy. Teddy. Teddy.'' He heard someone whisper as he kept on walking out
over the grove, and there — sitting peacefully against a tree, in front of a small
cabin,

There she was.

Draco would recognize her from a mile away without looking twice.

He felt as the aching feeling he held in his chest — the crushing, drowning
sensation that had been cursing him for a month, eased, only by the look of her,
with her legs crossed and a book glued to her hands.

He stepped forward, over the grass and all the trouble he had ever felt in his life
— faltered because there she was.

After days, weeks of searching, torturing, grumbling — he finally found her.

He found her.

Draco swallowed as the bravery he held for this moment faded. He got nervous,
but that didn't stop him. Nothing could.

Amelie was right there — in front of him, safe.

His eyes fell all over her, and it made his heart flutter — his insides wrenched.

And without any more time spilled between them, not even a second more could
go to waste,

'' I do have a favorite book, you know.''

He could see how her entire body froze, how the tips of her fingers buried in the
palms of her hand, how her lips parted, '' But I'm curious... What is yours?''
She still didn't answer, but he walked closer, so close he possibly could —
without making her feel uncomfortable. He knew that she trusted him, at least
before she left,

"What is your favorite book?''

Amelie pushed herself off the ground, and the second she turned to face him —
the very instant he got to see that angelic face he had missed so badly,

He lost his breath.

'' Draco?'' She asked him most soothingly. Her voice was more than calming to
him; it always had been.

He felt a smile arching in the corner of his mouth as she stumbled towards him,
in the complete battle if what she just saw was real,

His eyes glued in hers as his heart hammered within — all he wanted to do was
to touch her, to hold her,

'' Yes, sweetheart.''

_____
 Thirty-two

_____

'' I wanted to see you.''

_____

Amelie was scared — terrified to face the grey eyes that constantly haunted her
worn mind.

Because they did, every time her soul craved an ounce of peace, she thought of
those grey eyes.

His grey eyes.

Amelie's knees felt more than weak beneath her. She could barely stand straight
on her feet as she watched him step closer. It felt as if she was dreaming.

The air in her lungs tightened as she held her breath. She couldn't decide whether
to believe if this was real or not — if he really was here, standing in front of her.

But it was. This was real. Draco was here, and just as he closed in on her — she
could feel the drips of nature gently pouring down onto her fragile skin.

It scented like rain.

He always brought the rain, and god, how she had missed it.

Draco held only inches away from her. It was as if he was frightened to take
another step — as if he didn't want to invade her privacy and her own space
more than he had done already,

'' Amelie.'' His voice stern, '' Tell me about your favorite book.''

Her head shook, her fingers clasped together. She couldn't believe what she was
looking at.

He was here.

He stood tall right next to her, and her breath left airy, '' I don't—'' She
whispered, keeping her eyes locked in his,

She couldn't help but notice how much he'd changed. How his hair was longer
— the blonde strands fell sleekly over his forehead and the mauve circles
underneath his eyes shredded into the pale skin,

He seemed exhausted, nearly beaten within the walls of his mind.

'' What are you doing here?'' Her head snapped, looking over her shoulder, only
to see Theodore still standing in the kitchen. It gave her a soothing sense,
knowing that he was close by.

Draco's head tipped, he released a deep breath as he looked at her — he had

almost forgotten just how beautiful she was, how her hair wrapped around her
face, how her skin looked soft as silk — how calm she seemed.

The last time he has seen her, and every time before that — she was haunted by
the memory of her past, and she still was, but this wasn't the same.

She looked at peace.

His hands shoved into his coat pocket as he kept his eyes in hers, '' I wanted to
see you.'' Draco mumbled. He felt his veins aching — because she was so close
to him, yet so far away.

'' You wanted to see me?'' Her brows raised, her arms crossed over her chest, ''
It's been a—''

'' Month.'' He finished for her, a look of guilt rose upon him, ''I know exactly
how long it's been.''

Amelie felt herself swallow, '' Then why now?''

Draco didn't know if he should tell her the truth — that he had been looking for
her everywhere for all that time.
He didn't want to expose himself like that. He didn't want her to know just how
desperate he had been to find her.

She watched as his eyes dragged over the cabin and how his mind looked to be
elsewhere.

'' Draco, are you alright?'' Amelie spoke up, slowly bending her head to catch his
eyes again, '' Draco, why are you really here?''

'' I told you.'' He clocked back out of his head, '' I wanted to see you.''

Amelie didn't believe him — how could she?

He had betrayed her in ways that broke her more than any type of abuse ever
could.

He lied to her, and he pushed her away when she needed him the most — even if
she held the truth of Draco doing this for her own good, it still upset her.

She was doing better. Theodore had been helping her be better, to accept her
place in this world, and to see her worth in all the things she did.

She was worthy. She had always been worthy, and none of this was her fault.

She didn't choose this life — just like Draco had told her a night in the Malfoy
Manor. She didn't decide the life fated for her.

Her eyes fell over him as the drops of rain kept dripping over them.

'' Did something happen?'' She asked again, her lower lips slightly shook out of
the cold weather, '' Is there any reason for you coming here now—''

'' I. wanted. to. see. you.'' The notes falling off his tongue scored severe as his
eyes narrowed in hers,

'' I wanted to see you, Amelie. There is no other reason for me being here.''

Amelie's lips parted to speak, but not a word could escape her throat. She merely
looked at him. The boy she had missed so badly,

'' I wanted to see you too.'' She whispered. Draco's neck arched — his head held
high, and he felt the warmth rushing through him at the words she spoke, '' I
wanted to see you weeks ago.''

'' Then why didn't you?'' Draco asked and looked down on her as she hugged
herself. The lively wind toyed gracefully with the brown strands of her hair,

'' Why didn't you come to see me?''

Her face shifted in disbelief, but the glimpse of hope still burning in her eyes
brightened.

'' You told me to leave.'' Amelie said, quietly, '' You said that you were done
with me and that you got what you needed.''

Draco's jaws clenched, the tiny muscles in them ticked to what she was saying.
His tongue rolled on the inside of his cheek,

Draco was aware that she knew about the things he spoke that night — was as
far from the truth as you could get.

She had watched his mind. He knew that now. She had seen all the things he felt
for her while staying with her in the manor.

'' You know I didn't mean them. You know that I had to say that, to make you
leave.'' Draco kept his tone harsh, '' I needed you to leave because it wasn't
safe...''

He held his breath, '' You were safer with Nott than you could ever be with me
back then.''

Amelie's brows furrowed, '' But why didn't you tell me this, Draco? Why did you
do—''

'' I am not going to apologize for keeping you safe.'' He shoed another inch
closer, '' There is a lot of things I could apologize for, but keeping you safe —
will never be one of them. No matter how I do it.''

Amelie was quiet. She didn't say anything because she knew how right he was
— he was trying to keep her safe, and she could never be mad at that.
Except for Theodore, no one had ever tried to protect her before, and that was a
strange feeling to her, someone breaking their own heart to keep hers in pieces.

'' I can leave if you want me to.'' Draco's eyes flashed in guilt because he saw just
how much she struggled with his words, '' I don't have to be here. I can keep you
safe from far away.''

" Because I know where you are now."

She couldn't help it. It was as if her body craved his, and the boot she took closer
made a smile arch in the corner of his mouth,

'' I just had to see you.'' Draco's hand-stretched up, slowly, almost as if he wanted
to make sure that she was okay with him touching her,

'' I just had to see you for myself. I need to know that you are okay.''

Her skin shivered as his cold touch made it to her cheek, gently stroking a few
raindrops away. The second his hand got to feel her again, all the problems —
all the torture of being apart from her, faded.

'' Are you, Amelie?'' He kept his large hand on her jaw, feeling how her hands
settled on his chest, '' Are you alright?''

Amelie gulped, terrified to answer the question he had asked her — she didn't
want to admit how everything eased the instant she heard his voice.

The voice that has calmed her in her most desperate times.

'' I am.'' She whispered, as his teeth clenched, '' I'm okay.''

Draco nodded, slowly and he felt relieved. She was okay — he knew when she
was lying to him because she had done it so many times before, but she didn't lie
now.

'' I'm glad.'' He whispered back as her hands pushed harder into his chest, her
fingertips brushed against the wool material of his coat.

But she panicked — she froze in his grip as she felt him pull away from her, and
the words he spoke just minutes earlier scored right through her, '' I don't have to
be here. I can keep you safe from far away.''

She didn't want him to leave. She couldn't let him.

Amelie had begged and begged for this moment for weeks, and now when she
finally had it — when she finally had him here — he believed that she wanted
him to leave.

It was as always — her heart on the line.

The beating, pulsating sense inside of the fragile cage of her chest was once
again exposed to the blonde boy standing before her.

'' Draco.'' Her voice muffled by the heavy drops of rain diving around them, ''
Don't go.''

Her neck bent, and she looked up at him, falling lost in the grey eyes that still
consumed her whole being,

'' Please don't go.''

He stared back at her, softly, emotionally as he stopped drawing away. Instead

— he wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her in entirely, right to where
she's supposed to be.

She was meant to be here — in his arms, where she always would be safe.

Draco held her, as close as he had dreamed of the month they lived apart, and
even if she were to ask him to leave — even if there were a chance that she
didn't want him near her anymore — he would never leave her.

He would always be close to her, no matter if she wanted him to or not.

'' I won't.'' He whispered, placing his head on hers as the rain slammed to the
ground. He sheltered her body with his,

'' Promise never to push me away again.'' Her breaths against his chest fumed
around them as he smiled, without her seeing it,

'' I promise.'' He mumbled,

Amelie felt her lips stretching, and her heart fluttered — it was freezing outside,
but she wasn't cold.

She felt the melody of warmth rush throughout her as her nose filled with the
scent of him,

The scent of rain.

It would always be the scent of rain to her.

'' Now—'' Draco leaned back, his hand reached to push a few strands of wet hair
from her eyes,

'' Tell me about your favorite book.''

_____
 Thirty-three

_____

'' I just thought you would've been here sooner.''

_____

Theodore's eyes snapped in between them as he looked more than shocked at the
person standing in the doorway.

His face fell into confusion, and his eyes blinked quickly, '' What on earth...'' He
held, staring the blonde one down.

'' What are you doing here, Malfoy?'' Theo's mouth hung open as his breaths
studdered unsteady.

The look Amelie shot him made his mind clock back to being, and his head
slightly shook, '' Not that I'm not happy to see you, of course. I'm just...
surprised.''

Theo's hand-stretched to the back of his head, scratching his neck in theory as he
noticed that both Amelie and Draco were soaking wet from the rain, still pouring
outside.

'' I just thought—'' Teddy held, reaching over to the kitchen counter, grabbing a
towel before giving it to Amelie,

'' I just thought you would have been here sooner.''

Draco huffed, peering down at Amelie as she gently patted the towel to her face.
'' Well. I didn't think that you would bring her to the end of the earth, Nott.''

Theodore rolled his eyes, but not in a cruel way — he did it because of the girl
standing in front of him.
He watched as she turned to the blonde, without even thinking about it, and she
stretched up on her toes — softly placing the towel over his forehead. Draco's
mouth pushed into a firm line, not to let out a smile at what she was doing.

'' Oh.'' Amelie dragged her touch away, standing plain on her feet again as her
cheeks blushed from the embarrassment she found herself in.

She didn't think of what she was doing — she just did the first thing that came to
her mind as she watched the drips of nature flooding down Draco's hair,
dropping from the ends of the blonde strands.

'' Here—'' Her hand reached out towards him, wanting to give him the cloth, ''
I'm sorry. I didn't—''

'' No. Go ahead.'' Draco mumbled, his jaws clenched as he looked at her —
meeting the eyes he'd missed so badly.

'' I think you would do a better job, anyway.''

'' Well. I'm glad you're here, mate.'' Theodore backed into the kitchen again. '' I'll
make us some tea and leave you to it.''

But either Amelie or Draco caught his words. They just looked at each other, and
once again, carefully— she stretched up on her toes. One of her hands against
the now soaked fabric of his coat, and the other one slipped the towel against his
skin.

She wiped all of the stains of the harsh weather outside — off of his face, and he
kept his eyes locked in hers the entire time.

" There you go." Just as she was about to pull away, his hand wrapped around
her wrist — taking the cloth from her.

She swallowed nervously to what he was about to do, but her mind eased the
instant he dried the raindrops off her skin.

'' Is this alright?'' Draco asked her, allowing his thumb to stroke over her cheek, ''
I don't want to do anything that you're not comfortable—''

'' I'm alright.'' Amelie smiled back, softly placing her hand on top of his.
They stood there — as if they were frozen in time, looking at each other with
such longing and warmth.

Her eyes flickered down to his lips, noticing the twitching curve in the corner of
them, and she couldn't help but wonder how they felt like.

She had forgotten how his lips felt, pushed against hers. She didn't remember
how his hands fitted so perfectly around her waist as he pulled her closer —
feeling more of her.

His fingers traced over her flushed skin, tucking a wet lock behind her ear, and
he finally gave in.

He let the urging arch on his lips spread.

He smiled at her.

'' Are you?'' Draco mumbled, keeping his large hand on her jawline. '' Are you
alright, Amelie?''

She smiled back; a slight nod tipped her head,

'' I am now.''

_____

Amelie was seated on the floor, in front of the couch in the living room. Her
back felt heavy against it as she scrambled with her words on the napkin.

He came back for me.

I didn't think he would do that. I didn't think he would actually find me, but he
did.

He's here now, and I don't know what to say to him.

I thought I would be mad for him driving me away when it was so clear that we
both needed each other, but I can't be mad.

I don't want to be mad.

I'm happy.

I'm truly happy that he found us, but I'm also scared.

I'm scared of what is about to happen.

I don't know where Adrian is, where my father may be, and I'm not sure that I
want to know. I feel okay not knowing.

I want to ask Draco what he knows about this, but I don't want to bother him.

I want to ask what we are supposed to do now. Should we stay here? Should we
leave? Are we going to continue the search for my memories?

What will happen when Draco meets the Dark Lord, and he doesn't have her
location?

Everything feels fine, but everything also feels so uncertain.

I don't know.

I'm just happy.

Amelie still wrote her thoughts down onto the napkins. Ever since she forgot the
diary at the manor — she couldn't write in a proper book. She didn't want to.

The fireplace sparked in front of her as she looked up at it, smiling to herself.
She folded the napkin together, wrapping her fingers around it,

'' Still writing, I see,'' Draco spoke up from behind her, and her head snapped to
the side. She almost felt ashamed that he had caught her writing her thoughts
down.

'' I do.'' Amelie hummed back, looking softly at him as he stood tall beneath the
lowered ceiling, leaning against the doorframe.

His arms crossed over his chest, and the fabric of his shirt tensed over his
shoulders.

'' What are you writing?'' He rose a brow at her, tilting his head up,
She bent her head back to the flames in front of her, dragging her knees up to her
chest, '' Nothing important.''

'' Nothing important?'' Draco questioned her, arching his spine of the wood as he
strode up to her, slipping down on the couch her back rested against.

'' Nothing important.'' She whispered, '' How are you doing?''

Draco huffed, looking down at her from below as she scrunched the napkin in
her fist. She didn't want him to see it.

'' That's not important.'' He sought to mock her, placing his elbows on his knees
as he leaned forward.

Amelie shook her head, slightly scoffing at the blonde, '' Funny.''

'' I know,'' Draco mumbled as her head fell against the arms wrapped around her
legs. He reached a hand towards her, still looking down at her as he brushed a
strand of hair off her shoulder,

'' Tell me what you wrote—''

'' I'm going to bed.'' Theodore stepped into the room in nothing but his night
pants. His muscular chest exposed, with his shirt hanging over his shoulder,

'' Do you need anything before I—''

Draco's jaws clenched as he watched Amelie smile at her best friend. He felt a
light torch of jealousy tick at his nerves, and his eyes dragged off her, leaning
back against the backrest.

'' No. We're fine.'' Amelie ensured him, '' Goodnight, Teddy.''

'' Goodnight, love.'' Theodore smiled back, gripping the clothing from his
shoulder.

Draco kept his piercing stare in the fire, mumbling, '' Nott.'' To the boy.

'' Malfoy.'' Theodore grinned back, shooting them both a gentle look before
walking into his room, and shutting the door close behind him.
Amelie peered up at the blonde, seeing the cold expression on his face — she
felt terrible.

'' I was writing about you.'' She whispered, and his eyes caught hers; a curious
look rose upon him as he leaned forward again.

'' Really?'' He sounded surprised.

Her cheeks burnt, '' Really.''

'' Let's hear it then.'' Draco tilted his head, nodding towards the paper in her
hand, and she clenched it harder.

'' No.''

'' No?''

A peel of soft laugher fell off her lips, '' No. I'm not letting you hear what I
wrote.''

Draco huffed, rolling his eyes at her as he thought about it. The book. Her book.
He had brought it here because he wanted to give it back to her.

He knew that a girl who had suffered so much in her life as Amelie had done —
getting attached to things, wasn't an easy thing, and she seemed tied to this book.

The tears staining some of the pages told him how she'd been crying while
scrambling in it. The words of happiness and the words of hurt told him how
much she trusted the bounded sheets of paper.

He could only wish that someday — she would put that much faith in him.

'' Fine.'' He smirked, '' But I want to hear the rest of it.''

Her features fell into confusion, her brows furrowed, '' What do you—''

'' You don't have to tell me about the me parts, but I would love to hear the rest
of it.''

Her cheeks blushed again, '' It's just some stupid questions.''
'' Some stupid questions?'' The note falling off his tongue shredded in curiosity, ''
What stupid questions?''

'' It's just—'' Amelie held her breath as she thought about it.

This was the perfect time to ask him about everything that was still unknown to
her. To ask Draco all the things she craved to find out about.

Yet — she didn't quite dare to. Her heart began to pound, and her fingers gripped
around the napkin.

She needed to focus, just like Teddy had taught her. She couldn't let the name of
the boy who still had her life chained in magic do this to her anymore.

But it was as if she couldn't help it. It was a curse — having her life bounded
with someone else's and especially with a human being who held so little respect
for her life.

'' I was wondering about...'' Her lips pushed together, and Draco noticed how her
breathing started to falter — how the calm, peaceful girl began to tremble.

His hands pushed into the sofa, forcing himself down onto the floor next to her.
He placed a hand on her knee,

'' It's alright.'' He whispered, tilting his head against hers, '' You are safe here,
and you can ask me anything.''

Amelie felt it — it did feel safe next to him, her tensed body softened by the
touch he brought her.

The tightened air in her lungs — eased.

She wasn't scared here. She was safe.

'' I was wondering about Adrian and my mother.'' She whispered quickly before
she had any chance to change her mind. She shut her eyes closed and bit down
onto her lower lip.

Draco's teeth gritted. The heavy, severe breath he seized through his nose made
her nervous.
He knew this was coming — that she would ask something like this, and she
should. Amelie had every right to know what he knew about her family.

That wasn't anything that bothered him, but the fact of what he had to ask of her,
again — made his bones cave.

The date he had set with the dark lord shifted closer for every day that passed,
and it was almost time for him to meet Voldemort again. He understood that he
couldn't show up empty-handed.

Draco needed her memories, but it tortured him to ask such a thing from her
when he just got her back — when she finally held where she belonged again.

Not to think about the hurt and agony it caused her. Every time he searched her
mind, she fell apart, and it took days for her to gather herself — even if she
never showed it. He saw it every time.

Draco was scared too because now he knew that she could see his mind, just as
he watched hers.

'' About that.'' Draco took a deep breath, his hand on her knee tensed, '' I need to
ask something of you...''

_____
 Thirty-four

_____

'' I was feeling a bit lonely.''

_____

'' How did you sleep?'' Amelie was standing in the doorway to the living room in
a nightshirt, almost twice her size,

Draco rushed a hand through his hair, groaning as he sat up on the couch,

'' Fine.'' He mumbled, '' I slept just fine.''

Her feet scored cold against the wooden boards coating the floor of the cabin —
shivers soared at her bare legs by the brisk morning air.

Amelie always woke up long before Theodore did, and she cherished the
moment she had alone as the sun rose between the mountains.

It had turned colder outside, she noticed by the stains of freeze, crackling its way
up the windows in the morning and the leaves coated in verglas.

'' How did you sleep?'' Draco caught her attention again, and her head tilted to
look at him. His blonde hair fell dowdily over his ashen skin,

Amelie couldn't help but smile at the tired boy in front of her. His spine rested
against the backrest of the sofa as the sheets covered half of his body.

Her eyes dragged across him, studying him before they landed on the scars
carved into his chest. It looked painful — even if most of them were healed and
only the outlines of the torture still showed, it seemed like it still hurt.

'' I slept just fine.'' Amelie tried to smile, '' I was feeling a bit lonely.''
Draco huffed, his hands stroked over his face to brush the fatigue out of his eyes.

'' Me too.'' He whispered, letting his arms fall beside him as he looked back at
her again.

He studied her too. He watched as her toes twitched over the cold floor, her
knees slightly shook out of the chilly room, and her fingers grasped at the edges
of her sleeves.

In reality, she looked ridiculous, standing in that oversized shirt — it seemed

like she could drown in it, with her hair tangled by the deep sleep, but to him —
to him, she was more than perfect.

Draco adored the small details about her, of how she did not really care about
how she looked in front of him. She was confident with him and that he valued.

''May I read you something?'' Amelie whispered from across the room, her lower
lip sucked in between her teeth in hesitation.

Draco's face softened as he nodded towards her, folding the edge of the bed linen
to the side for her to slip underneath it on the sofa next to him.

Her face brightened, and her eyes glistened with hope as she stepped up to the
furniture, dropping down beside him. Draco tucked the sheet around her, making
sure that the freezing air wouldn't bother her.

'' Read me what?'' He mumbled, peering down over his shoulder at her, '' It didn't
end that well when you read me something last time.''

Amelie swallowed, feeling the shyness waver her at what he spoke.

'' I'm sorry.'' She breathed out, reaching over her legs to grab the book resting on
the living room table.

Draco's eyes widened, '' What could you possibly be sorry for?''

Amelie's chin rose, and she saw the corner of his eyes twitch. He looked
exhausted.

Even if he had been sleeping on that couch for three days, he was still tired
beyond explanation. He had been on edge for over a month as he looked for her
— as he haunted every clue of her down, and now, it all came crashing over him.

'' I don't know. I'm just sorry—''

'' Don't.'' Draco snapped, twisting his body to fully face her, '' We talked about
this. Don't apologize for something you didn't do. Don't apologize for existing.''

The tips of her fingers clenched around the spine of the book she was holding.
Her eyes fell to look at it — she tried to avoid his honest stare.

'' I'm not apologizing for existing.''

'' Good.'' Draco replied, looking down at the book in her hands, '' I'm glad that
you're here, never apologize for that.''

Amelie smiled, feeling as her head gently leaned against his shoulder and her
legs crossed underneath the cover.

'' I don't mind what happened last time,'' Draco spoke. The corner of his lip
dragged out as he thought about it — how he had kissed her.

Her cheeks flushed in color as her head felt heavy against his arm, '' I don't
either.''

'' Really?'' Draco leaned his chin against the top of her head.

''Really.''

They sat there for moments — those moments felt like hours, but none of them
minded. It felt pleasant, sitting there, next to each other in silence as nature
started to patter on the window glass.

It was raining again. It always rained when it came to him.

Amelie felt how Draco's breaths shifted heavier, and his skin warmed up against
hers. She couldn't help but shove herself away from him on the couch as he
settled his head on her lap.

'' You owe me so much sleep, Amelie,'' Draco mumbled, dozing off as his arm
snaked around her legs,

Her fingers softly stroked the blonde strands of his hair, '' And why is that?''

He groaned something back to her — inaudible for her to hear, but she knew
what he meant.

He had probably been just as worried and burdened by her lack of presence as
she was of his.

'' Just sleep, Draco.'' Her tone felt soothing to him, '' Sleep, and I'll be here when
you wake up.''

His hands gripped her thigh harder, '' Really?''

'' Really.'' She whispered back. Draco fell asleep. His breathing calmed her as
she picked up her book and started reading.

He laid there, on top of her, his chin against her clothed stomach — nothing had
felt this safe to him before. He never fell asleep that easily. Not once had he been
able to rest so deeply without being on edge.

Amelie's eyes flickered over the pages of her book with her fingers tangled into
his hair.

This wasn't only comforting for Draco — but for her too. She never let anyone
but Theodore close to her, and when she did — she never felt safe.

But she was safe here, underneath his protecting body, dragging her fingers
down the silky strands of the blonde hair, all the way over his exposed back, and
then up again — over and over.

'' Goodmorning—'' Theodore finally opened his door, his locks in a complete
mess over his head as he shot them a curious look.

'' Shhhh...'' Amelie lowered the book from her hold, feeling how Draco slightly
flinched in her hold by Teddy's loud welcoming.

'' Oh, sorry.'' Theo quieted down, raising his hands up in defeat, '' I'll just—'' He
nodded towards the kitchen before sneaking into it.
Draco's toned muscles clenched against hers, and his nose sunk into her largened
T-shirt.

'' It's alright, Draco.'' Amelie sought to ease him, reaching over his exposed back
to pull the bedsheet over them, '' You're safe here.''

As they laid there, on the soft fabric of the sofa, and she looked at him — how
this chest rose and fell gently against her, how his eyelashes twitched as he
entered the world of dreams.

She couldn't believe the cruel, heartless things people told about him and his
haunted past.

They said he was menacing, dangerous.

But he was her safe.

______

Days had passed since Draco found them, and the calmness of being somewhere
no one could ever discover them — felt nice to all three of them.

They got along well together. Theodore spent his nights teaching Draco how to
make simple spells within healing, to heal a cut or a bruise, and the blonde
returned that favor by showing Theo how to easily defend himself.

Amelie got her wand back for the first time since Draco had brought her to the
manor — both of the boys helped her manage the power of it again.

They cooked together — they read, played, and enjoyed each other during the
days they were seeking comfort in Theodore's family cabin.

But as the days went on — Draco held the truth, that reality was sneaking upon
them, and that there was only a limited time they could be here.

He had a task to complete. His mother couldn't stay in charge of Adrian for
much longer, and the meeting with the dark lord held only weeks away.

He still hadn't located the bravery to talk to Amelie about it — about what he
had to ask of her. That he needed her to let him search her head again. That they
needed to leave this place, she felt so safe in.

Draco loathed himself for it — for being the one to drag her away from
everything she held so dearly once more, but he had been thinking about it, and
just before he left to find her,

He asked Hermione and Pansy to join him in the manor. He believed it might be
easier for Amelie to feel safe and happy when people she cherished — were
there too.

Amelie had invited him to take a walk with her to a place she wanted to show
him, and he knew that he had to talk to her during that. They didn't possess
enough time to stall this any longer.

Her feet stumbled over the branches as they walked down the small path. Amelie
was taking him to the shoreline, to the beach she and Teddy always loved to
visit.

She wanted him to see it too before they left.

Amelie understood that he needed something from her. The agonizing way he
had looked at her and the sensitive — careful way he barely touched her the last
couple of days made her realize that something was about to happen.

Draco's face twisted in a grimace as she peered up at him — he didn't seem to

enjoy the little adventure she was taking him on as much as she did.

'' And how far do we have to go?'' Draco muttered, shoving a branch out of her
way, '' I mean, we have been walking in these bloody woods for almost twenty
minutes.''

Amelie rolled her eyes at him, her fingers clasped together in the warm gloves
she wore, and her chin tucked deeper into the collar of her jacket,

'' Just wait, a little patience hasn't hurt anybody, has it?'' She mocked him back,
making his lips push into a straight line, '' We're almost there.''

'' Where is there?'' Draco annoyingly huffed at her, tucking his hand into the
pocket of his robe, '' What can possibly be worth walking twenty minutes into
nowhere—''
'' This,'' She cut him off, her shoulder nudged his for him to look up, '' Look.''

Draco stopped in his tracks, looking out over the beach in front of him and the
glint of happiness shredded his eyes for a brief moment.

'' Not so bad for a twenty-minute walk in the woods, right?'' Amelie taunted him
before walking past him over the treeline.

Her shoes sunk into the sand and grass-covered ground, and the late autumn sun
glimmered at the blue water.

She couldn't help but smile, taking a deep breath as she let go of everything that
had been bothering her. It felt easy here. There was no place for evil thoughts or
haunting minds — this was her happy place.

She thought about it a lot — just like she and Teddy had been talking about, she
wanted them to renovate the cabin that held majestic on this beach and use this
as their cabin for their future kids when they grew up.

'' What is this place?'' Draco called out, using long strides over the sand to catch
up with her,

Amelie peered back at him, shuddering a bit for herself by the iced wind
flooding in over the water,

'' It's our safe haven.''

'' Our?'' Draco rose a brow, strolling close to her.

'' Yes, mine and Teddy's.''

" But it can be yours too if you like?"

He nodded, looking forward over the mile-long shoreline. His jaws tensed, and
he knew that it was now or never — he needed to speak with her.

'' May I talk to you about something?'' He asked her, shoving both of his hands
into his pockets,

Her head tipped as her eyes caught his, '' Of course.''

Draco's heart pounded. His insides wrenched because of where they were — he
didn't want to upset her in a place she felt peace at.

'' You know how you asked about your mother and Adrian the other night?'' He
tore his sights from her, clocking them ahead of himself instead.

'' I do. You avoided the question and made me go to bed.'' She replied, feeling a
bit anxious about where he was going with this, '' What about it?"

Draco halted, his hand wrapped around her upper arm to stop her from walking,
'' We need to go back.''

Amelie swallowed, giving him a soft gaze, '' I know.''

His brows furrowed, '' You know—''

'' I do. You are really easy to read sometimes, Draco.'' The corner of her mouth
arched, and the panic flushing through him stilled.

'' But tell me, why? Why do we need to go back?''

The blonde cleared his throat, his eyes fled over the lake behind her, '' I need to
ask something of you, and it's alright for you to say no if you're not ready for it,
either way — I want you to come back with me to the manor. Nott too.''

Her eyes searched his, noticing the flicker of truth in them.

'' If you don't want to do this, that's more than fine with me. I just want you to
come with me.''

'' You know I will,'' Amelie spoke. She pulled one of her gloves off and stretched
a hand up in between them — her fingers brushed a strand of hair away from his
eyes.

'' But tell me. What do you need from me, Draco?''

He doubted himself. The way she was so incredibly selfless in this made him
feel like a monster. He didn't want to use her kindness, yet he needed her to help
him.
'' I need your memories. I need to find your mother, Amelie.''

She stayed quiet. Her mind wrestled the thought of going through all of that pain
and torture again, but it was for a good cause. It would save his father's life, and
she would be able to find her mother again.

Draco felt scared by her silence. Every time she didn't respond to him — he got
fearful. He was afraid that she wouldn't come with him now and that he would
lose her all over again.

It was a scary thing — the thought of losing the person he found shelter in.

'' But if you don't want to do this — I'm certain that I can find some other way. I
just need you to come with me. That's all that I want, and —''

'' I want to.''

Her words clocked him off as he stared at her.

'' I want to help you, Draco. I want to find my mother too.''

Draco could sense the warmth of her gentleness again. She was too good for him
— he knew that. He didn't deserve a soul that selfless in his life, especially not
when he had been feeding off of it before.

'' Are you sure? You don't have to do this—''

'' Draco.'' Her hand placed on his arm, '' I want to help you.''

Amelie knew this wasn't smart. She would once again drain herself to help
someone else — someone that had been fooling her in the past — someone that
broke her heart by asking her to leave, and even if she forgave him for doing so,
there is nothing that goes against him doing it, all over again.

But Amelie wouldn't be Amelie if she didn't. She lived to help other people. To
be there for whoever may need her and to do everything in her power to make
everyone around her — happy.

Treat other's the way you want to be treated, as her mother used to say.
She would continuously break her own heart if that meant that she could keep
his in one piece.

'' Adrian is there.'' Draco's jaws gritted even tighter, '' I want you to know that he
can't hurt you anymore. I would never allow it, but I still need you to understand
that he's there.''

Her eyes fluttered close as she felt the ache of her past pound throughout her
every nerve.

It was heartbreaking, going back to something she felt as if she was rescued
from — but she needed to do this.

She was strong enough.

'' I know.'' Her voice slightly cracked as he noticed.

Draco slipped his hand out of his pocket, placing his fingers underneath her chin
for her to look up at him,

'' You are safe with me, Amelie.'' He looked serious. The grey eyes bored
through hers, '' You will always be safe with me, and I will never stop telling
you that.''

'' I know.'' Her hold dropped from his arm, and her forehead fell against his
coated chest. '' I know, Draco.''

'' When do we have to leave?'' Amelie's breaths fanned the wool fabric of his
jacket.

Draco's gazed out over the world in front of him, but even if it was beautiful
here,

He already had his whole world, right here, wrapped in his arms, leaning against
his chest — even if he'd never come to admit it.

The brown-haired, kind-hearted girl he was hugging — would mean more than
all of it to him.

'' We have to leave tonight.''

______
 Thirty-five

_____

"You're allowed to hold me, you know?"

_____

Amelie was standing in the doorway to her room at the manor. It felt strange to
her, being here again.

The fact that she was heartbroken the last time he made her leave caused her
chest to cave in. The heavy lingering almost made it hard to breathe.

And the truth of Adrian, being two floors down, locked up in the basement,
didn't make any of it more manageable.

But if anyone was strong enough for this — it was her, even if she didn't know
that herself.

Battles and struggles within your life are inevitable — Amelie understood that,
but it's the way you choose to handle it, it's the way you fight back, that matters.

Her sight gazed over the room as she stepped inside of it. The look of it was
almost as how she left it, yet not,

Something had changed.

The books on the shelves were brand new, not old and dusty like she
remembered them. The paint on the wall next to the window held fresh —
someone had coated it recently, and the stinging yet satisfying scent of it filled
the room.

She didn't know that Draco had ripped this room to pieces while looking for her
— that he had spent his nights crying against the wall next to her door.
Her eyes fell to the timber, noticing the handle inside of it, and she smiled.

This time was different.

This time — he wouldn't lock her up, holding her captive. This time, she was
here on her own terms.

Amelie's thought spun straight to the diary she had left behind, and she rushed
over to the bed, dropping down to her knees as she tucked her hands underneath
the mattress — but nothing.

It wasn't there anymore.

Panic flooded throughout her veins as it clocked her — most of the things in her
room were replaced, and the only reason for them to be new is if someone had
been in here, shredding it apart.

'' Are you alright?'' Draco's voice scored loud from behind her. She pulled her
arms out from below the bed.

Her cheeks burnt by the embarrassment, '' I'm fine.'' She lied, worried that he had
found her diary, '' I was just looking for—''

'' This?'' He held her book up in front of him, and her lips parted.

Draco shoed into the room, closing the door behind him as she rose from her
kneeling position.

'' Don't be mad.'' His jaws gritted, '' Don't be mad at me. I just—''

Amelie took quick steps up to him, wrapping her fingers around the leather
spine. She looked at it for moments as he looked at her.

He always seemed to look at her.

Even if she knew that he'd been invading her privacy, in a way that made her
upset — she couldn't be bothered. When it came to Draco, she put all of her trust
in him, and if he felt the need to read her hidden thoughts, he must have a good
reason too.
'' You just...?'' Her head shot back, facing his guilty stare.

Draco cleared his throat, his eyes held an agonizing glint, '' I needed to find you,
and like I said — I will never apologize for doing so.''

Her eyes scrunched together as she looked at him, a wavy lock of her hair fell
over her forehead while shaking her head,

'' But this is—''

'' I know.'' Draco hushed her, letting his hands into his pockets, '' I'm sorry.''

Amelie's face softened, her head tilted to catch his grounded stare, '' I thought
you said that you wouldn't apologize?''

Draco's eyes rolled at her gentle comment, '' Well. If there is an actual time to
apologize. I believe this is it.''

'' Really?'' The corner of her lips arched as she sought to hide her smile, but he
noticed, and the warmth flushed within him because of it.

'' Really.''

" But I have a question for you." Draco looked at her, curiously.

" Of course."

" How do you do it? How can you be so kind and forgiving? I was wrong,
reading your..."

" Thoughts." He hushed, " Still you don't seem to mind. Why is that?"

Her eyebrows rose, " I like to believe that kindness has a way of coming back to
you."

Draco simply stared at her, out of words to what she said. She said it without
question, as if it was the most clear thing in the entire world, not knowing about
the darkness in it.

His mind clouded by her warm heart, and as she stood close to him, he could
nearly feel it.
" This world doesn't deserve your selflessness. You know that, right?"

'' Thank you,'' Amelie whispered, tipping her forehead against his chest, '' Thank
you for apologizing.''

She always did that, and she didn't grasp why — but there was something about
burying her head in his chest, that made her feel complete, whole in a way she'd
never felt before.

Maybe it was the warmth of it or the fact that he seemed to love it when she did
because he always settled his chin on top of her head, but he didn't fold his arms
around her anymore, not like he did before she left — and that made her feel like
something was wrong,

'' You are allowed to hold me, you know?" She mumbled into his black suit
jacket, '' I don't mind.''

She could feel how he sucked in a harsh breath. His head felt heavy on top of
hers.

'' I just don't want to hurt you,'' Draco replied as his whole body tensed.

Amelie felt a rush of pain sting in the cage of her chest, '' How could holding me
possibly hurt me?''

Draco didn't answer. He simply placed a hand on the back of her neck, tangling
his fingers into the brown strands of her hair as he gently pushed her head back
into his chest, right where he needed her to be.

'' You if anyone, don't hurt me when you hold me, Draco.'' She whispered, and
he smiled. She didn't see it, yet somehow — she felt it.

'' I should shower and clean myself up. I feel like a mess.'' Amelie said, gripping
the book in her hand harder.

'' You're everything but a mess.'' Draco mumbled shyly, '' But I'll leave you to it.''

He took a step back from her, '' I'll see you downstairs for dinner later.''

______
Amelie enjoyed feeling the warm water shatter over her as she shampooed her
hair — massaging her fingers against her scalp to wash herself clean of it all.

The last few weeks away had been more than needed. Still, the second she
returned here. It all came crashing down on her again.

She couldn't shake the thought of Adrian being in the basement, even if he was
locked up in chains and magic, underneath Draco's heavy guard — she was still
scared.

Amelie knew him better than anyone, almost better than he knew himself, and
she held the truth of the person he truly is.

To her, Adrian was a ruthless monster — the devil in human shape, and he
prayed on the misery of other souls.

His own soul was dark and deeply filled with hatred. He didn't possess one
single ounce of respect for human life, and nothing could change that.

But she still cared, and that was her biggest flaw. She was cursed by the caring
of the monster her life was bounded with.

Her face dived into the stream of heated water as she felt her eyes burning in
tears.

She was still scared, and she always would be. No one — not even her father had
caused the amount of harm on her as Adrian had done.

He had tortured her for years, and no matter how hard she tried to strain herself
from the fright she held for the vile boy — she would never be free.

A sob fled her throat, and her knees grew weak by the panic washing over her.
She dropped down to the ground as she silently cried.

" Amelie, are you in there?"

Her body flinched, and she crawled into the corner of the bathtub she was lying
in.

She stayed quiet, hearing how Theodore mumbled something underneath his
breath, and the door slowly opened.

" Teddy—" She sobbed, pulling the shower curtain all the way across the
bathtub,

His hand slammed over his eyes, " I'm sorry. I thought you cried."

Amelie was hidden behind the curtain with her knees dragged up to her chest.
He couldn't see her and the heavy drips of water muffled the whimpers falling
off her lips.

" I'm okay, just go, please." She begged him as she hugged herself.

Theodore sat down on the edge of the bathtub, on the other side of the fabric
hanging between them.

" You're not okay. You're crying. I can hear you." He spoke, his tone desperately
cracked by the hurt of his best friend.

" Tell me about it." He whispered, " Tell me what's making you sad, and I'll help
you."

Amelie hesitated, but as he once told her — you don't have to go through this
alone.

And she didn't. No one did. Confiding in another person can be the saving of a
haunted mind.

" I'm just—" She felt another sob in the back of her throat as she let it out, " I
can't stop thinking about Adrian."

Theodore's face twisted, swallowing as he felt her pain.

He could always feel her pain.

He knew just how hard she had worked to escape her past of the boy who hurt
her so badly, and he did everything he possibly could to help her.

They had been forming her mind for the better. For weeks they had been doing
all things imaginable to straighten her — to bring out the strong, powerful girl he
knew was hiding beneath all that sorrow.

'' You know, love.'' He breathed out, his hand stretched inside the shower, and
she watched his fingers twitch together. Theo wanted her to take his hand.

Her wet fingers tangled with his and his thumb rubbed circles on the spine of it.

'' You know that no one deserves your tears, and I know how hard it must be for
you to be here. To know that he's here too.'' Theodore leaned his back against the
tile wall,

'' But you are safe here. I am here, Malfoy is here too, Narcissa, and from what
Draco told me, we will have other guests arriving soon. You're not alone,
Amelie.''

She nodded, even if he couldn't see her — she nodded because she knew just
how right he was.

'' Do you remember what I told you in the cabin?'' Theo kept on stroking her
hand with his thumb, comforting her as best as he could.

'' What?'' Amelie swallowed the tears that wouldn't stop coming.

'' That you are not to blame. You are allowed to be scared, and you are allowed
to be hurt. That is more than understandable. He has been hurting you for so
long, and no one could simply forgive and forget that easily. But you have come
so far, and you are so strong, love. You amaze me every day, and I will keep
saying that till the day you believe me.''

It calmed her.

The way he spoke to her — the way he comforted her with the kind words he
always sought to tell.

It did much for a person who had been through what she had. Someone talking
to you about it. Someone understanding you, and someone willing to help you.

Theodore was her greatest anchor in the depth of her pain.

'' And you are not alone. I will always help you and listen to you. You know
that.''

Her fingers clenched around his, tighter as she forced herself off the ceramics. '' I
know.''

Amelie turned the water off, feeling the steam around her thicken her lungs as
she let go of his hand.

'' Can you give me the towel, please?'' She whispered, her hands dragged over
her soaked hair to squeeze most of the water out of it.

'' Of course.'' He muttered, standing tall on his feet as he grabbed the towel off its
hanger, tucking it behind the curtain for her to take.

'' Thank you.'' She wrapped it around herself before pulling the material to the
side, stepping out of the shower.

Theodore looked at her. His stare matching her eyes was soft, soothing. '' You
know.'' He smiled, taking a boot closer,

'' Even when you're sad — you're still the most beautiful person there is.''

Amelie couldn't help but let out a gentle huff at that, gazing back at her friend as
he wrapped his arms around her,

'' What are you doing?'' She chuckled, '' You'll get soaked.''

'' I don't care,'' Theo mumbled back, holding her close as his shirt stained by her
wet body.

'' Now tell me what you want to do. Do you want us to leave? Do you want me
to ask Malfoy to move Adrian somewhere else?''

Her chest felt heavy again as she thought of it — and her mind could only reach
one thing.

'' I want to see him.''

Theo's entire body tensed as he leaned back from her — staring down at the
broken girl.
'' No.'' His head shook, '' Absolutely not."

"No.''

Her brows furrowed, '' That's the only thing I can think about. I think I need
closure. I think I need to see him, locked up behind bars to truly understand that
he can't hurt me anymore.''

His green eyes fell over her innocent features, and somewhere — deep inside, he
knew she was right.

He couldn't stand against it. If she felt as if she needed to do this — then it was
her choice.

'' Please, Teddy. Let me see him.'' Her pleads struck his soul, and he nodded.

'' Get dressed, but we can't let Malfoy see us.''

______
 Thirty-six

_____

'' You will always be worth waiting for.''

_____

Amelie's hesitated in her steps, all way down the small stairs.

She needed to do this, no matter how much her body caved — her mind was set.
There was no going back from this.

She felt as she craved the comfort of speaking her mind against him.

'' Are you absolutely sure about this?'' Theodore asked from behind her, his voice
shook out of nervosity, '' I mean, a hundred percent sure? Because we can go
back to your room—''

'' I'm sure.'' She turned around to level his eyes. '' I'm okay, Teddy. I promise,
wait for me upstairs.''

'' I can't go with you?'' He lowered his voice, hunching his spine to be closer to
her, '' I mean you can't be with him all by yourself.''

'' I can, and I will. He's behind bars. He's locked inside the basement like you
said. He can't get to me anymore.'' Amelie was starting to grow impatient with
the endless trail of questions.

Theodore held for a brief moment before his head dipped — nodding to what she
has requested of him.

'' Fine, but I'll be right upstairs, and all you need to do is shout for me, and I'll be
right down here. Alright?''

'' I promise.'' She held as she turned around, looking down at the lattice door at
the end of the stairs.

Amelie caught Theodore's tracks move up the steps again, and she kept walking
down, but she froze.

Her whole being stilled at the last step.

It was as if she couldn't move — as if it all came crashing down on her again,
over and over until that last sip of air in her chest heaved.

Every time he abused her flashed through her mind.

'' Who's there?''

She flinched by the hoarse voice, pressing her spine against the wall. The sound
of chains clinking together made her breaths hitch in the back of her throat —
she wasn't sure if she was ready for this anymore.

Amelie was terrified.

'' Amelie, is that you?'' Adrian growled again, and the echoing of heavy steps
came closer, '' I can recognize that flower scent, anywhere, you know.''

Her body shook violently. She didn't possess a thought to what she was doing as
she stepped down over the stone.

Her eyes widened as she faced the heaviest devil in her life. She barely
recognized him anymore — he had changed so much since she last saw him.

Even if his hair was longer, almost so lasting that it fell into his eyes, even if his
muscles had faded and the olive tone of his skin, ashen — he still had that
vicious look in his eyes.

That could never change, and neither can he.

'' I knew you would come back to me, darling.'' Adrian let out a weak cough,
watching her as he stumbled closer.

Amelie stayed quiet, studying the marks on his face, the cuts in his arms, and the
bruises coating his skin.
'' Say something, darling. Let me hear that beautiful voice of yours.'' His tone
was gentle, manipulating almost.

'' I—'' The air in her lungs fastened, and suddenly — she couldn't speak. Not a
single sound left her tongue because all she could do was to look at him.

At the boy who cursed her and her life.

The mixture of emotions within caved her bones — she was scared, but at the
same time relieved that he was here, locked up, in a place where he couldn't
possibly hurt her anymore.

'' You, what, darling?'' Adrian kept his voice calm and steady, '' God, I have
missed you so much.''

Her lower lip shook as she stood petrified, '' I have—'' She swallowed the lump
growing in the back of her throat,

'' I haven't.''

'' You haven't what? Missed me?" His breathing stilled. The devilish green eyes
narrowed, '' And why is that, Amelie?''

The way he said her name made chills spread down her spine.

'' Why haven't you missed me? You love me, remember?'' Adrian's fingers
grasped around the bars of the door, '' It's you and me.''

'' No.'' Her breaths airy, '' You can't do this to me anymore.''

The moment she said that. The second those words fled her throat, her haunted
mind eased. It was a weight, lifted off of her chest, and for the first time in years
— she could breathe properly.

It was as if her heart gave in to what her mind already knew.

'' Do what, exactly?'' He hissed, pushing himself into the metallic, '' Tell me, my
future wife, what I—''

'' I'm not your future wife, Adrian.'' She caught a step forward as the bravery
within her fragile soul grew.

'' I'm not yours anymore.''

Adrian arched his neck, shifting impatiently by her lack of understanding. His
tongue rolled over his lower lip, and his teeth bit down on it after,

'' And why is that, darling? Is it because you have others to care for now? Like
Malfoy, for example?'' He turned hostile. His smirk was broad.

'' Draco has nothing to do with this—''

'' Oh.'' Adrian let out a peel of provoking laughter, '' So we're defending him
now. I see.''

'' I'm not—'' Amelie's sight grounded, and her fingers curled into fists. She
inhaled as she felt the panic drown her — just like Teddy had thought her.

'' I'm not defending anyone. I'm just saying that Draco has nothing to do with this
— this is about you, Adrian.''

Her eyelashes battled the tears she felt burning, '' It all comes back to you,
always.''

He kept his evil grin, raising a brow at her, '' Did you sleep with him? Malfoy? Is
that why you're acting like a—''

'' Stop!'' She nearly shouted, her foot stamped against the stone-covered ground
but all he did was laugh at her.

'' This isn't about him. This is about you. It's always about you, Adrian.'' The
muscle in her jaw ticked, '' I have taken all of your anger, for so many years,
without doing anything about it, and I can't do it anymore.''

Adrian's eyes turned darker, but he kept his mouth sealed.

'' You hurt me, Adrian, for years. You hurt me so badly, and if it wasn't for
Teddy and Draco—''

'' And we're back to Malfoy, I see.'' He rolled his eyes, leaning his forehead
against the bars.

'' You broke me. You destroyed everything about me, and then you blamed me
for it. You put all your blame on me for something you crushed.''

'' Because you did, Adrian. You broke me more than it's possible for a person to
be. Still, you found a way to do it, and when I thought you couldn't take anything
else from me — you took my freedom.''

'' Oh, yes.'' Adrian's head tilted, '' That's my best accomplishment. "

"The vow.''

Amelie couldn't hold it back. A clear, innocent tear rolled down her drained
cheek.

'' You took everything from me.''

'' And happily so.'' He shot back, his hands pounded against the door,

'' You don't understand, do you? I own you, Amelie. I own everything about you,
and there is no escape from me. You can keep me locked up here, for the rest of
my life, but I will always be there, in your mind, torturing you of everything that
makes you happy.''

'' Stop.'' She whispered, her fingers twitched against her palms.

'' I made you. I formed you to what I wanted you to be, and if you ever think that
you could escape me, you're lying to yourself, and you know it.''

'' Adrian, please, stop.''

'' You're not foolish. I taught you to be smart. I taught you how to manipulate for
me, and deep, deep down that fragile, pathetic little chest of yours, you know
that you're nothing more than what I made you be.''

Amelie caught slow steps back as he kept going. Her spine struck the wall as she
slipped down against it.

" Pathetic."
" Useless."

" And to think that I picked you out of all people, disgusting."

Her hands cupped around her ears, and her knees hugged her chest. She couldn't
think. She couldn't let him do this to her again. She needed to be strong.

She needed to be everything that she taught herself to be and not what Adrian
made her.

But Adrian was going mad — insane as he slammed his chains against the metal,

'' You can keep telling yourself how strong you are and how far you've come, but
I will always be here, reminding you of the lie you're living.''

Amelie tried not to listen — she worked to distance herself from his words and
leave, but it was as if she couldn't move. She didn't dare to.

She wanted to make herself small. She wanted to disappear.

Adrian always did this. He crushed her, and then he punished her for being
broken.

And that was her price — for having a soft heart, the world would always use
her.

'' You know what? Maybe I should just kill myself, at least then I know that I
don't have to see you ever again, and you'll die with me because you know what,
darling? Not even your own life belongs to you.''

'' It does.'' Her whimpers were inaudible for him to hear, but the important thing
was that she knew it for herself.

'' My life belongs to me. I am worthy.''

'' I am worthy.''

'' I didn't choose this.''

'' This isn't my fault.''

'' My life belongs to me.''

'' I am loved.'' She tried to convince herself.

He was shouting at her, hammering his hands into the bars as the tears drowned
her skin.

'' Ask Malfoy, Amelie. Ask him where your father is.'' Adrian kept going, '' Ask
him, and find out just how honest your bloody little savior is, but when you do—
just know that you'll be coming back to me like the pathetic—''

'' What is going on?'' Draco growled from upstairs, '' What did you do, Nott?''

" Where is she?"

'' She needs this—''

'' Let go of me, right now, Theodore.''

'' No, Draco. You don't understand. She has to do this. She needed to see him—''

'' Get out of my way, Nott. I'm not telling you again, are you completely out of
your mind?''

'' Draco—''

'' Don't.''

" Amelie!"

Amelie squeezed her ears harder — she didn't want to hear anything, not Adrian,
not Theodore, not Draco.

She just wanted the ground to swallow her whole as Adrian kept spitting the
cruelest of words at her.

Her body jolted, and the air filled her lungs as she felt the cold hands wrap
around her trembling figure.

Draco didn't even bother to make Adrian quiet — he just needed to take her
away from it.
Draco was a boy, who seemed to live for revenge — to seek vengeance for the
chaos made by other people, but not in this moment.

All he saw was her, and nothing else mattered.

He didn't care about hurting Adrian or curse Theodore for allowing her to go
down there.

He needed to protect her. To save the girl, falling apart in his arms.

______

Draco carried her up to his room. He didn't let his eyes off of her, not even for a
second. He just needed to take her someplace he knew that she felt safe.

He hunched down on his bed, with her still in his arms. He held her — closer
than he had ever done before.

His large hands around her shaking body made his heart ache and the concerned
gaze upon him fell into a heartbreaking one,

Not quickly, but slowly, as if he could feel just how much she was caving in his
arms.

'' Amelie.'' He whispered softly, '' Amelie. I'm here now.''

She didn't say anything — she didn't even cry anymore.

She was quiet.

'' Amelie.'' Draco sought to comfort her again, '' You know that all of these
things he said to you. They are not true.''

'' This is not your fault.'' He tilted his chin against her head, hearing as the shaky
breaths left her lips.

'' Just breathe, Amelie.'' Draco held his note low, steady for her to follow it, ''
Can you do that? Can you breathe for me?''

Amelie's head nodded slowly as she pressed the side of her head into his chest
— it calmed her. Listening to his heartbeat as it pathed with hers.
'' I'm sorry.'' She whispered, her hands grasped at the ends of her sleeves, '' I
didn't—''

'' Shhh.'' Draco mumbled into her head, '' Don't apologize. I know.''

Her breaths in flutters and her heart was ripped into pieces.

She understood what she gave herself into when she went down there — she
knew that he could break her even more,

Yet, she needed it, and she — even if he was nothing more than heartless to her,
she felt closure because he hadn't changed. He was still the monster she
remembered him to be.

She breathed Draco in, that calming, harmless scent of him before she leaned
back, meeting the grey eyes.

'' Thank you.'' Amelie whispered, noticing how his jaws clenched, '' Thank you
for saving me.''

'' I will always save you.''

And he would. Even when she didn't know that he was doing it, he would always
look out for her.

With his palm against her cheek, his thumb wiped the tears off of it.

He dried her suffering.

'' You make me stronger, you know.'' Amelie's words caught him off guard as a
brow rose.

'' And you make me weak.'' The cold expression on his face softened at the
confused look towering hers, '' But not in a bad way. I could use someone to pull
me down to earth from time to time.''

His comment made her smile, once again in the time of misery — somehow, he
always managed to make her smile.

'' Really?'' Her eyes flashed in hope, and his hand stayed on her jawline.
'' Really.''

Amelie's eyes dragged over his handsome features, only to settle on his lips. She
still missed the feeling of them against hers.

Draco watched her as his hands cupped her other cheek, '' I want to kiss you,
Amelie.'' His head leaned closer to hers, '' I want to kiss you, and I want to take
all that pain away.''

'' Really?'' The tips of her fingers gripped around his shoulders, and she shifted
in her position on top of him.

'' Really.'' Draco breathed out as she placed a knee on each side of him, feeling
as his nose stroked against hers.

'' But I want you to be ready, the next time I do so because last time wasn't—''

'' I want you to kiss me, Draco.'' Her sight locked in his, '' And it's not for the
wrong reasons or because of what happened downstairs.''

'' Then why?" He mumbled quietly, and she sensed his hands around her waist,
pulling her an inch closer,

'' I could wait a lifetime to kiss you. It's still worth it.'' Draco whispered.

Malfoy knew that she was fragile. That she could easily break at the tips of his
fingers, but he also knew that the world rested on the tips of hers.

She could take on anything if she wanted to, and he needed to show her that.

'' You will always be worth waiting for.''

Without another word shared — she gently slipped her fingers over the blonde
strands of his hair, and her lips collided with his.

It was as breathtaking just like she remembered it to be, and at this moment —
something changed.

She was still scared of the boy in the basement, and she was still worried about
her mother, but with Draco next to her, holding her in a way she deserved to be
held — it all just made sense.

Amelie was meant to be here with him, and he was meant to be with her, and
even in the mess of them both not knowing — they knew.

'' Draco, dear.'' Narcissa's voice shredded loudly from downstairs, '' Our guests
have arrived.''

______
 Thirty-seven

_____

'' I have nightmares too, you know?''

_____

Amelie reached over the kitchen counter, eagerly looking out the window to see
when her friends were to arrive.

She hadn't seen either Pansy or Hermione for months, and she was more than
excited to meet them again — to hear everything that had been happening in
school when she was away.

'' Do you think she kept the baby?" Theodore mumbled from next to her, staring
out of the glass, '' I mean, she was still pregnant the last time I saw her.''

'' Of course, she did." Amelie felt a curve upon her lips as two large hands placed
on each side of the bench in front of her,

Draco pushed his chest against her back, trapping her in his safe embrace.

'' She did.'' Draco muttered, shooting Theo an evil stare, '' And Nott, don't think
we're done talking about this.''

'' About what?'' Theodore's hands flew up in defeat as he backed away from the
two, '' I only did what she asked me to do,''

Draco huffed, rolling his eyes at the brunette before he looked down over the girl
in his hold. He felt as if he needed to be close to her, to watch over her.

The moment he wasn't there last time — it all went terribly wrong, and he
couldn't risk her getting hurt one more time.

Amelie's eyes dragged over his hands, and her fingers stroked across the rings
coating them before trailing up over the popping veins embedded into his skin.

Draco smiled, feeling her touch upon his in the most simple way.

'' Are you feeling better?'' He asked her, slowly as his lips pushed into the back
of her head, '' I still think you should go upstairs and get some rest—''

'' I'm alright, Draco.'' Amelie whispered, tilting her head back into his chest, ''
But thank you for checking up on me.''

Draco's hand wrapped around hers. He didn't bother that her best friend was
standing next to them — he had lost so much time with her already, and he
wasn't going to waste another second.

'' You should rest. You haven't slept properly for—'' Amelie rose,

'' I'm fine.'' Draco cut her off, still standing with his body pressed to hers, '' I'll
sleep later.''

'' God.'' Theodore rolled his eyes beside them, '' Can we not do this when I am
here?''

Amelie let out a peel of soft laughter to his comment, but Draco didn't. His body
tensed at the brown-haired boy.

'' Nott, if you don't keep that bloody mouth of yours shut. I know a great spell
that can do it for you.''

''Draco,'' Amelie whispered, turning around in his arms to face him. Her eyes fell
upon the blonde one, and even if she was supposed to tell him to not mock her
best friend — she couldn't.

She watched as the grey eyes studied her. Her fingers stretched up in between
them to stroke a silky strand of hair off his forehead.

He loved it when she did that.

'' Be nice, Draco.'' She smiled, pulling her hand back, but the second she did —
his hand gripped hers, gently shaking his head at her before he reached her
knuckles up to his lips, kissing them carefully.
'' I am nice.'' Draco mumbled into the spine of her hand, looking softly at her, ''
This is me being nice.''

'' Really?'' Amelie frowned, trying to conceal the smile she so encouragingly
held onto.

'' Really.''

'' Can I ask you something?'' Amelie hesitated, sucking her bottom lip in between
her teeth.

She was nervous, even when she knew she didn't have to be. Draco never judged
her — he never held her responsible for anything, and he usually let her do as
she pleased.

'' Mhm.'' He hummed without taking his eyes off her, observing the features he
would never grow tired of.

Amelie grimaced. Her fingers twitched in his hand as she pulled her touch away.

'' May I...'' Her face shifted into shame, and she couldn't help but regret this.

'' May you...'' Draco took after her, '' What?''

'' Can I cut your hair?'' She blurted out before she could change her mind.

Draco's brows furrowed as Theodore burst out in laughter.

Amelie could feel her cheeks flushing in color as she shot Teddy a glare. His
taunting made her feel even more embarrassed.

Her heart pounded roughly within.

'' You want to cut my hair?'' Draco said, confused.

'' Yes.''

'' And why is that?'' He took a step back, his hand brushing over the blonde
strands, '' Is there something wrong with my hair?''

'' No—'' Her note desperately louder, '' I didn't mean it like that. I just... I don't
know. I just wanted to try and cut it.''

She smiled nervously, in the complete need for him to say yes. '' I'll let you cut
mine if you want?''

Draco huffed, '' I can take you to a hairdresser, you know?''

Amelie's head tipped to the side as she looked disappointingly at him, '' Now,
where is the fun in that?''

He stared at her, watching as the breathtaking girl in front of him smiled most
graciously.

There wasn't anything he wouldn't let her do. He could never say no to that
adorable curve on her lips — even if it regarded cutting his hair.

'' Fine.'' He muttered, taking a step back as his hand dropped to his side, '' But if
it turns out bad—''

'' It won't.'' Her eyes flashed in hope as his body shifted in warmth because of it.

He would tear the world in two just for her to look at him like that.

Even a small thing as this one made her visibly happy, and he couldn't wait to
make her this joyful every day, for as long as time let them.

'' They're here,'' Narcissa called out from the hallway, opening the front door.

All three heads snapped to the side, watching as the two girls stepped inside the
manor.

'' Hermione.'' Amelie breathed out, nearly shoving herself past Draco to rush up
to her friend, and Hermione wasn't slow to follow,

She stretched her arms out, wrapping them tightly around Amelie as she
slammed herself into the chest she'd missed so badly.

Amelie breathed Hermione in, smiling in a way she hadn't in a long time. She
missed the girl hugging her. More than words could come to explain.

'' I missed you, Ams.'' Hermione gasped into her hair, holding her tighter. '' God.
I have missed you so much.''

'' I missed you more, Mione.'' Amelie whimpered back, and she could almost feel
tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. '' I missed you so much more.''

The two girls hugged each other for minutes until Theodore placed a hand on
Amelie's shoulder, making the girl tilt her head to face him.

'' My turn.'' He grinned before his eyes flickered to Hermione.

Amelie let go of her friend as she looked back at Draco. He stood leaning against
the counter, his hands tucked into the pockets of his suit pants.

'' Hi, Amelie.'' Pansy caught her attention — her tone gentle, '' I wasn't sure if I
should've come here. I didn't know if you wanted to see me.'' She excused
herself.

The last time the two were together was an emotional moment for them both.
Pansy was, after all, pregnant with the boy Amelie once believed that she loved
so deeply.

Amelie's face fell into an agonizing one, and her heart ached for the brunette as
she traced a hand over her shoulder, '' Why would you ever think that, Pansy. I
am more than happy to see you again.''

The girl's shoulders sunk, and she held a gaze of glimmering relief, '' Thank
you.'' Pansy whispered; a hand stroked over her clothed stomach.

'' Oh my god.'' Amelie gasped as she watched the bump showing, '' Pansy.''

Pansy smiled as Amelie's hand slammed over her mouth and without hesitation,
'' May I?''

The pregnant girl nodded softly — she almost seemed happy by Amelie's
reaction as she unzipped her jacket, leaving her belly on display.

Amelie felt the warmth rush through her — even if it was Adrian's, even if it was
a heartbreaking matter, she couldn't help but be excited.

'' Do you know the—''

'' Madame Pomfrey says it's a girl.'' Pansy smiled, placing her hand on top of
Amelie's to guide her hand over her stomach.

'' A girl...'' Amelie whispered as she let the palm of her hand brush over the
fabric of Pansy's shirt, '' That is something else.''

Her eyes in tears as she looked back at Draco again, smiling from ear to ear, and
he bowed his head towards her.

It was beautiful to him, seeing how she was so selfless in something so vicious.

Adrian had cheated, and he had made another girl pregnant. Still, Amelie was
able to find happiness in it.

He admired that about her, more than anything — how a haunted mind could be
so caring.

'' Do you have a name in mind?'' Amelie peered up at the girl again, '' I mean. If
you're comfortable telling me, of course.''

" We do." Hermione caught up on the conversation, sounding more than proud, "
I came up with it."

Theodore smiled at the girls, '' Tell us about it then.''

'' It's Aimee.'' Pansy settled both of her hands on her growing belly.

'' Aimee...'' Theodore quietened down, looking down at Amelie beside him, ''
That sounds familiar.''

'' It's because it is.'' Pansy's eyes leveled Amelie, who stood as frozen with a tear
rolling down her cheek,

'' It's the closest we could come to Amelie.''

'' And it means beloved,'' Hermione pitched in again, her hand brushed a strand
of hair off Pansy's shoulder.

They all looked at Amelie, standing shocked in front of them. Her hand shook as
she quickly wiped the tear away,
'' Even if she was made out of violence, she's still loved.'' Amelie whispered, ''
It's perfect.''

Pansy held a hand over her mouth, letting a muffled sob out before her arms
clung around Amelie, hugging her and all the pain Pansy had cost her — away.

'' Thank you.'' Amelie cried into her hair, '' Thank you for being here.''

Pansy leaned back, shoving the messy strands of hair out of Amelie's face, and
she gazed over the selfless girl — praising her for being so gentle, knowing that
she had caused her so much harm by involving herself with her boyfriend.

'' No.'' Pansy dried her own tears with the sleeve of her jacket, '' Thank you.''

'' I'm sorry to interrupt this very...'' Narcissa stood with her shoulder against the
doorway, gesturing with her hand into the dining hall, '' Precious moment, but
dinner is ready.''

_____

Amelie laid in her bed, feeling as the crisp sheets hugged around her skin.

She couldn't fall asleep — all her mind reached was the two girls, sleeping in a
room down the hall from her, and how it felt safe to have them here.

How everything felt completed in a time so unsure.

She was still frightened because she knew that Draco would be searching her
memories soon, and all the hurt, all the suffering that usually came with it,
would be lived through again.

Not only for her sake but for the blonde one's too, after all — she could watch
his mind as he looked through hers.

Amelie tossed and turned in her covers, trying to ease her working mind, and
after hours, in the middle of the night — without another soul awake, just as she
was on the firm, gentle edge to falling asleep,

She flinched.
Her body jolted by the horrifying screams he was letting out — he was having
nightmares again.

Draco had slept peacefully with them at the cabin, and it was almost as if she
had forgotten about them.

His haunting shouts. His heartbreaking cries.

She pulled the covers off herself and on her bare feet — she tripped her way
down the hall.

The cold air sored at her skin as she looked around, making sure that no one
would see her in the thin layer of a nightdress she wore.

'' Draco?'' Her palms against his wooden door, '' Draco, are you awake?''

But the blonde didn't let out a word. He whimpered in the world of imagination,
and she hurried up to the bed, climbing over his massive mattress,

'' Draco.'' She whispered, slowly as she tucked herself closer to him, leaning her
spine against the headboard, '' Draco, it's alright.''

He had drips of sweat flooding down his forehead. His chest rose and fell
violently as his nerves trembled.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders for him to tilt his head against her chest,
'' It's alright, Draco. I'm here now.''

Draco's arm threw across her, sheeting around her entirely as he buried his nose
into her shoulder. He was still asleep — or on the close edge to waking up, she
wasn't quite sure.

'' Draco.''

'' Mhm.''

'' Are you awake?''

'' Mhm. I am now.''

Amelie felt a smile on her lips as she stroked her hand over his exposed back, ''
I'm sorry, go back to sleep.''

'' No.'' He mumbled, still with his head against her chest.

'' No?'' Her brows furrowed, '' Why not?''

'' Because when I do. You'll leave.'' He breathed out, his arm around her tensed, ''
And I don't want you to leave.''

Amelie could feel as her heart slightly broke for him. She didn't know he felt like
that. She thought he wanted her to leave, and she didn't want to bother him.

'' What if I stay? Will you sleep then?'' Her voice airy, looking over his pale skin.

'' No.''

'' Draco...'' She slipped down entirely onto the mattress, facing the grey eyes, ''
Why won't you sleep if I stay?''

He looked at her. The corner of his mouth arched as he tried to hide it, '' Because
then I'll be missing the one night you decide to stay in here.''

The tips of her fingers brushed over his arm, feeling how goosebumps trailed
after her.

'' What if I...'' She nearly held her breath as his fanned her skin, '' What if I
always sleep in here? Would you sleep then?''

Draco scoffed, rolling his eyes at her in the darkness, '' Don't say things you
don't mean.'' He muttered, shifting to lay on his back,

'' I'm alright, Amelie. You can go.''

Amelie's face shifted into a concerned grimace as she moved after him, her chin
on his exposed chest, feeling how his toned muscles flexed underneath her. She
sought to get his attention again,

'' But what if I want to...?'' Her tells held so low that he barely heard her, '' What
if I want to sleep in here with you?'' What if I'm lonely, sleeping alone?''

Draco's head fell back to face her, and his eyes glinted, '' Really?''
'' Really.'' She stared back at him softly.

'' Then I guess I don't mind falling asleep.'' Draco's fingertips touched her cheek,
and her head sunk onto his shoulder completely.

He wrapped his arm around her, smiling for himself as she tucked herself inches
closer and her leg crossed over his.

'' I have nightmares too, you know?" Amelie whispered as her breaths shifted
heavier — and within seconds, her head tipped to the side.

She fell asleep, in the easiest way she had ever done before — without even
noticing.

Draco placed his head against hers, pushing his lips onto her forehead, and he
held her. He held her so close that he could feel her heart beating in bearing with
his.

He knew that it was time to use the magic he possessed to search her memories
again — even if he didn't want to. He needed to.

They had been waiting for too long, and they couldn't pass this on for much
longer.

His eyes dragged over the peacefully sleeping girl next to him as her head
traveled over the line to her imagination — and all he sought to think about was
whether she would be his sheltered lighthouse or his windiest storm.

Perhaps, a perfect mix of them both.

_____
 Thirty-eight

_____

'' I wish I had the chance to meet you earlier in life before everything got so
complicated.''

_____

Her eyes peeled open by the bright sky, glimmering through the window as she
stretched her arms out. The room she had snuck inside last night was freezing,
and her chin tucked underneath the covers even more.

She looked beside her, hoping to get a glimpse of the blonde boy she fell asleep
next to but nothing.

His side of the bed was empty.

Amelie flew up, sitting straight as she stretched her spine, looking around in the
largened room, still nothing — Draco was nowhere to be found.

The disappointment of him leaving her, when the only reason she stayed was for
him, made her more than dismayed.

Her head fell back to the fluffy pillow as dust swirled around her, and she
huffed, looking over the nightstand on her side of the bed only to jolt back up.

There was a tray placed on it, with a clear, tiny vase and a pink tulip — a glass
of apple juice and a note.

Her fingers stroked the sheet as she propped herself up against the headboard,
her eyes fell upon the letter,

''

I'm sorry that I had to leave before you woke up. It didn't feel right waking you.
 I have matters to attend to this morning, but I will be back in the afternoon.

Mother is making breakfast downstairs.

Look in the closet. I got you something.

And I hope you will be keeping what you told me last night.

I don't like sleeping alone anymore either.

See you soon.

— D.M.

''

Amelie's thumb stroked over her bottom lip as she felt a smile shyly sneak upon
her, and she couldn't believe that even in his absence — he made her smile in a
way no one had done before.

Her gaze flickered to the massive closet built into the grey painted wall. It was
huge. She didn't quite grasp how he could own that many pieces of the same suit.

Her feet scored cold over the floor as she made her way over to the cabinet, her
hands slid one of the doors open, and all she watched hanging was his black
suits. The tips of her fingers stroked over the soft fabric, and she smiled at the
scent of it.

Everything in his room scented as he did.

Amelie hesitated for a brief moment to whether she was going to open the other
door too. She didn't know what he meant by the note he left her — that he had
gotten her something, and that frightened her.

Amelie was never the one to care for gifts and things. Her father was a very
wealthy man, and if she wished — she could buy the things she pleased for
herself; but instead, she loved spoiling others with love and affection.

She let the other door open, and she stepped back — to her surprise, all her
clothes were there, in his wardrobe, every piece of her wearing was structured
after coloring.

Still, even if he had done so — bringing her clothes into his room without
asking. She melted at that because, to her. This meant that he wanted her here.

She had never felt wanted before, except for Teddy, but that was different.

Her fingers trailed over the material of her shirts, dresses, and skirts before she
looked down on the shelf as she saw a little black, velvet-covered box.

She picked it up, stroking the dark material for a minute, and then she opened it.

Her lips parted, and her face fell — it was a bracelet, a breathtaking, silver-
coated piece of jewelry, with a charm hanging off it.

It was a raindrop, a charm made into a drop of rain, and the severed lips pushed
together into a smile again.

Rain.

It would always be rain to her.

Her mind clouded of what he had told her last night when he believed her to be
asleep, '' I wish I had the chance to meet you earlier in life before everything got
so complicated.''

It stung in her chest as she thought of it. How different everything could've been,
and how happy she would be.

Amelie's fingers touched the silver, and she studied it before placing the box
down on the shelf. She locked the bracelet around her wrist, and even if she
wasn't the one enjoying jewelry — she had never been; This, she didn't mind.

This fitted her perfectly — it was elegant, clean, and it was as if he knew how
much she connected him with rain.

'' Amelie—'' Theodore's knuckles struck the door, '' Are you in there?''

She shifted around, her hands brushed at her nightdress, '' Yes, come in.''

Theodore stood gawking at her in the doorway, raising a brow at her, '' So... You
two share a bed now?''

Her lower lip sucked in between her teeth as she gently nodded, '' Maybe.''

Theo's eyes narrowed, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked over her head
— watching the closet filled with all her things behind her, '' Well... I'm happy if
you're happy.'' He loosened his stern look,

'' But Narcissa made breakfast, so are you coming?''

_____

'' Do you mind if I sit here?'' Pansy looked over Amelie's shoulder, gazing
curiously at her as she was seated on the living room couch, in front of the
fireplace.

It was something about writing in front of a fireplace that made all her worried
thoughts ease.

'' Of course not.'' Amelie replied, patting the seat next to hers for the girl to slip
down to it, '' Are you alright?''

Amelie had spent her whole day on this couch while waiting for Draco to return
to the manor. She was writing her mind down in her book again, and she had
missed that bounded piece of paper terribly.

'' I was hoping to talk to you about something, if I may?'' Pansy leaned against
the backrest, her legs crossed in front of her as her hands stroked her stomach.

'' Anything.'' Amelie put her book back onto the table, slightly shifting in her seat
to watch her friend.

Pansy held an agonizing look, her brows knitted together, '' I wanted to talk to
you about... Adrian.''

And there it was, every time his name was mentioned, her veins iced, and her
chest felt more than heavy, but somewhere along the line — it got more
manageable, and hearing the name of her gravest nightmare didn't hurt as much
as it used to.
'' What about Adrian?'' Amelie's fingers grasped at the ends of her sleeves like
she always seemed to do when she felt anxious.

'' First of all. I want to apologize. You didn't deserve any of the things I put you
through while being with him.'' Pansy kept on stroking her belly,

'' And second of all. I want you to know that I didn't know what he was... doing
to you. He told me that you two were happy together, and if I knew, Amelie —
If I would've known what he did behind those closed doors. I would have killed
him, because no one deserves that.''

Amelie swallowed, her jaws gritted as her eyelids started fluttering.

'' He did something to me, once too, when I told him about the pregnancy and
well... You know what happened after that.''

Pansy's sights grounded, and Amelie could see how uncomfortable she was at
her silence, but she didn't know what to say.

She didn't know how to speak because the lump in her throat was torturing her.
Amelie didn't want to cry. She didn't want to give Adrian, and the abuse he had
put both of them through, any more of their tears.

Her fingers stroked over the bracelet on her wrist, and it soothed her because in
all of this mighty weather — Draco was her calm, pouring rain, the kind you
couldn't grow tired of.

'' And then you disappeared before I felt like I could speak with you. Theodore
told me some things after you went here with Malfoy, but it didn't sit right with
me to talk about that before I talked to you.'' She looked sad, nearly devastated
as she hushed.

''How is school these days?'' Amelie sought to change the topic to save herself
from the pain it caused her to talk about Adrian, '' Is it the same, or have a lot of
things changed?''

'' It's mostly the same.'' Pansy said, '' Things have changed, and a lot of people
are scared of...''

Her tongue halted, '' The Dark Lord, but the headmaster, along with the
professors, are doing the best they can.''

'' I see.'' Amelie's mind went straight to Draco, and everything she witnessed in
his head the last time, how Voldemort forced him to take another human life.

'' But I'm happy that you're here now. It's safe here.'' Amelie forced a smile, ''
And that little Aimee is safe and sound.''

Amelie's eyes fell upon Pansy's stomach, and she felt the warmth flush through
her veins again. Seeing the girl, she knew Adrian had treated almost as badly as
he treated her, turning her pain into power — made Amelie more than happy,
thankful for the life she was held in today.

'' But there is something else.'' Pansy quieted, her head spun to look through the
room as she leaned closer to Amelie, '' It's about Malfoy.''

Amelie's brows furrowed, her heart nearly suffered its beat, '' What? What about
Draco?''

She watched as the doubt grew wider on Pansy's face, and she got nervous —
terrified that the blonde would have done something to break everything she had
worked so hard to build with him.

'' Adrian told me something, and he said that he would tell you too—'' She held,
her eyes glinted in tears, '' Not that I believe anything that Adrian ever told me,
but this seemed...''

'' Accurate.''

Amelie's fingers curled into fists. Her breaths held more than shaking.

'' He said something about Malfoy and your father. That Draco kill—''

'' Ladies,'' Draco muttered behind them, and the unexpected voice made both
Amelie and Pansy flinch as they shifted around to look at him.

Amelie's eyes fell over him, and her heart ached. He looked worn — exhausted
to the point that the mauve circles underneath his eyes had faded into his skin.

'' Malfoy.'' Pansy smiled at the blonde as he leaned against the doorpost. He
nodded towards her before he looked back at the girl his eyes always sought to
take place on.

'' Well...'' Pansy struggled to shove herself of the couch, '' I'll leave you two to it
then.''

As she tried to stand up — her knees failed her. She nearly tripped forward as
Draco rushed up to her, and Amelie quickly rose beside them. Both Amelie and
Draco on each side of Pansy as they held her steady,

'' That was close.'' Pansy nervously breathed out, '' Thank you.'' She granted
Amelie a soft smile before slowly walking out of the room.

She looked after Pansy as she disappeared behind the wall — and she couldn't
help but worry about what she told her about Draco and her father because
Adrian had spoken something similar to her when she last saw him.

'' Did you have a good day?'' Draco mumbled as her head leveled his again. He
held only a foot apart from her,

'' I did.'' Amelie felt a twisting feeling inside by how saddened he seemed, '' Did
you have a good day?''

His head tipped, his eyes grounded for a brief moment, '' No.'' He said as Amelie
closed the longing space between them, '' But it's better now.''

Her arms around his tired body and her head as always — buried into his chest.

The moment she did that, the instant she gave him what he had wished for ever
since he left her this morning — his figure gave into hers, and he wrapped his
arms around her too.

He hugged her back.

'' I'm sorry that you had a bad day.'' She whispered as he settled his chin on top
of her head, '' I hope that I can make your night better.''

Draco's eyes sealed as he inhaled deeply, '' Do you intend on keeping what you
said yesterday?''
He was scared that she wouldn't want to — that she was going to abandon him at
nightfall when all of his demons came to visit.

He never liked sleeping alone, and that simple touch of sleeping next to her
made it impossible for him even to close his eyes if she wasn't lying next to him.

'' I don't think I have a choice now, do I?'' She leaned back and smiled, '' Since
you moved all of my things.''

The drained mantle of his face softened at her smile, and his hand tangled into
her hair as he pulled her closer again,

'' No, I don't think you do.'' He kissed her forehead, '' But even if you had a
choice, I can only hope that you'd stay with me anyway.''

" Of course I would."

'' But why are you so kind to me, Draco?'' Amelie huffed into his suit, '' No one
is that kind to someone without cause.''

He kept his lips on her skin for seconds before his hands in her hair bent her
head back to gaze into the eyes he always managed to fall lost in,

'' This strange person once told me that we get back the kindness we give.'' He
grinned.

'' Strange person?'' Amelie rose a brow as her hands pushed into his chest to
create space between them, '' Well this person, sounds really smart if you ask
me.''

'' Really?'' He smiled, gently shaking his head at the girl.

'' Really.'' She crossed her arms, giving him a stern glare, '' Or would you say
otherwise?''

Amelie couldn't help but melt at the sight of his smile — he barely smiled at her,
but now he did, and so did she.

'' No... I don't think I dare to.'' Draco mocked her as she annoyingly rolled her
eyes, tilting her head to pout at him.
'' No, Amelie.'' His tongue licked his lower lip, '' Not that face.''

'' What face?'' She kept the look that made him feel more than guilty, '' I'm not
making a face.''

'' Is that so?'' He kept on taunting her as she strode closer, and the warmth
flushed within her. Even if he was meant to be mean to her right now, she still
adored him more than anything.

She loved this, him joking with her, especially since this was her last night in
peace.

Tomorrow was the doomed haunting of her memories back in play and her
bones crumbled because of it.

She knew she wasn't ready for this, still she would do whatever it took to help
the blonde boy she had grown to care for so badly,

Even if doing so would break her.

_____
 Thirty-nine

_____

'' Don't leave me.''

_____

'' You don't have to do this, Amelie.'' Draco said, his eyes glinted in guilt, '' I
know that it's hard for you, going through all of this and if it's too much—''

'' I say blue.'' Her eyes locked in his as she smiled at him from across the room, ''
I know, Draco, but it's alright. I want to help you.''

'' Really?'' He strode up to her as she slipped down onto the chair in the deserted
room. The tips of her fingers trailed over the armrests, and she noticed the claw
marks. Her nails had scratched the wood so violently during her earlier sessions,
and a heavy feeling weighted her chest at the thought of it.

'' Really,'' Amelie whispered. His hand placed over hers on the timber as he
watched how her skin shivered in fear.

'' Amelie—'' Draco tilted his head, standing bent over the chair with her in it, '' I
will say this one more time. You don't—''

'' Draco,'' Her eyes flickered to his as she felt his hand tensing around her
fingers. It looked as if he needed to touch her, as if he wished to make sure that
she was still with him and that she wouldn't give up. '' I want to help you.''

'' I know you do, but—''

'' Draco.'' Her hand slipped from his hold, and she placed it on his jawline, her
nose nearly brushing against his, '' Stop this madness, and let me help you. I can
do this, alright?''

Malfoy held his tells. He didn't want to argue with her, but he didn't wish to
agree with her either. He was scared, terrified that he would hurt her again.

She didn't see herself in his arms as she was drained of life — he did. He had to
hold her when she was out of breath because the magic he put her through was
close to torture.

If not for her, then for him. Draco couldn't stand to see her crumble because of
what he had done and especially not now — when he knew that she could see his
mind too.

'' Still there?'' Amelie's touch lowered from his jaw as he flinched out of the
thoughts he held.

'' Alright.'' He muttered, his hand on the back of her head as he pushed his lips
onto her forehead, '' But I want to show you something after.''

Her eyes widened, her teeth on her lower lip out of curiosity, '' Show me what?''

'' It's a surprise, but I want to share something with you.'' His eyebrows knitted
when he caught onto his own words. He was never the one to share with Amelie
because she always shared with him. Her mind, her secrets, her thoughts.

He didn't have to open up because she did, but now — now it was as if he
wanted to. He wanted to share a piece of himself with her. Something that
mattered to him when she wasn't there.

'' You don't have to.'' Amelie watched the doubtful expression on his face and the
wavering flicker in his eyes, '' You don't have to show me anything, not if you're
not ready.''

'' I want to be ready.'' Draco swallowed, his hand shoved into his pocket to haul
his wand out.

'' So do I.'' Her eyes shut close, and her fingers gripped the armrest again. Her
teeth clenched as she sought to breathe steady — to prepare herself for what she
understood was coming.

'' Word?'' He asked her as he studied her trembling self.

'' Blue.''
'' Legilimens.''

Amelie's eyes squeezed together even more as stars began to prickle, and the air
in her lungs limited out of the breath she was holding in.

'' Your mother, Amelie. Focus on your mother.'' Draco's voice made her wince as
she sought to fight the haunting thoughts slipping in and out of her head.

It was images of Adrian, of her father, of her and Theodore, of her and Draco,
but nothing about her mother — she needed to go deeper, to search further.

'' Your mother, Amelie. Think about something you connect her to, a book, a
meal, a piece of jewelry—''

The second he said that. The instant Draco spoke the word jewelry — her mind
snuck into darkness, and the vision of Draco, standing in front of the faceless
man, with the Dark Lord next to him. His wand, pointed directly at the tied up,
human being, crossed her.

'' No...'' Amelie breathed out, '' Not again...''

But the difference was that this time — this time, the faceless man had a face, a
persona she could never escape even if she wanted to.

It was her father.

Amelie believed that her father went into hiding, just as Draco had told her. He
said that her father ran to save himself from the inevitable rage the Dark Lord
would bring upon them.

'' Draco...'' Voldemort whispered into his ear, '' You know what to do, Draco.''

The blonde boy hesitated, and the image of him, Malfoy, with his wand pushed
against her father's throat — made drops of sweat to flee her forehead.

She could hear how Draco was talking to her, how he told her to focus on her
mother, and she understood that he didn't realize what she had access to.

He didn't know that she was seeing her father's execution, where the killer —
was Draco.
'' Are we certain about this, my Lord?'' Draco whispered back, his fingers
shaking, '' It might come a time where he's needed—''

'' If you don't kill him, his daughter will be next.'' Voldemort cut him off, his
eyes dark and evil, '' You have done a great job, earning your way close to her,
Draco. Unfortunately, I need her mother, and the only way for that foolish girl
to give us Athena is for her father to die.''

'' You need to have her complete trust, Draco. Only when she trusts us fully,
she'll be able to give her mind away."

" It's her father—"

" Would you prefer if it was that friend of hers?" His tone low, threatening, "
You have killed before, Draco. Now do it."

The blonde seized a deep breath, " And you'll make me forget?"

" I will. You'll be too tormented by the thought of betraying her to do what I
assigned you to do. By the end of this day, you will believe that her father ran
away."

Draco still hesitated. He didn't know Amelie as well back then as he did now.
Still, he didn't want to be the one taking her father away from her.

'' Don't tell me you're having doubts, son?'' Voldemort spoke to him again, ''
Don't tell me you don't know how he's treating his daughter. I am confident that
you know just how much pain he has put that poor, innocent girl through.''

Draco's jaws clenched, and his eyes narrowed at the vile man sitting before him.
It was like a switch, a torch of fire burning within as he thought of it. How he
had watched her father force cigars into her skin, how he saw everything in her
mind as he searched it — how he had abused her for years and years.

Suddenly, his own mind drained of all the guilt, and his wand rose towards her
father.

'' She can never know about this.'' He mumbled as the Dark Lord nodded slowly.

Amelie's breaths were more than shaking. She couldn't sit properly on her chair
— all she did was twist and turn in her position, '' No, no, no.''

'' Draco.'' She whimpered in reality, but the blonde didn't know what she
watched.

''Draco, please make it stop.''

'' Make it stop, Draco.''

'' This is for her.'' The corner of Malfoy's mouth curved in her head, '' Avada
Kedavra!''

'' Blue!''

'' Blue!''

'' Blue!''

She kept on shouting with tears rushing down her cheeks as she shook. Her
entire body trembled.

'' Draco, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop.''

Amelie's hands flew to her hair as her fingers gripped the roots of it, and she
pulled it. She tugged her hair back in complete disbelief of what she'd seen.

'' Amelie—'' Draco wrapped his hands around her neck, '' Amelie, look at me.''

But she didn't. She couldn't look at him. She didn't want to.

'' Don't—'' Amelie breathed out as she pushed herself off the chair, stumbling
past the blonde, '' Don't touch me, Draco.''

Her knees held weakly, and her mind was exhausted — she was breaking apart.

'' What?'' His eyes flickered over her, watching as her fingers curled into fists, ''
What happened, Amelie? What did you see? Did I go too far?''

Her lower lip was quivering, and the tears wouldn't stop coming.

'' You did.'' Her voice in whispers, '' You went way too far, Draco.''
Amelie wanted to leave this room. She couldn't stand being close to him.

This wasn't all about her father, and the fact that the boy she learned to trust so
deeply killed him. This was about her and Draco. How she felt as if all their time
together was a lie — he lied to her.

Amelie knew that Draco had an agenda by earning her trust, by growing close to
her. She wasn't a fool. She understood that something wasn't right, but what
shattered her heart and made pain sore through her veins was the truth of him
using her for so long.

She never would've believed that Draco would use her in the way he did,
together with the Dark Lord. They manipulated her, they even obliviated Draco's
mind to make it fit with hers, and to her, this was the worst betrayal.

'' Amelie, talk to me—'' He strode closer to her, his hand reached out for hers,
but she pulled away. She caught several steps back from him.

'' What happened, Amelie. Please talk to me.'' Draco pleaded again, but nothing
— she couldn't say a word to the boy in front of her. She was speechless, vein in
the belief that all he did this for was to use her.

'' Don't shut me out, Amelie.''

'' You—'' Her jaws clenched together as pain glinted in her eyes, '' You killed
him.''

'' Who? Amelie, what did you see—'' He didn't possess the strength to stay feet
away from her. He didn't want to. His hand wrapped around her wrist as he
slammed her into his chest — and his heart was ripped out.

She pushed her palms against his body, and she forced herself back.

'' I can't do this right now,'' Amelie said, but he didn't let go — his arms stayed
around her. He didn't want to let her go because when he did, the instant he let
her slip out of the safety he brought her — he wasn't sure if she'd come back.

'' Amelie, don't do this. Whatever you saw, I can explain—''

'' You killed my father, Draco, and you lied to me. You killed my father so that I
would believe that he was gone. You killed him to get close to me. To fool me
into trusting you.''

Her words were like daggers, ripping through him over and over. Draco did
everything possible not to let the tears he felt shredding in the corner of his eyes
out.

'' I didn't—''

'' But you did. You just don't remember because you asked him...'' She felt a dry
taste in her mouth as the lump in the back of her throat almost suffocated her, ''
You asked the Dark Lord to take your memories away.''

'' Amelie, listen to me.'' He let his arms off of her, '' I didn't do this. I could never
—''

'' Kill someone?'' Her eyes finally met his, and his whole world crumbled at the
look of them. How much he'd hurt her without even knowing.

'' You have killed before, Draco. I took you for a lot of things, but a liar isn't one
of them.'' Amelie stepped back even more, '' I can't do this...''

'' Don't.'' His voice split. He was begging her, '' Don't leave me.''

Amelie didn't say anything. She stayed silent and the look she gave him — he'd
seen before, but not when her eyes fell upon him, but when she was looking at
Adrian.

She looked at him, just like she looked at her most haunted nightmare, and then
— then she walked out.

She left him, even though she promised him never to do so. Draco's whole world
came crashing down around him when all he wanted to do was to save her.

_____
 Forty

_____

'' I hate snow.''

_____

'' It's almost Christmas, you know.'' Theodore twisted and turned in her bed, ''
Maybe you'd like to go out and shop for presents?''

Amelie huffed, shifting in her own position to face him, '' Maybe we should.''

His heart ached for her. He hated seeing her this way, just as she was finding
happiness among all the upheaval — she yet again, hit rock bottom.

'' Love,'' Theodore placed his hand on her cheek, his thumb brushing over her
soft skin as he gazed at her, and all the wavy strands of hair spilling over her
features, '' Talk to me.''

'' I don't want to talk.'' Amelie answered back sternly, '' I don't want to talk to
anyone about anything. I said I'm fine.''

'' But you're not fine.'' He pulled his touch away, propping himself up on his
elbows in the bright lighted room, '' You're a lot of things right now, Amelie, but
fine isn't one of them.''

She stayed silent, her jaws tensing as every thought she had been holding onto
since Malfoy left the manor three days ago crossed her mind. He left her, similar
to how she left him after she realized what he had done to her.

'' I am.'' Her head felt heavy upon her pillow as she tucked her hand underneath
it to ease the weight, but nothing could allay the dense sense that was constantly
lingering in her chest.

It felt as if her heart was breaking, over and over. Amelie couldn't sleep — she
couldn't stay awake either because all she wished to do was to dream about him,
about them.

'' You're not.'' His arms crossed over his chest while he peered down at her, '' It's
snowing, and you don't care. That's how I know that you're not fine.''

Her head tilted back to look up at him, her nose scrunched, '' I don't even like
snow.''

'' I know, and you're always complaining about it, but you're not doing that now.''
He was still looking at her, raising a brow, '' Which means that you're not fine.''

'' Can you stop saying the word fine?'' Amelie muttered, bending her head back
down as she tucked her chin against her chest, '' It annoys me.''

'' Fine.'' He smirked, his teeth on his bottom lip as her eyes rolled.

'' Fine.'' Amelie turned over to her back, and her eyes glued to the ceiling, '' Is it
really snowing?''

Theodore chuckled. His messy strands of hair fell over his forehead as he
nodded, '' It really is snowing.''

'' I hate snow.''

'' I know.''

Theodore's hand on her shoulder as he shoved her to the side, '' Are you sure that
you don't want to talk about it?''

Amelie's eyes squeezed shut, and she felt her mannered temper as it slightly
failed her, '' What is there to talk about, Teddy? Yes, Draco left. No, he didn't
say why and no again, I don't want to talk about it.''

'' You didn't even tell me what he did—''

'' He lied to me.'' Amelie felt her heart pounding within the walls of her fragile
chest, '' He lied to me, and I'll never know—''

It struck her in a way that filled her lungs with the air she felt as if she was
missing.

Adrian.

Adrian was the one who told her about Draco and her father in the first place,
she simply overlooked it because her trust in the blonde boy was solid, but now
— now she wanted to know more.

Amelie sucked in a breath before forcing herself off the bed, and Theo wasn't
slow to follow the gesture.

'' I want to do something.'' Her eyes narrowed in his, '' And I know that you're
not going to like this because Draco is still mad at you from last time but—''

'' I'm not taking you to Adrian.'' Teddy shook his head at her, '' Last time was a
mistake, and I'm not going to repeat—''

'' Then I'll just go by myself.''

His eyes widened at her words, his lips parted to argue with her and to convince
her not to go anywhere, but he knew that he couldn't. He was never going to
change her mind because the only person who seemed to be fitted enough to do
so was Draco — and Draco wasn't here.

She started walking towards the door, opening it, and just as it tended to slam
shut behind her,

'' Wait!'' Theodore yelled as he quickly marched after her — only to be greeted
by an amused grin on her face from the other side of the door.

'' I knew you'd change your mind.'' Her mouth twisted into a bitter smile.

Theo stared down at her. His teeth began to grit as he circled what they were
about to do and the hell he'd live through if Malfoy was to find out about it. He
wasn't going to live another day.

'' If you tell me what Draco did, I'll follow you.'' He rose a brow before knitting
them together, and her tickled look fell into a frail one, '' Deal?''

Amelie's eyes narrowed, uncertain as to whether she was ready to tumble around
the sensitive subject of the blonde boy — but it was Teddy. He knew everything
there was to know about her, and knowing this too, wouldn't change anything.

'' You know how Draco searches my mind to find things?'' Amelie said as they
began to walk down the stairs. Theo nodded, his eyes glinted in curiosity, '' Well,
when Draco is searching my mind, I can see his too, and I saw something...''

She swallowed, '' Something I wasn't supposed to see. I'm not sure how I was
able to see it because someone took those memories away, but I read about it,
and it said that if the person who originally possessed those memories trusts you.
You can, if you're strong-minded enough, see things that have been taken away.''

He nodded again as they stepped through the hallway, '' That's what Draco is
doing to me. My mother took the memory everyone wants, away, and it's hard to
get a piece like that back.''

'' But you got to see his mind, right?'' Theodore questioned her, slightly halting
in his steps.

'' Right.''

'' Then how come he can't see yours? I mean, if he trusts you so much that you
were able to see things that someone obliviated from his mind, why can't he find
your mother in your memories?''

Amelie's sight grounded, and her heart ached again.

She had thought of that too. Why Draco trusted her enough, but she didn't, and
the only answer she had to the question that was constantly glued to her mind —
was that she knew. She had a sense of him not being honest with her, and she
couldn't quite give herself to someone she didn't fully trust.

'' I guess I didn't trust him.'' Her voice turned low as they both faltered, standing
in front of each other on the steps down to the basement.

'' That's rubbish.'' Theodore nearly snarled at her, '' Amelie, sometimes I feel like
all of this kindness goes to your head. How can you say that you don't trust him?
You trust him more than anyone.''

'' I don't—''
'' Oh, but you do, and there's nothing wrong with that. I can only guess that he
did something terrible to make you this upset, but Amelie, don't throw this
away.''

'' You don't even know what he did?'' Her hands dropped to her sides in defeat, ''
He killed my father, Teddy. He killed my father, and then he lied to me about it,
all for me to trust him—''

'' Was that the memories he got taken away?'' Theo tried to hide the startling
look rising upon him as she nodded, '' Then how can you be mad at him for
something he doesn't even remember?''

'' Are you really taking his side in this?'' Amelie spoke up, louder this time, and
even if she was mad at him, on the horizon to turn utterly upset — he couldn't
help but notice how much she'd grown, how she didn't bend at this, how she
stood up for her cause and her mind.

'' I'm not taking any sides, but if Malfoy had a reason for doing something. I
think we should trust him. He's not a bad—''

'' He killed my father, Teddy. He slathered him, together with the Dark Lord as if
it was nothing, as if he does this every day.''

'' What do you expect him to do then? If the Dark Lord was standing next to him,
what was he supposed to do? Say no? Refuse? He would've gotten himself
killed, Amelie.''

Her shoulders sunk in the realization that her best friend was more than right.

'' He did that to get close to me, Teddy. He lied to me, and he used me to get my
memories and to find my mother. Draco fooled me.''

'' But...'' Theodore gave her a comforting look, '' Didn't he tell you this? I mean,
you can't be mad at him when he was honest with you about this, months ago.''

'' Don't tell me what I can or can not be—''

'' I'm not, but I'm telling you to look at this from his point of view too. Malfoy
has done a lot for us, both you and me and yes, Amelie, my intelligent, beautiful
Amelie—'' Theo placed his hands on her shoulders.
'' Maybe it was different before you two really got to know each other, before he
brought you here the first time. Perhaps he had some hidden agenda, but he
doesn't anymore. If he trusts you enough to let you see his mind, even the
thoughts he can't see himself — he deserves the benefit of the doubt.''

'' He never questioned us or the things you do. He trusts you, Amelie, and I think
you need to trust him too.''

His words struck her soul and left her breathless in front of him, somewhere in
all his tells — she knew him to be right. That she should at least let Draco
explain himself.

'' But he left, and I don't know where—''

'' He'll be back tomorrow. He said that he didn't want you to have to see him
when you were upset, and his father needed him for something.''

Her brows furrowed, '' Why would he tell you that?''

Theodore shrugged as he smiled, leaning against the corridor wall, '' I guess he
knows that I'm the most reasonable of us two.''

'' Is that so?'' Amelie could feel a curve upon her lips at the words Teddy was
speaking.

'' I think it is.'' Theodore's spine arched off the wall, his shoulder against hers as
he nodded towards the stairs, leading down to the basement, '' Are you sure that
you want to do this? You still want to see him?''

Her breaths ragged, and her fingers curled into fists as she recalled how Adrian
had spoken to her the last time they were down there, but that time — she was
alone, and now she had Theodore with her.

'' I am.''

_____
 Forty-one

_____

'' It hurts. It all just hurts.''

_____

'' Pucey!'' Theodore's hands slammed against the bars, '' Time to wake up, mate.''

Amelie stood hidden behind her friend, sheltering herself from the demon she
was about to meet, yet she wasn't as scared as she used to be. He was a monster,
if not worse, but she had bloomed. The deeper he swam, the higher she climbed.

She was flourishing, and she knew what she was capable of now. She wasn't
going to allow the boy who already had taken so much from her — take
anything else.

'' What do you want?'' Adrian mumbled as the sound of battling chains echoed
throughout the basement. He stepped closer, and his knees looked to be
weakening with every step.

His persona had fallen, even more, his body wounded and worn.

'' I have someone with me.'' Theo tilted his head, nodding towards Amelie's
nervous yet confident self standing behind him, '' And she'd like to have a word
with you, Pucey.''

'' I bet she does.'' Adrian coughed out, his hands tanged into chains in front of
him as he leaned his forehead against the metal, '' Let's hear it then.''

Amelie sought to take a step forwards, to face Adrian for the first time since she
last saw him, but Theodore's hand stretching out in front of her made her falter.

''Not so fast...'' He mumbled, narrowing his eyes in Adrian's, '' If you as much
speak the wrong thing to her. I swear—''
'' You can't do anything to me, that Malfoy haven't done already, so let's just get
this over with.'' Adrian huffed with his teeth clasped together.

He was mad, infuriated to still be locked up, but he stood no chance against
Malfoy's magic without his own. He was robbed of his wand months ago, and
with the lack of strength he held — he couldn't fight back. He had no choice but
to stay in chains.

'' Amelie.'' Adrian muttered, '' What do you want from me this time?''

She didn't answer, she simply peered up at Theo for permission to level the devil
behind bars, and he granted her a slight nod, agreeing to let her speak to him.
Her eyes widened as she stepped forward, and her gaze flickered all over the
boy.

'' I'd like to ask you something, if I may?'' She stood close to him but still an
arm's length away. In no reality, no matter how beaten he was, could she trust
him — she understood that.

'' Do I really have a choice?'' Adrian's note was kept calm, steady — still, his
vocals tore through her ears with force.

'' No,'' Theodore smirked, crossing his arms over his chest as his fingers fiddled
with his wand. He wanted to show Adrian who held power between them now,
after years of him toying them around — Theo now possessed more might than
he did.

'' You are going to answer whatever question she asks, and if you as much as
look at her the wrong way, Pucey. I'll let Malfoy know about it.''

Adrian's eyes rolled as he tilted his head back at Amelie, '' Darling.''

Her insides wrenched at that — she felt sick to her stomach of what he'd just
called her.

'' I want to know about Draco—''

'' What about Malfoy—''

'' And my father.''

'' Oh.'' The devilish smirk she had grown to loathe smeared onto his lips, '' Didn't
I tell you that you would be coming back to me once you found out about that?''

Adrian could see right through her. He had been shaping and forming her mind
to his advantage for years — and even if she broke out of the trance he so
viciously kept her in, and she realized her unviable worth on this earth — he still
knew her, like the palm of his own hand.

Amelie was strong, and just as Draco believed — the world did rest on the tips
of her fingers, but Adrian still had her tied up — bound in darkness.

'' Did he tell you, or did you see it?'' Adrian pushed her tamed temper, '' I think
you saw it because I know for a fact that the Dark Lord made him forget.'' A
dark peel of chuckles left Adrian's throat as he came to mind with his own
words.

'' And that's why Teddy is here and not Malfoy, isn't it? Because you finally
realized that he can't be trusted, am I right?''

'' Pucey—'' Theodore aimed his wand towards the cruel boy, '' Watch it. I'm not
Malfoy, but push it one more time, and I might as well be.''

Amelie didn't say anything, and Adrian plainly ignored Theo's words.

'' Isn't that right, Amelie? He got you hooked, and you gave it all to him just so
that he could take it all away?''

'' Stop.'' Amelie whispered, her fingers twitched against her palms, '' Don't talk
about Draco, you know nothing about him.''

He chuckled again, '' So you're telling me that you still trust him? After he not
only killed your father, but he did so to use you? To take you away from me and
earn the pathetic Malfoy name some respect?''

'' I said, stop.'' Amelie said again, thunderous this time, '' You know nothing
about us.''

'' Us?'' Adrian rose a brow, '' Oh, you mean that he finally got you into bed, and
that's why he left—''
Adrian couldn't finish that sentence before Amelie forced her palms into the
metal door, her hand curled around his chains, and her wand dug deeply into his
neck.

'' I said stop.'' She said again, and even if she for one of the first times finally
stood up for herself — her skin was shivering in fear.

'' Look who's standing up for herself. I'm proud of you, darling.'' Adrian didn't
seem bothered with her act. He looked to be enjoying her closeness.

'' Tell me.'' Amelie's jaws clenched, and everything she held buried within the
coat of her body was on the far edge of rupturing, '' Tell me what you know,
Adrian.''

'' Amelie,'' Theodore warned her from behind. Not in his clear mind to whether
he could trust Adrian being near her, '' Let him go, Amelie.''

'' Tell me.'' She was vocalizing every word, harsher, putting more pressure upon
the wand she held against his neck, '' I want to know, what you know.''

'' Do you?'' He smirked again, and he inhaled sharply through his nose to gather
all the scent of her, '' I missed the scent of you, darling.''

'' Amelie, he's not going to say anything. Let's just go.'' Theodore's spine off the
wall as he placed a hand on her shoulder, '' Let's not give him the satisfaction he
wants. We can ask Malfoy ourselves when he comes back.''

But it was as if Amelie didn't hear or feel Theo's touch. She stayed still, her
fingers burning around his collar of how tight she was gripping it.

'' Tell me, Adrian.'' She said, her tone nearly broke in desperation, and tears
shredded in the corner of her eyes. She wasn't going to beg him — no, she had
been pleading to that boy for as long as she could remember. She was going to
tell him, to demand him into answering her.

It wasn't a plain thing, Amelie challenging someone for something — yet, when
it came to that blonde boy who held her heart in his hands, she seemed to be
capable of anything.

'' I will hex you.'' Her wand nearly breached his skin, '' Tell me, or I will do to
you what you did to me all those years.''

'' Okay—'' Adrian started to give in to her uncivil act, '' The Dark Lord didn't tell
me much, but what I do know is...''

Amelie blinked quickly.

'' That he has been using you, ever since he approached you in the hallway after I
hurt you all those months ago, and he knew, Amelie. He knew what I was doing
to you. He just acted like he didn't, to earn your trust.''

The air left her body — she couldn't breathe.

'' He knew what I was capable of when he told me that he saw you hug Nott in
the corridor.''

Amelie let go of Adrian as she stumbled back with pooling eyes.

'' No—'' She gasped, her hand flew up to her own throat, grasping it in torment, ''
No. He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't—''

'' He did. Ask him yourself. I gain nothing by lying to you.'' Adrian began to
draw away from the door, leaving Amelie to the horrifying truth in front of her.

'' Amelie—'' Theodore's hands grabbed her shoulders in an attempt to keep her
steady on her feet, '' Amelie, don't listen to him, we don't know anything. He can
be lying, we don't—''

'' Why would he lie?'' Amelie's eyes fell heavily upon him, '' Why would he lie,
Teddy? Like he said, he gains nothing from lying to me right now. He's already
locked up, with no one here to save him, he has no reason to lie to me.''

Theodore stayed silent for a brief moment. He tried to wrap his head around all
of this. He didn't particularly like Malfoy, but he knew that Amelie did. Draco
had been teaching her things, helping her in ways no one ever had done before,
and that was all that mattered to Theo.

He didn't need to get along with the blonde to stand him. All he needed was for
Amelie to be happy — and no matter how hurt she held in this time, he knew
that he made her feel things she yet had lived to experience.
Draco was good for her, and she was better for him.

'' Then why would he search your memory again? When he knows that you can
watch his? Why would he do that, Amelie? If he didn't realize that he could find
this out, or perhaps... he wanted you to know.''

Amelie's lips parted, '' He was going to tell me...'' She whispered, '' He said that
he wanted to show me something because he wasn't ready before, but now he
was. He—''

'' He trusted you enough to come clean about this...'' Theodore finished for her, ''
He wanted you to know, but I still don't think we should judge him before we
talk to him, Amelie.''

Her back started to shiver against the cold basement wall, and her head began to
pound. All of this was too much for her — she didn't understand how she would
ever be able to process this, to take this in, and to talk to Draco about it.

'' He knew, Teddy. He knew what Adrian was doing to me, and he still told him.
Adrian almost beat you to death that night, and he nearly strangled me. Draco
knew, and he let it happen.''

Theodore didn't respond because he knew that she was right. He couldn't defend
him anymore. He didn't know how to.

'' I don't know what to think, Teddy. It hurts. It all just hurts.'' She whimpered as
her hand flew to her mouth, '' I thought this was it. I thought I was going to be
happy again—''

She couldn't finish her words because the sob clearing her throat hewed her off,
and without warning — Theo's arms wrapped around her, hugging her as close
as he possibly could.

He could feel her pain again, all that sorrow and hurt, but this time — this time,
he didn't know how to take it away.

They stayed there for minutes — her crying into his chest and him holding her
with all he had.

'' Amelie, Theodore?'' Narcissa's voice from the top of the stairs made them both
flinch back, breaking out of the embrace, '' Are you two down there?''

Amelie's eyes grew broad in panic of being caught visiting Adrian again, and
Theodore's brows dragged together in a swift move.

'' It's just me down here, Mrs. Malfoy.'' Theodore called back, '' What can I do
for you?''

'' Would you mind bringing Amelie and the other girls into the dining hall?'' She
said, '' Draco and my husband are on their way back.''

_____
 Forty-two

_____

'' Promise me that you'll come back to me.''

_____

Amelie stood in the doorway to Draco's room. She hadn't been in there for the
days he was away — at least that was what she told Teddy, but in secret — she
would sneak into his empty room and sleep on Draco's side of the bed.

It was hard for her, getting tangled — attached to someone who left her so
easily. Amelie wasn't giving up on Draco. She could never do that.

No matter what the blonde boy did before they got to know each other wasn't
relevant to her anymore, but the thing that kept lingering in her chest — was the
truth where he'd been lying to her.

He could've told her that he was aware of Adrian's abuse. He didn't have to lie to
her for the amount of time that he did. Amelie didn't quite understand why he
trusted her enough when she didn't. She didn't know why she couldn't place the
same faith in him — as he had done with her.

She didn't trust him, and that hurt. It pained her to a level where her heart merely
suffered its beat because she believed that she did — Amelie truly thought that
she indeed trusted the boy who made her life blossom.

'' What are you up to, huh?'' Theodore stepped up behind her, his hand on the
ledge of the doorpost as he stared as blankly into the deserted room '' He'll be
here any minute now, you know?''

Amelie's head tipped back and landed on his shoulder, '' I know.''

'' Then why are you here, let's—'' Theo rose, but her sigh hewed him off before
he got the chance to say anything else.
'' What?'' His other arm wrapped around her, and he placed a kiss on the top of
her head, '' You don't have to meet him, if you're not ready and if you feel like
—''

'' I feel like I failed him, Teddy.'' Her head felt heavy on his chest, '' I don't trust
him, and I feel like it's my fault.''

Theodore's jaws gritted, and his arm fell off the doorpost as he shifted her
around in his arms, '' Don't ever say that. This isn't your fault. You have been
through so much and you can't choose who you trust or not.''

" It's not that easy."

Her eyes fell over the messy locks on his head as his lips parted, '' This isn't on
you. It's not on him either. You guys just have to figure it out, maybe if you hear
him out and he listens to you—''

'' I don't know.'' She said, and her sight grounded, '' I don't think he wants to see
me. I shut him out, Teddy. I promised that I wouldn't walk away from him, and I
did.''

Theodore pulled her in. His head on top of hers as her hands snaked around his
waist, '' You're really foolish sometimes, you know that, right?''

'' What do you—'' She mumbled into the soft fabric of his shirt before he cut her
off.

'' He's in love with you, Amelie.''

Her heart once again — skipped a beat, and she could hear the pounding of it in
her ears, '' No, Teddy,'' She sought to pull away, to avoid the statement he just
dropped on her, '' I don't think he is—''

'' Are you serious?'' Theo took a step back, '' He searched for you, for a month—''

'' Because he asked me to leave—''

'' He stayed with us in the cabin without once pressuring you to give up your
mother—''
'' Because he had no right to do so—''

'' He took us here, and he's been taking care of you for weeks, better than anyone
has taken care of you before.''

'' Because he needs my memories—''

'' Stop.'' Theo frowned, his head shook at her, '' You're never the one to hide from
things like this. Why is it so hard for you to just accept the fact that he's in love
with you?''

'' Because I can't!'' Amelie nearly shouted, her hands combed through her hair in
defeat, '' If I do that Teddy if I let those thoughts in—''

She held her breath as she took a stride back into Draco's room, '' If I do that, it
becomes real, and if it becomes real, I'm vulnerable again, and I can't be, Teddy.
I can't be anyone else's until I belong to myself first.''

Theo didn't say anything. He simply stared at her as her skin flushed.

'' Of course, I know that Draco is in love with me. I'm more than in love with
him too, but he doesn't deserve this life, Theo. I'm not free. I'm chained to
Adrian, and I don't want that for him. I don't want Draco to have to live through
this too.''

'' Amelie,'' Theodore sought to reach out to her, '' Don't say that—''

'' Say what? The truth? That I want nothing more than to be happy with Draco,
but I can't—'' She turned away from him, looking over the room she was
standing in, '' I can't be with Draco, because he deserves better. I don't want to
drag him into—''

'' That's not your choice to make.'' The voice shredding behind them made her
freeze entirely in her position. Her breaths hitched, '' You can't make that
decision for me.''

Theodore gasped, and his eyes flickered to the blonde who took steps past him
into the room,

'' Well...'' Theo scratched the back of his head as he slowly backed away, '' I
think my work here is done.''

Draco slammed the door shut behind the brunette as he went, and Amelie still
didn't shift around to face him. It was as if she didn't dare to — she didn't know
how much he'd heard of what she said.

'' You weren't downstairs,'' Draco mumbled, and she could hear how his
footsteps echoed closer, and the instant she felt his hands gripping around her
upper arms — and his chest pushed up against the length of her spine, she shut
her eyes closed.

Amelie breathed him in, feeling how his lips placed a kiss on the back of her
head.

'' Why weren't you downstairs? '' He asked her as he pulled away, '' Even
Granger—''

'' I didn't think you wanted to see me.'' Amelie finally let out in a whisper, and
she held the courage to turn around to face him, '' I walked out on you, and I
didn't think—''

'' I missed you.'' Draco hewed her off, with a tear of hurt ripping through his
hoarse vocals, '' And not a day goes by where I don't want to see you, so don't
say that.''

His jaws clenched and unclenched before he carefully let a hand up to her cheek,
and the tips of his fingers brushed against her skin, '' You had all right to walk
out on me. I was stupid to ask you to stay when you weren't in the right—''

'' But you left.'' Amelie stated, and her eyes locked in his, '' You left, and you
didn't tell me why.''

Draco nodded as his chin rose. He signed his hand off of her jaw as he stepped
around her, dropping down in the armchair in the corner of his room. The
blonde's elbows were placed on his knees as his head fell to rest in the palms of
his hands.

'' I know.'' He mumbled, and she could see how his entire body tensed, '' I had
matters to attend to, but I told Nott that I was coming back in a few days.''
Draco sighed as he leaned back, staring directly at her, '' I had to leave, and I
didn't want you to have to see me after our...''

'' Disagreement.''

Amelie nodded slowly, '' You didn't —'' Her face held an agonizing look, '' You
didn't have to leave for that. I wasn't mad at you, Draco, I was just... shocked.''

'' I know.'' He said, and his ankle rested on his knee as his hands sped through his
hair, '' I just wanted to give you some space.''

It turned quiet, and Amelie slipped down onto the edge of his bed. Her sight fell
to watch her fingers tangle and untangle as she waited for either of them to say
something — but she didn't know what to say — to ask.

She wanted to ask him about Adrian, but she didn't know how to — he would be
furious with her if he knew that she'd been down there again, without him even
being home, and she didn't want to set him off.

All Amelie wanted to know was his side of things — his version of what Adrian
told her. She knew that Draco had fooled her — that he had been using her at the
beginning of things, but she didn't know that he was aware of what Adrian was
doing to her.

Draco cleared his throat, '' What have you been up to?'' His eyes gazed over her,
and the look of the girl he missed so terribly when he was away caused his veins
to flush in warmth.

'' Not much,'' Amelie said, shortly — nearly too sharp because the second those
two words trailed off her tongue, his eyes snapped away from her.

'' Amelie,'' Draco placed his palms onto the armrests before he forced himself up,
'' What did you do?''

She gulped, and she shifted uncomfortably on the edge of his bed, '' I didn't—''
Her feet flat on the floor as she stood up in front of him, '' Just nothing. It's
snowing, and I didn't go outside I was just—''

Draco's tongue rolled on the inside of his cheek as he studied her, how her words
almost shredded in stutters.
'' You went to see him, didn't you?''

Amelie's teeth clasped together, and she took a deep breath — she knew that it
wasn't an option to lie. He would most likely see right through her — he usually
did.

Sometimes it felt as if Draco knew her better than she knew herself.

'' Yes.''

He groaned as he threw his head back, '' Why? Why would you do that? I
specifically told you, never to—''

'' Because you left, and I needed answers.'' The desperate note in her voice
caught his attention, '' You left me with so many questions, Draco and I knew
that Adrian had—''

The blonde's features stoned, and the coldest of looks rose upon him, '' What did
he tell you?''

'' He didn't—''

'' What did he tell you, Amelie?'' He said again, harsher.

She swallowed, '' He said that you knew. He said that you knew about him
hurting me and that you still told him things because—''

'' That's a lie.'' Draco halted inches away from her, '' Yes, I heard rumors that he
was hurting you, but I didn't know if they were true, Amelie and I need you to
understand—''

The way she was looking at him now, the heartbreak her chest felt, and the
constant flashes of torture in her eyes made his veins ache.

He was standing so close to her, yet it felt as if they were holding miles apart.

'' You weren't a person to me, back then— all those months ago.'' His voice
shredded, '' You were nothing more than someone who stood in the way of my
family being whole again.''
She could actually feel her heart as it split in two.

'' You were a task, just like any other that had to be done. I had to make you trust
me, and then...'' His head shook as he tore his eyes from her. It hurt him too
much to admit it, '' And then I watched your mind in that bloody library that
night and I—''

'' Draco...'' Amelie whispered, and her forehead fell against his chest. Even if she
hadn't done anything — even if all she had done was to stand in front of him as
she listened to the words he spoke — she felt exhausted.

'' I couldn't do it anymore, Amelie. I couldn't hurt you like that, so I stopped until
the Dark Lord put even more pressure upon us, and I had to bring you here.''

With his hands around her body in minutes of quietness — she realized that she
didn't want to be mad, angry — sad even.

'' Just don't let me lose you,'' He whispered into her skull, '' I heard what you said
before, and Amelie, don't push me away. I understand if you need time to be by
yourself after this, but just promise me that you'll come back to me—''

Draco swallowed the lump he felt growing in the back of his throat, '' Promise
me that — that you'll always come back to me.''

Amelie's head nodded against his suit jacket as his hands tensed around her, '' I
will.'' She said before she leaned back, '' But only if you promise me to do the
same.''

It was as if he could breathe again, watching that tiny — nearly invisible twitch
in the corner of her mouth.

'' This hurts, Draco, and I want you to know that what you did was far from
okay, but Theodore said that—'' She huffed slightly, '' He said that I should give
you the benefit of the doubt and if we're honest with each other...''

She smiled, '' Who would I be if I stayed mad at you?''

'' Oh—'' Draco still stared at her, his breaths felt hot on her lips and he couldn't
understand how a person was capable of holding so much forgiveness, '' So you
were mad at me?''
'' I was.'' She smiled again, her eyebrows knitted together in an attempt to look
severe, '' And I still am.''

His eyes rolled, but Draco hesitated, still not pleased with himself even if she
chose to not be angry with him — something didn't sit right about all of this, and
as she watched that his eyes stung in pain — her face fell,

'' Draco, what's—''

'' I'm sorry, Amelie.'' He said, '' I'm sorry about your father, and that I lied to you,
and damn it—'' He couldn't speak properly.

To him — it felt as if his world crumbled because no matter how much he

seemed to mess things up — she still forgave him for everything.

'' Draco, don't—''

'' Just—'' He gripped her by her shoulders, '' Just listen to me.''

She nodded, as her neck arched to look at him, '' I am sorry, Amelie, and that's
nothing that comes easily for me. Malfoy men don't care, they are cared for as
my father used to put it, but I can't think clearly around you anymore...''

Amelie's eyes widened, and her finger pushed up against his lips to hush him
down, '' Don't.'' She whispered, almost scared to hear the rest of it, '' I know,
Draco, me too.''

His hands cupped her cheeks, and he bent her head back further, '' Really?''

'' Really.''

They stood there for moments, only holding each other after being apart for
days, and even if the world seemed to be held on the far edge of being alright
again — neither of them had any idea of the chaos that was about to come.

'' Draco—'' His father flung the door open, and his brows rose as he stared them
both down, '' Well, well, your mother said that things were distracting you, but
this...''

A vicious smirk climbed Lucius's lips, '' This was more than I had expected.''
'' Father,'' Draco stepped in front of Amelie, '' What can we—''

'' I'd like to have a word with miss Avery,'' Lucius slammed his cane into the
floor, '' Alone.''

____
 Forty-three

_____

'' I want all of you, always.''

_____

Amelie stood nearly terrified at the end of the upper floor hallway as she waited
for Lucius to join her in his office. She didn't quite grasp as to why the intriguing
man had requested to talk to her — but she didn't dare to decline.

'' Ah, miss Avery.'' The tall, blond man marched closer before his hand closed
around the doorknob, and he swung the wood open, '' After you.'' He nodded for
her to walk ahead,

Her eyes gazed over the darkened room as he shut the door behind them, and he
slipped down on his side of the massive desk.

'' You must be feeling confused as to why I am home so soon?'' He asked, and
his hand gestured for her to sit down across from him.

'' Not at all, Sir, this is your house—''

'' If only your father had the curacy to be as polite as you are, miss Avery.''
Lucius's mouth dragged out in a smirk, '' It truly is a shame what happened to
him, and you have my gravest condolences for what occurred.''

Amelie nodded, and her body tensed, '' Thank you, Sir.''

'' Now—'' He dropped his cane onto the table, leaning over it after, '' I understand
that you and Draco have been searching for your memories?''

'' Yes, we have,'' She forced a smile, feeling more than intimidated to where this
was going, '' Sir.'' Amelie corrected herself.
'' Good, you see, the reason I'm asking you this, and not my son, is because he
has been developing this need to protect you...'' He sent her a glare, '' And I don't
understand why he feels the need to protect you from his own father, but that's
not relevant.''

Amelie nodded again, and she tried her best to keep up with the words he was
spitting out.

'' And I suppose that you're familiar with the sensitive timeline we have on this
matter, so what I want to know from you, miss Avery — is how far you have
gotten.''

'' How far—''

'' Yes, how far you and my son have gotten to find the location of your mother.''

She did her best not to show him just how startled he made her, '' We haven't
reached—''

'' And why is that?'' His tone harsh, severe as he narrowed his grey eyes in hers, ''
How come that you were able to find his deepest even forgotten memory, but he
wasn't—''

'' Oh...'' The vicious smirk was smeared onto his lips again, '' You don't trust my
son.'' He said as he forced his chair back, '' And how come my son depends on
you but you don't...''

'' I do—'' Amelie's chin rose, '' I do trust your son.''

'' But not enough.'' He shot back as he took long strides around her chair, '' I
guess you see how that is a problem for me, that you're not trusting my son
enough to grant him your memories?''

'' I do.'' She said again.

'' And why is that?'' He placed his hands on the backrest of the chair she was
seated on, '' Why is it a problem for me, miss Avery?''

Amelie swallowed thickly as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, '' Because
the Dark Lord will...'' She held for a second, hesitant if she dared to say it out
loud, '' He will kill you if Draco doesn't find them.''

'' That's right, and do you know what he's looking for?''

'' My mother.''

Lucius let out a chuckle, and he shook his head at her as he leaned closer to her
ear, '' Your mother has something that is of great value to the Dark Lord, and she
stole it from him before she...'' Another peel of provoking laughter slipped his
tongue, '' Before she fooled everyone to believe that she was dead.''

Her jaws tensed as she spun around in the chair to face him, '' What is it? What
did she take?''

'' You see, dear, innocent Amelie,'' He took a step back, '' I think you already
know what she took, but you just don't remember it. That is why you and Draco
need to work harder.''

Lucius strode up to his desk again, with his eyes glued on her, '' You and Draco,
have the two of you—'' He brushed some hair off his shoulder, '' Have the two of
you perhaps talked about your feelings?''

Her eyes snapped of the man awkwardly, and her fingers twitched against the
palms of her hands.

'' If you don't mind me asking, of course.'' Draco's father kept on pushing, ''
Because a great deal in trust can sometimes be found when you know how the
other person feels.''

'' I don't—'' Amelie nearly choked on her own saliva, '' I don't think that is any of
your business, Sir, and even if it was... I don't think that's the case—''

'' How do you know that if you haven't talked about it?''

'' Because we don't want to—'' She snapped, and her eyes grew wider at her own
words, '' I'm sorry, Sir, but this has nothing to do with—''

Amelie was quickly cut off by the door being shoved open, and the blond boy
her heart continuously missed a beat for marched inside. His eyes snapped
between Amelie and his father before he frowned.
'' What is taking so long?'' Draco crossed his arms over his chest, '' You said a
quick word, it's been nearly—''

'' Manners, Draco!'' Lucius shouted, slamming his hands onto the desk. He
shifted, visibly upset by his son. The act caused Amelie to slightly flinch in her
seat.

'' Don't do that,'' Draco snapped back, taking quick steps up to Amelie — his
hands settled on her shoulders.

'' My apologies, Miss Avery.'' Lucius smirked again, '' Well, I won't hold you
two any longer, but Amelie—''

He once more narrowed the grey eyes in hers, '' Think about what we talked
about, will you? And know that I'm here to stay over Christmas before your time
is up.''

_____

The words spoken by Draco's father chewed within Amelie for days. She
couldn't quite get the seed he had planted in her head out.

The fact that it was almost time for them to be done — for Draco to take her
memories and hand them over to the Dark Lord frightened her. She wasn't sure if
she was ready for another session of him invading her head. Still, there wasn't
anything she wouldn't do for Draco.

Something else nagged her — something that she hadn't thought of before, sex.
Amelie and Draco hadn't reached that point yet. Nevertheless had they talked
about it — he had never tried anything in that way with her because he knew
what she had been through.

Amelie wasn't a virgin — she had sex with Adrian before things between them
turned vile, abusive, and after that — he violated her, and the thought of being
intimate with Draco didn't score her senses until now.

Not that she didn't want to — she did. Amelie was more than in love with the
blond, and she would give anything to be ready for that. Still, she wanted to do it
on her own terms — she didn't want to be pushed or talked into such a matter.
It was her body, finally, after years of abuse — she lastly felt as if she belonged
to herself, and she wanted to be the one to make those decisions.

But something inside her had sparked since she thought of it — every night she
was resting on Draco's bare chest as he slept heavily next to her — she thought
about it, how it would be like to be intimate with someone who truly loved you,
and who wouldn't leave you in pieces afterward.

Amelie felt as if she wanted to take a step — not a stride that far, but something.
She wanted them to be more than they already were.

'' Dinner is ready any minute now, and Pansy had something that she wanted to
ask you,'' Draco muttered from his armchair. The book in his hands lowered as
he peered up at her from behind the sheets of it.

'' Does she?'' Amelie stood with her head in her closet, deciding on what to wear
for the evening, '' Well, I just have to take a bath, and then—''

'' I'll wait for you.'' Draco mumbled before aiming his attention back to the novel,
'' Take your time.''

She closed the door to the closet before she turned around with her clothes in her
arms, and she thought about it — it clocked her mind as her eyes dragged over
the blond.

'' Draco,'' Amelie said, nearly in a whisper.

She was doubtful as to if she was ready to give another piece of herself to the
boy she couldn't manage to stay away from, and she was. That made her proud
— the long way she had come since she last thought of being vulnerable with
someone.

'' Amelie,'' Draco placed the book on his lap before he combed his fingers
through his hair, '' Was there something else coming with my name or...''

Her eyes rolled as he pushed himself off the furniture, '' It was,''

'' Then what is it?'' Draco folded his arms around her, and he let his chin rest on
the top of her head, '' Did something happen?''
Amelie could feel how his heart was speeding within his chest, and he was
nervous — he was always on edge when it came to her.

He didn't know what was about to happen next, and even if he didn't like to
admit it — he was terrified of losing her.

'' No, nothing happened.'' Amelie bent her head back, matching the grey eyes
that always seemed to look at her, '' I wanted to ask you something.''

'' Ask away then.'' He mumbled. His gaze was curious.

'' I wanted to ask you—'' Amelie couldn't form a proper sentence. She was too
nervous and scared that he would find her proposal ridiculous — but with a deep
breath and his eyes studying her tense figure,

'' I wanted to ask if you maybe want to take that bath with me?''

Her head dipped into his chest, and her cheeks grew more than red — she didn't
feel ashamed. She was feeling nervous, more than it.

''Amelie,'' Draco's hands landed on her neck, and his thumbs stroked her jawline,
'' Look at me.''

Her eyes leveled his again, '' You don't have to do this, you know. I will wait for
you, no matter how long it takes, until you're ready, but I don't want you to rush
into anything just because—''

'' Because what?'' Amelie said as his gaze softened at the worried look in hers, ''
Because I want to, Draco. I don't want to go too far, but I—''

She swallowed, '' I just want to do something more with you. I want you to see
me, and I want to see you.''

This time — this time, it was him, melting at the tips of her fingers.

'' Are you sure, because we can wait.'' Draco's hand moved further up along her
jaw as he stroked her skin, '' I don't want you to feel pressured in any way.''

'' I want to, but if you don't—''

'' Don't say that.'' His teeth were slightly gritted. His tone lower, '' I want you, in
all the ways a human can want another, Amelie. I want all of you, always, but I
want you to feel safe.''

She smiled at that, and her hand dipped to intertwine her fingers with his, '' I do
feel safe with you. That's why I want this. I want to feel closer to you in some
way—''

Draco huffed, trying not to let the smile he left arching in the corner of his
mouth out as he reached their tangled fingers up to his lips, placing a kiss on her
knuckles,

'' Come here then.''

_____
 Forty-four

_____

'' All I care about is you.''

_____

The heated water steamed in the bathroom they both were standing in as it filled
the bathtub. Amelie's body close to his. She felt nervous — more than it. She
hadn't done anything like this before, with someone who treated her so gently.

Draco's eyes dragged over her as she still stood fully dressed in front of him, and
her sight flickered. He didn't know if she was doubtful or simply nervous.

'' May I?'' Draco gestured towards the slightly oversized sweater she was
wearing. Her teeth bit down onto her lower lip as she nodded.

With a deep almost shaky breath, his hands softly trailed over her waist as he
gently tugged at the hem of her sweater.

Amelie could feel how her heart was pounding roughly within her chest as she
stretched her arms up for him to drag it off her, and when he did — she lightly
gasped by the fusion of hot and chilly air.

Draco's eyes stayed locked in hers. It was as if he didn't dare to look at her bare
chest. He didn't want to come off as disrespectful — he didn't want her to be
uncomfortable with him. Draco craved for her to be safe and to feel protected
when he was around, and she did.

He didn't realize just how safe she felt here, with him as his fingers clenched into
fists around the fabric of her shirt.

'' Draco,'' Amelie let out in a whisper, '' Look at me.''

His jaws ticked, as his head shook, '' Amelie, you don't have to do this. I can just
go—''

Her fingers stroked over his, and she took her sweater from him, flinging it to
the floor.

'' May I?'' She gestured to his shirt; a shy arch in the corner of his mouth rose
upon him as he nodded. Amelie started to undo each button of the black fabric as
he kept looking at her — he couldn't tear his eyes off of her.

She was beautiful — breathtaking, as she stood there in front of him, with her
heart once again on the line for him.

He knew that.

He knew that her heart rested in his hands, and he would protect it with his life.

Nothing would ever happen to Amelie when Malfoy was around.

'' Here,'' She mumbled, holding his arm out for him before she hauled the soft
material off, and he stood — just like her, with a bare chest.

She had seen it before, studied it, every inch of his ashen skin, and the mess of
faded scars, but she couldn't get enough of it.

He was beautiful.

Draco didn't say anything. He simply looked at her as she gazed back at him,
both in the total need to be close to each other. Amelie's hands arched at the hem
of her skirt as she slowly dragged it down, together with her underwear.

The act caused Draco to gulp. He didn't know where to look anymore — even if
all he wanted to do was to look at her. He wanted to stare, to memorize every
mark on her body, every freckle, every cut, every birthmark.

He wished that he could look at her — in this way, forever.

Amelie smiled shyly as she stepped away from the blond into the ceramics of the
bathtub, and she slipped down below the lines of heated water. Her body was
soaked by the tiny bubbles floating around her.
'' You are—'' Draco mumbled close to her ear as he settled behind her in the tub,
'' Breathtaking, Amelie.''

She shoved herself forwards, letting on more room for the boy, but he didn't
follow the act — instead, he gripped her shoulders and stopped her from moving
away from him. Draco didn't want more space between them — he needed her to
stay close.

'' Does this feel alright?'' Draco leaned his own back against the edge of the
bathtub, with her in his arms, '' Are you alright, Amelie?''

She timidly smiled to herself as she let the length of her spine rest against his
chest, and her head dropped back to his shoulder, '' I'm more than alright,
Draco.'' Amelie whispered as the tips of her fingers played gently over his arms.
'' Are you?''

'' Mhm,'' Draco hummed at her, pushing his lips into the back of her head, ''
More than just alright.''

'' Me too.''

They stayed there, in the quietness of the bathroom with nothing but the pouring
water as it echoed within the tile-covered walls.

It felt safe to her — even if she was exposing herself, showing Draco all the
hidden parts of her body, she still felt sheltered, protected by his arms around her
and his lips as they continuously placed kisses on her bare shoulders.

Draco was praising her, and all the faded marks on her body — he couldn't tear
his eyes away from her.

He wanted to see them all, to kiss every single scar of sin that other souls had
forced upon her, and take all her pain away.

He loved being this close to her. Still, he couldn't quite get the words she spoke
to her best friend a few days ago — out of his head.

Malfoy had no clue that she felt that way — that she was protecting his feelings
in the same way he was covering hers. He didn't know that she was scared and
that she didn't want him to be hurt in all of the madness circling them.
Not that he minded — he certainly didn't. He felt honored that she was keeping
him safe because that meant that she felt the same way for him as he did for her.

Draco didn't know if it was love he was feeling. If this was what love is
supposed to be. He hadn't loved anyone before.

He had never been in love or even cared for another soul as he did for hers, but
he had this urge — this craving to shield her from everything and everyone.

It drove him mad, nearly to the point where it exhausted him to be this longing
for another person.

Amelie's head tilted back, even further to peer up at the blond as he remained
silent — deeply fixed into his thoughts.

'' Draco,'' She whispered for his attention, her mouth arched into a humble smile,
'' What are you thinking about?''

His head shook as he met the heavenly eyes he couldn't possibly get enough of, ''
You.'' Draco mumbled, shortly as his arms tensed around her shoulders, '' I'm
thinking about you.''

'' Is that so?'' Amelie sucked in a harsh breath by the sense of his hands around
her, '' And why are you thinking about me ?''

" I'm right here."

His eyes sealed, '' I don't want you to be scared that you'll hurt me, Amelie.''

Her body stiffened.

'' I heard what you said to Nott the other day, and I don't want you to be afraid
that your past will hurt me. The only thing that will hurt me — that will be the
death of me is not being with you.''

Amelie felt her heartbeat in her ears again as she dragged away from the blond
in the water, shifting around in her position to look at him, '' Draco...''

'' No, Amelie. You don't get to choose this for me.'' He combed a wet hand
through his hair, '' You don't get to decide what will hurt me or not. I don't care
about Adrian.'' He scoffed.

'' That's really not—''

'' What?'' Draco looked at her softly as the length of her hair spilled in the water,
'' It's foolish? It's stupid? Don't you think I know that? I just—''

Her eyes flickered, '' You don't have to do this, Draco. I don't want you to—''

'' Are you even listening to me?'' He nearly snapped at her, '' I want you, Amelie.
I want to be with you no matter who your life is bounded with.''

Amelie's eyes widened at his confession, and her jaws slightly clenched.

She wanted to be with him too, more than anything — all she wished for at this
moment is for them to be free — unchained from everything and everyone.

'' I know, Draco.'' Her hand stretched in between them to wipe a trail of bubbles
off his forehead, '' But my life, with Adrian, is really complicated, and I can't ask
you to be alright with all of this because there isn't a way out. There will never
be a way out for me. I'm stuck with him, and there is nothing I can do about it,
Draco. I have tried everything, but it's the unbreakable vow. It can't be undone.''

'' I know that.'' Draco's hands settled on her shoulders as he turned her around,
dragging her into his chest again, '' But I don't care.'' He mumbled into the sweet
spot of her neck,

'' I don't care about anything else, than being with you. We'll deal with Adrian,
my father, your mother, and everything else we have to take care of, but right
now—''

Draco's minty breath fanned hot on her shoulder, '' All I care about is you.''

Amelie's eyes sealed as she nodded, '' Draco...'' She breathed out in a whisper to
the kisses he trailed behind her ear,

'' What?''

'' I need to tell you something.''

'' What?''

She swallowed the hesitation — this was the right moment. She needed to do
this, to say what she's been meaning to say for weeks now, but she didn't dare to.
Even if he heard her speak those words to Theodore, she still wanted to tell him.

She wanted him to hear her say them.

Amelie wanted him to hear that she was in love with him, and she couldn't
imagine her life without him either — that she was just as lost and miserable
when he wasn't close to her. Still, she didn't feel ready to say the words they both
needed to hear,

She didn't want to mess things up between them — to create more pressure.

Amelie inhaled sharply as she forced a smile, '' I think we missed dinner,'' She
whispered, and Draco playfully rolled his eyes at her, but even if he did — she
noticed the flash of disappointment in them.

Her heart ached — she really wanted to say it, to just spit it out and make them
both whole in the bittersweet life they held in.

'' I think we did.'' Draco grumbled back, and his hands combed through her hair
to wet it more, '' But I want to do something first.''

Her neck arched back against him, and she felt the coldness his hands brought as
he poured shampoo onto the top of her head,

'' Why are your hands always so cold, even when we're in the bath—''

'' I don't know.'' He began to massage at her roots, her eyes sealed at the feeling,
'' I just know that you make them warm.''

Her heart fluttered.

'' You make me warm,'' Amelie whispered underneath her breath, not for him to
hear — but he did, and a curve came upon his lips at her words.

'' Does this feel right?'' Draco said as he reached around her to grab the shower
handle.
'' It does.'' Amelie felt the calm scent of clean cotton score her senses again —
she would finally scent as he did, and nothing made her happier.

Draco washed all the bubbles out of her hair, and just as he was meant to settle
the handle back in its place, '' Let me try something.'' Amelie shifted around, her
eyes leveling his, and she reached for the bottle of shampoo before dropping the
liquid in her hands.

'' Here—'' Her fingers sought to tangle into the blond strands, but Draco hastily
jerked back, raising a brow at her,

'' I already agreed to let you cut it, now you want to wash it too?'' He stared
severely at her.

Amelie rolled her eyes as she bit down on her lower lip before she strived closer
to him in the water,

'' You still haven't let me cut it, but yes.'' She didn't wait for his approval. She
simply dragged the palms of her hands over his head.

Draco groaned at her doings, wanting to seem dismayed and serious — but she
could still see the flicker of satisfaction in his bothered grimace.

'' Do you want me to stop?'' Her fingers rubbed over his scalp, slowly dragging
her touch away, '' Because I will—''

'' No—'' Draco's hands wrapped around her wrists to keep her in place, ''
Continue.''

She did, she kept on shampooing his hair as his gaze fell upon her bare chest,
and his jaws tensed, '' God—'' He muttered.

'' What?'' Amelie snapped back, concerned that she was doing something wrong,
'' Did I—''

She had no chance of finishing her sentence. Draco wrapped his arms around
her, and he pulled her as close as he could before he flipped them over in the
splashing water.

Her chest and back drenched in the heated liquid as he held his arm around her,
his other hand placed on the edge of the bathtub,

'' You drive me crazy, you know that, right?'' He brushed his nose against hers.

'' Do I?'' Amelie smiled back, sneaking her arms around his neck, '' Draco, your
hair—'' She chuckled at the ridiculous look of the blond strands covered in
shampoo.

His eyes rolled as his head dipped into the water next to her shoulder, shaking it
as he hauled back, '' There.'' He grinned at her, liquid dripping down all over his
features.

'' You are crazy.'' Her chuckle made his heart flutter.

'' No,'' Draco's lips stroked against hers before he kissed her softly,

'' You make me crazy.''

_____
 Forty-five

_____

'' I hate Christmas.''

_____

'' I hate snow.'' Amelie muttered, tucking her chin deeper into the collar of her
coat, '' Why would you make me do this?'' She sent Theodore a glare as he
closed the door to the manor behind him.

'' Because it's Christmas in two days, and we need to buy presents,'' His eyes
rolled at her shaking figure, '' And how can you love the holidays but hate snow?
It just doesn't add up to me.''

'' Because—''

'' Where do you think you're going?'' Draco shouted, slamming the door shut as
he marched after them out on the gravel-covered ground, '' What did I tell you,
don't go anywhere—''

'' We're just going to shop for presents, mate, calm down—''

Draco stormed right past Theodore, with his eyes narrowed in hers — he halted
only inches away. She could feel his heated breaths on the chilled surface of her
face.

'' I thought I told you not to—''

'' Then come with us.'' Amelie's chin rose from the fabric as she sent the blond a
sweet smile, '' You can always join us, you know?''

'' Is that so?'' Malfoy rolled his eyes at her, looking evilly at her startled friend
next to them, '' And why would I do that? We're not kids. Christmas is for
children.''
'' Technically—'' Theodore raised but where quickly hewed of by Draco's
piercing stare, '' Okay then, but we're going whether you like it or not, so either
you come with us, or you can stay here and be mad about it.''

'' Nott—'' Draco growled, but Amelie's fingers intertwined with his made him
lose the focus from Theo. He looked down at their tangled hands before gazing
up at her again — his eyes fell upon her reddened nose, and all matters in the
world faded.

He had never seen something so simple as a blushed nose, being so beautiful.

'' Come with us, Draco, please?'' Amelie smiled, her hand gripped his harder, '' It
will be fun. I promise.''

He was still hesitant, but he knew that he couldn't stand against that smile of hers
and especially not when it came with her flushed cheeks and colored nose.

'' Fine—''

Amelie didn't let go of Draco's hand. She held him near as they strolled down the
streets of London with Theodore stumbling behind them.

The snow laid in clouds around the busy streets, and her eyes flickered
everywhere — Amelie hadn't been out in the world for months, not since she
returned for school this summer, and to her — that felt like a lifetime ago.

'' Here,'' Amelie said, pointing at a shop window, '' I want to—''

''There are only children... things, in there, Amelie, why would you—'' Draco
rose, staring the eager girl down, but before he had the chance to finish his
sentence, Amelie was already walking through the door.

'' For fucks sake—'' Draco muttered as Theodore placed a hand on his shoulder,
giving it a hard squeeze.

'' There's something you should know, Malfoy,'' Theo smirked as they both
watched Amelie through the glass, '' She's incredibly stubborn.''

Draco's eyes merely rolled, shrugging Theodore's hand off, '' So I've noticed.'' He
mumbled as they stepped after her into the shop.
Amelie's fingers trailed over all the pastel-covered toys and clothes. She wanted
to buy everything — she wished to spoil Pansy's unborn child to an unlimited
point.

Her breath hitched as she felt Draco's chest, pushed up against her spine, '' So...
why are you looking at these things?''

'' Because—'' Amelie turned around, meeting the grey eyes as she smiled, ''
Because Pansy asked me to be the godmother, and I feel like it's my job to spoil
Aimee.''

'' The child isn't even born yet,'' Draco huffed annoyingly at her, '' And it's not
like—''

'' Draco,'' Amelie said sternly. Her brows knitted together at his tensed
expression, '' Don't be like that. It's fun, and it's Christmas.''

'' I hate Christmas.'' He stated shortly, shoving his hands into his coat pockets.

''How can you hate Christmas?'' She looked at him, shocked, '' It's the best
holiday—''

'' I don't want to talk about it, just—'' He muttered, rolling his eyes at her as she
tilted her head, '' Get whatever you want, and I'll pay for it. I just want to get out
of here.''

'' No,'' Amelie took a step back from the blond as she grinned, '' I'm more than
capable of paying for myself, and if that means I can spend more time in here,
win-win.''

She disappeared in between the shelves again, leaving him uncomfortable and
troubled in between the toys.

'' Told you.'' Theodore smirked as he stepped up to him, '' She's more stubborn
than you are.''

'' Oh, shut up, Teddy,'' Draco let Theo's name slip out with sarcasm, '' Teddy,'' He
said again, as his fingers gripped a stuffed animal off the shelf, '' Why Teddy?
Wasn't Theodore embarrassing enough—''
'' That spell you told me about the other week, Malfoy—'' Theodore cut him off,
'' When you wanted me to shut up? Well, it would look pretty good on you right
now.'' Theo's shoulder annoyingly nudged Draco's before he strolled after
Amelie.

'' What?'' Draco nearly shouted, throwing his hands out in the air at the brunet
before his eyes fell upon the stuffed bear in his hand, '' Was it something I said?''
He lowered his tone at the animal, placing it on the counter again.

_____

'' I can't carry one more bag, Amelie!'' Theo muttered after her as she was about
to open the door to yet another shop, '' This has to be the last store because I
refuse to carry—''

'' I told you that I can carry them myself, Teddy.'' Amelie rose a brow at him, ''
But you insisted to carry them for me, so—''

'' Well, I didn't know that you were going to buy half of that bloody baby store.''
Theodore rolled his eyes as he dropped all of the bags to the ground, '' This has
to be the last one.''

'' Fine.'' Amelie smiled at him, even if he was annoyed with her — she couldn't
help but to find a bit of pleasure in the situation, '' This one, and then the bank —
and then home.''

'' Where in the bloody hell is Malfoy when I need him?'' Theodore whispered
underneath his breath as he leaned against the rock-covered wall, waiting for
Amelie to be done.

Her eyes flickered over the books in the store. She wanted to buy something for
Draco — something that would mean a lot to him, but she didn't quite know
what.

At first — she thought about buying him a ring, but he already had so many of
them, and to fit another on his ring-coated fingers wasn't possible — so perhaps
a book, but she didn't know which, because he had yet failed to tell her about his
favorite one.

Her fingers brushed over covers coated in leather until a bundle of two identical
books caught her attention, one held in a pale shade of blue — nearly a sky-blue
color while the other was black.

'' Looking for something in particular, miss?'' The store worker asked kindly
from behind her, and she slightly flinched by the sudden question, '' Oh, I'm
sorry I didn't—''

'' No, no!'' Amelie breathed out, '' I'm sorry, I'm just in a hurry, but if you don't
mind telling me...'' She pointed towards the two books, '' What is that?''

'' Oh, you see—'' The worker grabbed it, holding the books between them, '' This
is twin diaries. They compliment each other, and what is written in one of them
magically appears in the other.''

Amelie's eyes widened as the worker reached them out to her, '' The books are
close to soulmates if you know what I mean. They belong together, and one of
them feels what the other one is feeling as well.''

'' Really?'' Amelie whispered to herself, stroking her hands over them.

'' And it's a perfect size too. It's small, handy and you can bring them anywhere.''
The worker said again.

'' It's perfect.'' Amelie nodded before handing them back to the person in front of
her, '' I'll take them.''

'' Very well then, nothing else you need?''

'' No, I'm okay—'' She faltered in her own words, '' Or on the other hand, do you
happen to have a copy of Romeo and Juliet?''

_____

'' It's about time.'' Theodore groaned as she stepped out of the shop, '' So just the
bank, and then back to the manor?''

Amelie looked around — still doubting in her mind as to why Draco wasn't back
yet, '' Yes, but Draco—''

'' He had one more thing to do. He said he'll meet us at the bank.'' Theo reached
for the bag held in her hands, but she quickly dragged away,

'' Not this one.'' She started to walk away from him, grinning provokingly, '' I'll
hold this one myself.''

'' Why?'' He stalked after her, huffing frustratingly with the load of paper bags in
his hands, '' Oh, it's for me, isn't it?''

Amelie stayed quiet, not letting a sound out as they walked down the crowded
street.

'' I knew it. What was that store? I can't remember.'' Theodore muttered to
himself, '' It was a jewelry store, no! It was a clothing store, wasn't it?''

'' I'm not telling you,'' Amelie chuckled, shouldering him to the side, '' You'll
have to wait and see.''

'' But it's two days—''

'' Exactly, two days. Now, stop whining.'' She halted, right outside the massive
building in front of her, and the amused smile she held onto — faded into a look
of despair as he noticed.

Theo's arm wrapped around her, his mouth against her head, '' We don't have to
do this today, you know.''

'' I want to.'' Amelie whispered back, peering up at him, '' I just want this over
with, so that I don't have to think about it ever again.''

Theodore nodded, '' I'll be right outside, do you want me to let Malfoy in if he—''

'' No, I can do this by myself.''

Amelie walked down the room. Her eyes flickered all over the elves sitting at the
elevated desks as they stared down at her. The way they were eyeing her down
while folding the papers in front of them — was intimidating.

She halted in her steps, right beside the guard standing next to the exalted
counter.
'' Name, please.'' The elf said without looking at her.

'' Amelie Avery.'' She nearly stuttered back as her cheeks flushed at the situation.
The elf stared scribbling in a pad before glaring down at her.

'' Key, please.'' The elf said again, the high-pitched voice shredded loudly in the
hushed room, '' Or no, scratch that. You're here to collect a key, correct?''

'' I am—'' But before she could say anything else, the creature disappeared
behind the desk.

She was terrified — Amelie had never done anything similar to this on her own
before, but the letter an owl left her a few days ago — suggested that she'd visit
the bank before Christmas to collect the last piece her father had left her.

It hurt. The fact that her father wasn't here anymore. That the boy she couldn't
get her mind cleared off — killed him. Even if she understood that she couldn't
blame it on Draco, it was still sad.

She loathed her father. Andrew was the one person she feared in comparison to
Adrian, but he was still her dad. Someone that once, before her mother walked
out on them — seemed to love her.

But he hadn't done so in many years, and perhaps it was for the better — him not
being alive anymore. Amelie's heart lightly ached as she thought of it.

'' There you are.'' Draco placed a hand on her lower back, making her wince at
the tense thoughts clouding her mind, '' I was looking—''

'' I told Theo to—''

'' Ask me to stay outside, I know.'' Draco smirked down at her as he stood tall
and protecting beside her, '' Not a chance I'm waiting outside. Do I look like a
person who's asked to wait outside to you?''

Amelie let out a huff, leaning her head onto his shoulder for a slight second, ''
You do, actually—''

'' Watch it.'' Draco snapped back, silently, '' You're walking on thin ice, Amelie.''
'' Here you go, miss.'' The elf stepped down the stairs connected to the massive
counter, '' My condolences.''

'' Thank you.'' Amelie nervously took the golden key before Draco's hand on her
back tightened, leading her out of the bank.

'' Are you alright?'' He mumbled as he walked beside her, his coat swirled in the
wind.

Amelie's fingers stroked over the piece of gold in her hands, '' I think so. It's just
strange, you know? My father took everything from me, only to leave me it all
when he died. Ironic, isn't it?''

'' Amelie,'' Draco's arm moved over her shoulder as he pushed his lips into her
head, kissing her gently, '' You know you're safe with me, right?''

'' I know.''

'' Good.'' The doors out of the bank flung open as she completely melted into his
touch, '' Then let's go home.''

_____
 Forty-six

_____

'' Don't stop.''

_____

'' Stay still—'' Amelie muttered at the blond who repeatedly groaned at her
doings, and every time the scissors in her hands clasped together, he flinched, ''
Draco, I'll cut more than we both want if you don't stay still.''

He hated this — there wasn't a thing about Amelie cutting his hair that he
enjoyed. He didn't want to tell her no because he saw how eager she was about
it. Still, he loathed it. Going to a hairdresser was one of the things he dragged out
on, simply because he loathed it.

'' Are you done soon?'' He mumbled as she combed through the long strands, ''
It's not even that much to cut.''

'' Are you serious?'' Amelie stepped around the chair he was seated on in front of
the bathroom mirror, '' Have you ever seen your hair—''

'' Yeah, yeah, just get it over with.'' He shot back as his eyes rolled, '' I'm cutting
yours next, I hope you know that.''

Amelie's head tilted so that it leveled his, and she left a soft kiss on his cheek, ''
I'm counting on it.'' She smiled back before drawing away to continue cutting it.

The blond pieces she chopped off fell messily over the black tile floor, and the
look of it made Draco visibly uncomfortable. He wasn't much for messes either.
If he got to choose, which he did most of the time — everything would be
sparkling clean.

'' There you go,'' Amelie lit up behind him, lightly clapping her hands together at
the excitement she felt, '' Good, right?''
Draco's head shook as he slipped his fingers through it, and with a deep breath
— his eyes flickered to look at what she'd done,

'' Oh,'' He hushed himself, leaning closer to the mirror as he studied his new
hairdo, '' Not bad, Amelie.''

Her face shifted from the slight concern into an amused grimace as he turned
around to face her. His hands dug into her waist, and he closed the space
between them.

'' I told you so,'' Amelie bit down onto her lower lip as his jaws clenched at the
act, and he slowly dived down — her chin rose to meet him halfway, and just as
their lips were meant to collide — Draco dragged to the side,

'' My turn,'' He whispered close to her ear, leaving her on the complete edge as
he shifted them around, gently pushing her down onto the chair.

Amelie's eyes rolled as he grabbed the brush and stroked it over the brown
strands of her hair.

'' Don't mess this up now,'' She warned him through mocking, and it caused the
blond to become plainly nervous.

'' Stop—'' He grumbled, picking up the scissors, '' I'm not going to mess it up, but
how much should I cut?''

'' As much as you want to,'' Amelie's sight gazed over him in the mirror, '' I trust
you, so just cut it.''

'' Just cut it?'' He sarcastically mimicked her, '' Well, let me just cut it then,'' - and
he did. He chopped pieces of her hair off — not too much. He loved the length
of her hair.

Amelie hadn't cut it in over a year, and it had grown a lot during those months —
it was spilling far down her back, but she didn't mind.

'' Not so much, Draco!'' She shouted as he winced back, scared to death by her
sudden act, '' Oh God, Draco, what have you done?'' Her hands grasped at her
hair as he stood petrified behind her,
'' You— you said that I could cut—'' He stammered. His voice shaky, '' I'm sorry
—''

But Amelie couldn't keep her act together as she burst out in laughter at his
reaction, her face buried in her hands as she kept on chuckling at the blond.

'' You—'' Draco's teeth gritted as he grabbed the backrest of her chair, pulling it
to the side so she would face him, and in a quick movement — his hands closed
around her waist as he threw her over his shoulder,

'' You are going to pay for that,'' Draco growled as she laughed even more. Her
spine collided roughly with the mattress of their bed, '' You thought that was
funny, didn't you?''

'' I did—'' She chuckled as he climbed on top of her, '' And what are you going to
do about it?'' Her lips arched into a smile.

'' Oh, you'll see—'' Draco's head dropped to her ear, and he placed soft, tender
kisses on her skin. His fingers were gentle upon her body.

'' Draco—'' Her hands grasped at his neck as she bent her head back, giving him
more space to trail kisses down her throat.

'' Do you want me to stop?'' Draco mumbled against her skin, '' I'll stop if you
want me to, you know that—''

'' Don't stop,'' Amelie breathed out as her fingers trailed over his toned back. She
tugged at the end of his shirt and slowly dragged it off of him.

'' Amelie—'' Draco whispered as he kissed her jawline, brushing his nose against
it after,

'' My Amelie."

Her heart skipped not one but two beats at that. She had never been so happy to
be called someone else's before, because being Draco's meant pure happiness to
her, not the vile abuse she was used to.

'' Son—'' Lucius gave the door a swift knock before he flung it open, and both
Amelie and Draco jumped apart at the surprise.
The blond nearly panicked as he dragged a cover over his bare chest, breathing
more than heavily, '' What?'' He snapped at his father, earning a frown from the
man.

'' I'd like to have a word with the both of you about... your special guest in the
basement.'' Lucius shot Amelie a daring glare, '' So both of you, get dressed and
join me in my office after.''

_____

'' So—'' Lucius grinned as they sat down across from him, '' Adrian Pucey.''

Amelie's breaths hitched at the spoken name, but she sought not to show it — to
not let on how much it deeply frightened her.

'' What about him?'' Draco snapped, raising a brow at his father, '' You are well
aware of him being down there.''

'' Yes...'' Lucius stared evilly at his son, '' I am much aware, but what I can't seem
to wrap my head around is why. Why is that poor boy locked up in our sellar?''

Draco didn't answer the question, but his blood began to boil. He felt furious at
what his father was speaking — he wanted to talk against him, to drag Amelie
out of the tense situation they were being held in, but he also understood that it
could make things worse.

'' How about you, miss Avery?'' The man's sight shifted to her, '' Would you like
to enlighten me as to why Mr. Pucey is being held hostage in my basement?''

She swallowed, thickly — trying to suppress the doubt she felt growing within.

'' Adrian tried to—'' Her breath airy, '' He tried to kidnap me, so your son—'' She
flinched again, but this time, out of the hand Draco placed on her thigh,

'' So Draco locked him up downstairs, to not let him take me away.''

Lucius nodded slowly, in an attempt to wrap his head around it, '' But didn't you
and Mr. Pucey have a relationship prior to—'' The grey eyes flickered between
his son and Amelie as his hand wavered towards them '' This?''
'' They did." Draco mumbled, his fingers around her thigh gripped the flesh
harder, " But not anymore."

'' I'm not speaking to you, Draco. Be quiet, please.'' He rolled his eyes away from
his son to narrow them back at Amelie, '' Continue, dear.''

'' We were a couple, yes.'' Amelie stated as Draco sighed, '' But we... it's
complicated.''

'' Well, then it's a good thing we have time, miss Avery.'' Lucius nearly snarled at
her, his hands settled on the desk as he shoved a quill back at its place, '' Go on,
tell me why your lover—''

'' Ex lover,'' Draco muttered beside her.

'' Ex lover—'' Lucius took after, '' Why he felt the need to kidnap you.''

Amelie's fingers twitched against her palms. She didn't know if she was ready to
say it out loud to yet another person, but in some strange way — she felt as if
she needed to be honest with Draco's father.

'' Because we're bounded.''

'' Bounded?'' Lucius rose a brow, '' Bounded how?''

She settled her hand upon Draco's to seek the comfort she needed, '' My life is
bounded with his, through the unbreakable vow.''

The man nodded again, his fingers scratched at his chin, '' I see, and he wanted to
take you away from Draco? I suppose?''

'' Yes.'' Amelie inhaled sharply, '' Because if my life is at risk, so is his, and he
was scared that Draco would hurt me by searching my memories.''

'' Have you been visiting him? Is he aware that you're staying here?'' Lucius kept
the eager questions coming, '' Has he been let out at some point?''

'' No.'' Draco hissed, '' What is it with these questions? Yes, Amelie has been
down there twice without my knowledge, and no, he hasn't been let out, now was
there anything else? Because we have things to do.''
It was as if something came to his mind when he shifted around in his position as
if a bad idea clocked his wicked head.

'' I see,'' His father uttered again, '' Well, then I see no reason to keeping you here
anymore, miss Avery, but I'd like to have a word with my son, alone.''

'' Of course, Sir.'' Amelie stood up as Draco's hand slipped off her thigh, and she
gave him a soft smile before she walked out — striving not to let out how much
that conversation bothered her.

Amelie immediately felt as if something was terribly wrong — the way Lucius
had looked at her after her confession about Adrian caused shivers to spread
down her spine. It was something with that man — and how he reacted when she
told her truth made her more than suspicious.

She had seen a mind, just as sinful as Lucius before — in both Adrian and her
father, and the instinct she had developed to try and hold one step ahead of them
nagged within now. But she also prized how much Draco cherished his father,
and she didn't want to suspect him before she had valid proof of doing so.

Amelie liked it here — she loved her moments with Hermione and Pansy at
breakfast, how they talked about Aimee and how she was granted to feel the
kicks of the baby held in her stomach.

She adored helping Narcissa with lunch in the kitchen while the lady questioned
her about different spells and potions to keep her mind active with the months
she spent away from school. Narcissa was one the funniest humans she had ever
held the chance to be around.

The evenings with Teddy in front of the fireplace, and the walks they took out in
the snow at dawn as they watched the sunset — she could never grow tired of. It
was one of the many moments that held her in pieces.

And every single moment in between — she spent with Draco, which seemed to
be her favorite part of the day. To be able to sleep next to the blond or teach him
how to bake the cookies her mother always made for her. She filled her days
with things that made her smile — with doings that caused her happiness.

Even if the feeling of the unknown sometimes got to her, and it made her
crumble — she had all of the people she cherished near.
'' You need to continue, Draco, we have a week—''

'' I know that, don't you think I know that? We have been trying.''

'' But not enough! Do I have to take all your precious little memories of her
away from you? Is that what it will take—''

'' Don't you dare. I have been doing my task. I have been trying, but I can't make
her remember. I can't force her to trust me, and if you do that — if you take my
memories of her, away. I'll be just as cold and heartless as I was before, and
then she would most definitely not trust me.''

'' Don't you think I see what you're doing, son? That you are stalling? You even
brought that filthy mudblood into my house!''

'' It makes her safe, father. She was away for weeks, with just her and Nott. She
needs her friends.''

'' But a muggle-born in my house, Draco. That is something I can't accept from
you. This girl has changed you for the worst, if I may say it myself. You used to
impress the Dark Lord, and now you have a Death Eater in chains in my
basement, and you are fooling around with a girl who belongs—''

'' She belongs to no one but herself, don't you say those things about her. She's
well aware of what the Dark Lord will do if I can't locate her memories, and she
is still willing to try. Believe me when I say that she's doing it for our sake.''

'' Does she know what our Lord has planned for her mother, son?''

'' No.''

'' Keep it that way.''

'' I intend to do so.''

'' And for the boy in the cellar, Draco. There isn't a way to break the vow, so for
your sake — I hope you have a plan for him, because in a week when we have
the meeting with the Dark Lord, he will ask questions.''

'' I'm well aware.''

'' I truly hope you are, son, and try to distance yourself a bit from her. We have
no clue to what the Dark Lord is planning to do with miss Avery when we're
through with her.''

'' He won't touch her. No one touches her."

" And how come you—"

" Because she's mine, and no one touches her."

'' Are you absolutely certain about that, my boy?''

____
 Forty-seven

Mature content ahead.

_____

'' Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.''

_____

'' It's Christmas tomorrow!'' Teddy shouted as he threw a snowball at her, '' Don't
you feel excited?''

'' I do—'' Amelie muttered back, her chin and mouth deeply buried into her coat
by the icing weather, '' I am excited, but the way you're talking about it, all the
time makes it less exciting.''

Theodore frowned at her as he dipped down to gather another fist of snow.

'' Don't you dare!'' Amelie rose her hands towards him in defeat, '' I hate snow,
you know that.''

'' I know,'' Theo grinned back at her, his cheeks glowing red by the biting air, ''
That's why it's fun.'' He aimed the ball of snow towards her again before he fired,
and her back turned against him.

'' Stop it, Teddy, it's not funny—'' Amelie was cut off by another swing of snow
hitting her shoulder,

'' Teddy, I will fight you.''

He laughed at her as he bent for another grasp, but the second he wasn't looking
— Amelie threw one back at him, hitting him straight in the head.

'' Oh my—'' Teddy shot up, looking confused at her, '' Oh now you're just asking
for it.'' His hands threw out in the air as he started sprinting towards her.
'' No, no, no—'' She squealed out as he wrapped his arms around her, flinging
them both to the snow-covered ground, '' Teddy, please—''

Amelie couldn't form a proper sentence out of all the laugher that kept escaping
her lips.

He wrestled her as she sought to push him back, but her arms had no strength,
and he climbed on top of her, '' See—'' Theo chuckled at her blushed face, '' I'm
still stronger.''

'' That's only because you keep tickling me—''

'' What the—'' Draco's voice caught them off guard from behind, making them
both to hush down.

'' Hello, mate,'' Theodore softly laughed, his glove-covered hand shoved his hat
away from his eyes. Draco's sight flickered down from the brunet to the girl
lying beneath him,

'' Hi...'' Amelie chuckled again, making Teddy entirely fall apart in laughter
again, '' We were just—''

'' I can see that,'' Draco muttered, raising a brow at her.

Theodore fell off her as he clutched his stomach out of the exhaustion, and
Amelie stood tall on her feet. Her hands brushed some of the snow off her coat
as Draco strode closer to her, and just as his arms were meant to wrap around her
— he slipped, and he dragged her down with him.

'' Draco—'' She whimpered, and her hair tickled his face as she laid on top of
him, '' You did that on purpose, didn't you?''

Theodore couldn't stop chuckling at the two, now laying in a complete mess on
the ground again.

'' I did not,'' Malfoy groaned as his head fell to the cold soil, looking softly at the
girl on top of him, '' Not that I mind it, but don't flatter yourself, Amelie.'' He
said with a smirk arching upon his lips.

'' I don't,'' Amelie shot back as she stood up again, stretching out a hand for the
blond to take, and he did.

''Teddy,'' Draco called out for Theo as he brushed the white dust off his
shoulders, '' Your father sent you a letter. It's inside.''

'' Teddy, huh?" Theo grinned for a brief moment.

" But did he?" Theodore's eyes grew wide, and his voice ripped in hope, '' I'll see
you later then.'' He said as he marched towards the front door, leaving Amelie
and Draco out in the cold.

'' What letter?'' Amelie turned to face Malfoy, '' Did you see—''

'' No, but I think he's sick, Amelie.'' Draco's gaze fell into an agonizing one, '' I
heard my father say something to my mother, and I don't think Mr. Nott has
much time.''

'' What?'' Amelie's eyes prickled in tears, '' How? Why?''

'' I don't know, but I can find out if you want me to.'' Draco's hands stroked
comfortingly over the length of her arms, '' But don't tell Theodore anything. I
think his father deserves to tell him.''

'' Of course,'' Amelie whispered, as the ache shredded through her veins, '' I just
— I just can't believe it. He can't lose his father, too, Draco. You don't
understand when his mother—''

'' I know.'' Draco's fingers moved to cup her jaws, and she met the grey eyes, '' I
know, Amelie. I'll find out everything I can, and we'll go from there.''

'' Thank you.'' Amelie breathed out, sealing her eyes shut not to let out the
shredding tears, '' Thank you for looking out for Teddy too.''

It was sweet to her how Theodore and Draco had grown closer during their time
living together. They had become friends, even if either of them would ever
come to admit it — they cared and looked out for each other too.

'' I'm not—'' Draco rose but quickly quieted at his own terms. He sighed loudly, ''
My pleasure.''
Amelie's forehead rested against his chest, and he held her as her heart broke for
Theodore's father because she knew how much he meant to her best friend.
Amelie was well aware of how long it took for Teddy to come to peace with his
mother's death — it took years and years for him to let his mind rest from the
haunting thoughts.

And now — now it was happening again. Although, it wasn't a complete surprise
to her that Mr. Nott's health was on edge. Ever since his wife died at a young
age, leaving him and Theo behind — he had been drinking a lot, and he turned to
certain substances to clear his mind of his late wife.

'' Let's go inside. You're freezing.'' Draco muttered into her head, making her
clock out of the thoughts she held and Amelie nodded, '' I have something to
attend to, so I'll be late tonight.''

Amelie's neck arched to look up at him, '' Is it Adrian?''

'' No—'' He cleared his throat, '' My father doesn't allow me to go downstairs
anymore, not since our talk yesterday. He said he'd take care of Pucey from now
on. This is... matters for the Dark Lord.'' His tone shifted lower.

'' I see.'' Amelie forced a smile, but she couldn't help but feel the waver of doubt
when it came to his father and Adrian.

_____

Amelie was on the slight edge of falling asleep when she heard the bathroom
door to Draco's room slam shut, and the water turned on. Her eyes gazed at the
watch on her nightstand, and to her surprise, it was far past midnight.

She waited what felt like hours for him to be done in there, and just as she
tucked her head back into the pillow — she flinched by him, opening the door.

Draco crawled up the bed, and his arm wrapped around her. His lips pushed into
the back of her head as he mumbled, '' Are you awake?''

Amelie turned around to face him in the darkness, '' I am now.'' She smiled, '' It's
so late, Draco — were you out until now?''

'' Mhm.'' He hummed as he dragged her closer, '' I talked to mother for a bit, she
still hasn't dressed the Christmas tree, but I told her that we'll help her in the
morning.''

'' That's sweet,'' She yawned into his chest, '' I'll help too.''

'' I figured you'd want that, but now you need to rest, Amelie.'' He whispered
close to her ear before he sunk further down the mattress to fully level her, ''
We'll take care of it all tomorrow.''

She could sense how tensed and bothered he was. How his mind was clouded by
what Voldemort had made him do. She wanted to ask him, yet she didn't want to
push him.

Draco never spoke much about the Dark Lord and the tasks he completed for
him. She simply figured that it was too hard for him. That the things he had to
take care of was too haunting, and it tormented him to a point where he couldn't
sleep properly.

Amelie wanted him to talk to her in ways she felt safe to confide in him.

'' Draco,'' Amelie tilted her head, uncertainty spread within her, '' What did the
Dark Lord want you to do?''

The question she asked caused his jaws to tense, and his body stilled, '' Nothing
you should have to worry about.'' The blond said sternly.

'' Talk to me.'' Amelie bent over him, feeling his heated breaths on her lips, ''
You're always here for me. I want to be there for you too.''

'' I know,'' He huffed as he stared up at the ceiling, '' But this isn't something you
should know.''

She nodded as she kept her eyes on him, and after moments of silence — he
leaned closer to her and placed the usual goodnight kiss on her lips, '' We'll talk
about it tomorrow, alright?'' He mumbled into her parted lips, and just as he was
about to drag away like he always did — she deepened their kiss.

'' Amelie,'' Draco breathed out, '' God—''

He couldn't help it — the way her lips matched his, the way they parted for his
tongue to battle hers drove him insane. Malfoy turned them over, him on top of
her, as she pulled away to catch her breath for a slight second.

Amelie's fingers locked behind his neck as he dove down again, kissing her
gently, yet eagerly.

He couldn't get enough of her.

'' Draco...'' She whispered as the tips of her fingers stroked his exposed back, '' I
—'' She swallowed and sought to find the bravery she knew rested somewhere
within.

'' What?'' He bent back, looking softly at her in the moonlight, '' Do you want me
to stop?''

She bit down onto her lower lip, '' Don't stop, Draco.''

His eyes widened as her thighs spread apart more for him to be closer, '' Are you
sure?''

'' I am.''

And she was — without a second doubt. She was crazy for him. In all ways a
person could be crazy for another. She wanted nothing more than to be with him
in all ways possible.

Draco's lips collided with hers again as his hand slipped underneath the covers to
help her drag her nightdress off. Amelie's back arched off the mattress as he
tugged the material off of her.

'' So fucking beautiful,'' He groaned before his lips left wet kisses along her
jawline, down her throat, and she softly whimpered at the touch.

The sounds falling from her lips made him more than tense, and his hand moved
over her chest, down her stomach as it halted right over the hem of her
underwear.

'' Promise me that you'll ask me to stop. If I'm doing anything that makes you
uncomfortable at all, promise me that.'' Draco mumbled as he kissed her
collarbone, '' Promise me, Amelie.''
'' I promise,'' Amelie whispered again as she melted into his touch. He laid down
next to her, on his side as she stayed on her back,

'' I want this,'' She said shyly as her heart pounded roughly within, '' I want you.''

Draco's lips on hers again as he let his fingers slip underneath the soft material of
her underwear, and his touch slowly reached exactly where she needed him to
be. She moaned silently into his mouth as he carefully traced circles over her
sensitive spot.

'' Draco—'' Her entire body fluttered by the touch. He groaned back as he kept
on pleasing her, and the whines fleeing her throat made his whole self flush in
warmth.

'' Are you alright?'' He mumbled, still kissing her with all the emotion he felt, '' I
need you to be okay.''

'' I am—'' Amelie breathed out, her hands tangled into his blond strands, '' You
make everything alright.''

'' You can't say those things to me, Amelie—'' Draco trailed kisses over her
throat, '' It drives me mad, insane.''

'' Good—'' She bit down her bottom lip to muffle her own sounds, '' I want to
drive you crazy.''

'' Really?'' He looked up at her, meeting her soft gaze as his fingers teased her.
He wanted to take care of her, make her feel safe, and still give her everything.

'' Really.'' Amelie pulled his head up to match hers. Draco pushed himself off the
covers as he lowered himself over her again, dragging the sheets over them as he
went.

Amelie felt a tingling sensation as it ripped through her. She hadn't been this
certain about anything before — she wanted to give him every piece of herself.
She wanted to be with him to the fullest and never leave his side.

Draco pushed his boxers down, and one of his hands settled next to her head, ''
Amelie, we really don't have to.'' He said again, stroking his nose against hers, ''
You know that I will wait for you. I will always wait for you.''
'' I will wait for you too, always, but I want this, Draco. I want you.'' She smiled
back as his tongue rolled on the inside of his cheek.

His hand wrapped around his length, putting it in place with her heat as she let
out a shaky breath, and he slowly pushed inside her.

Her hands grasped at his upper arms at the feeling of him filling her up, and it
felt as if she lost her breath — she hadn't done this in a long time, and the
mixture of hurt and pleasure made her eyes seal.

'' Are you okay?'' He gently pushed forward, '' Amelie, tell me that this is okay.''
He begged her.

He was so worried for her.

Draco wanted her more than anything — he wanted her in all the ways possible,
but he needed her to feel alright with what he was doing, and he would stop in a
heartbeat if he ever believed that he was hurting her.

'' Oh God, Draco—'' She said in a whisper, her fingers clenching around his
arms, '' Don't stop.''

Relief washed over him like a tidal wave, and he let his hips roll against hers. He
couldn't focus — neither could Amelie. They had no possibility to look away
from each other, and the second her lashes battled the pleasure she felt, his stare
matched hers.

Draco's eyes leveled her hand as it placed on her stomach, and her fingers
slipped apart, causing him to notice the scar she sought to hide from him.

His hand softly gripped hers as he pinned it over her head, " Don't hide from
me." He breathed out, placing kisses all over the deep cut, " You never have to
hide any part of yourself from me."

He kissed it again,

And again,

And again.
Amelie's eyes sealed as she felt the embarrassment rock within. No one had ever
seen that scar before. She hid it from everyone ever since a sinful soul carved it
into her skin out of violence.

" Draco—" She sought to speak as his fingers intertwined with hers, and he kept
on kissing her scar.

He took all the shame she felt, away.

Draco made her feel safe within the coat of her own skin. She knew that she
could trust him now — that she could rely on him more than anyone because he
accepted her, he praised her, with all her beautiful flaws.

Amelie's eyes peeled open as she watched him admire it — he made her cherish
her body more and more for every kiss he left upon her.

'' You're mine.'' Draco groaned into her skin, still kissing her marks of torture
with all he had, " You're mine, and I want to see all of you."

'' Mine.''

'' Mine.

'' Mine.''

" Mine."

''Promise me that.'' His head rose as he stroked his nose against hers, '' Promise
me that you'll be mine, always.''

'' I do—'' She whimpered, '' And you're mine, Draco. I'm yours, and you're
mine.''

The only sound circling them was their heavy breathing — and the soft sounds
falling of her pure lips. He couldn't stop, he couldn't slow down — but he
couldn't go faster either. He needed to breathe this moment in.

So did Amelie. She couldn't drag her eyes off of him as his chest rose and fell
overs hers — his lips constantly kissing her jaw, below her ear, down her neck.
He kissed her chest, her shoulders and lingered over her scars.
He kissed them, over and over — he needed to save her. He needed to take all
her pain away, and he did.

He would never be able to be without her now. He would never be able to stay
away — to betray her or to hurt her in any way.

Amelie was his, and only his.

'' You are perfect, fucking hell. So beautiful—'' The blond kept on praising her as
he slowly pushed into her, '' Never leave me.''

'' I won't.''

'' Draco—'' She breathed out, her nails dug into his arms as he bucked his hips
into hers. She was falling apart — melting underneath him, '' I think I'm—''

'' Me too.'' He groaned into her parted lips, and he could feel how her body was
on the tip of coming undone. He didn't want to cum. He didn't want this to end
— he wanted to have her this way, for as long as he could.

Amelie's toes curled as he leaned his forehead against hers, '' Cum with me,'' Her
eyes fluttered, and her back slightly arched.

The way she spoke to him, how softly she moaned out every word as he thrust
inside her, how the dampness of her skin fused with his, how the tiny muscle in
her jaw ticked as her teeth gritted, how her skin shivered as he kissed that sweet
spot on her neck, how she clenched around him, how her hands desperately
gripped his arms.

He kissed her forehead before her neck bent back into the pillow, and she
whimpered out of control — that was enough for him, more than it, and he came
just as undone as she did.

'' My Amelie...'' He heaved as he fell down next to her, pulling her closer than
ever, '' Mine.''

Amelie smiled to herself, and for the first time in so long — she felt complete.

'' Yours, Draco. Only yours. ''

_____
 Forty-eight

_____

'' It's always going to be rain, isn't it?''

_____

'' Draco—'' Amelie whispered, leaning closer to his ear, '' Draco, wake up.''

He didn't move a muscle. He was deeply asleep as her eyebrows knitted together
— usually, she would let him sleep in and not wake him if she didn't have to, but
today she needed to.

It was Christmas, and all she wanted was to dress the tree with him before the
rest woke up.

'' Draco—'' She mumbled again, this time nudging him to the side. Still nothing,
not a life sign from the blond, and she grew impatient, '' Draco...''

Her lips curled into a smirk as she gently climbed on top of him — straddling
him in between the covers as she leaned forward, brushing her nose against his.

'' Wake up, Draco.'' Amelie muttered, his breaths felt hot on her lips, '' Draco—''

She squealed as his arms wrapped around her, suddenly without warning, and he
wrestled her into the mattress, towering her instead,

'' What?'' His eyes drowsy, his hair messy, '' What couldn't possibly wait five
more minutes?''

Her teeth showed as she laughed at the annoyance he felt with her for waking
him up at this hour, '' I'm—''

She continued to chuckle at him as he buried his head into her neck, sighing
loudly at her, '' Terribly funny, Amelie.'' Draco's body felt heavy on top of hers
— but she didn't mind. She loved having his skin on hers.

'' It was, wasn't it?'' Amelie smiled cheekily as he rolled off her, sitting up at the
edge of the bed. His head dropped to his hands as he groaned by the early
morning.

Amelie kneeled over the covers as she placed herself behind him, and she kissed
his neck softly. The act caused him to lean back against her, softening into the
touch she brought.

'' So you want to dress the tree, hm?'' Draco mumbled at the faint pecks she kept
on leaving.

'' I do.'' Amelie clung her arms around his neck, '' I really do.''

Malfoy huffed at that before he shifted around to face her fully, '' Then let's go
dress the tree.''

_____

'' No—'' Amelie sent him a glare as he draped the tree with the golden claret
decorations. She shot up on her toes to drag it back down, '' You can't just hang
them however you want. You need to do it symmetrically.''

Draco chuckled, his hands raised at her words, '' My apologies then.''

Her eyes rolled. She sighed at herself for always wanting everything to be in
order — for wishing for things to be in the path with another.

'' You know what?'' She let the decoration stay in the place where Draco had
placed it, '' Let's do it your way.'' Amelie shyly smiled.

'' Really?'' Draco's arms wrapped around her from behind as his head sunk into
her hair, '' That's a first.''

'' Oh, stop it!'' Amelie laughed, slapping his arm gently, '' You know what I
mean. I just want things to be precise, you know?''

'' I know.'' He grinned as he let go of her, stepping back to pick up another piece
of decoration, and as he did, his eyes fell upon her, how she had to stretch up on
her toes to match the globes he'd put, how her nightdress slipped over her figure
— the body he couldn't get enough of.

He had no strength of tearing his eyes away from her, because she was his now.
Amelie was finally after months of battling back and forth — his.

And nothing in this shallow world made him happier — nothing had ever felt
more at peace than to watch her struggle with the decorations, nearly stumbling
around the tree in his slippers, that was way out of her size.

'' Are you going to help me, or are you going to stare?'' Amelie frowned at him,
playfully as he slowly shook his head at her, '' Because I can't reach—''

'' Here,'' Draco said, and he closed in on her again, bending down to grab her
thighs — he lifted her, and she let out a cry at his doings, unprepared for what he
was going to do.

'' Draco—'' Amelie's breath hitched in the back of her throat, '' God, you can't
just—''

'' Well, I did, now hang that ball in this bloody tree.'' He muttered, and her hand
tangled into his blond strands for support, '' There you go.'' Draco dropped her to
her feet again.

'' All done,'' Amelie smiled, biting down onto her lower lip as she watched the
now — fully dressed tree, '' And now—''

'' We can go back to bed, right?'' Draco groaned beside her as she walked over to
the table, coming back with a Christmas present in her hands, '' It's too early,
Amelie,'' - but the second he saw the gift in her hands — he hushed down.

'' What is that?'' The blond rose a brow at her; a flicker of confusion flashed the
grey eyes.

'' It's for you.'' Amelie's cheeks burnt as she felt a waver of embarrassment by the
shocked look he was giving her. She reached her hands out for him to take the
gift.

Draco studied it thoughtfully as his fingers arched around the edges of the
wrapping paper, and he quickly unfolded the books.
'' What is it?'' He mumbled as he flipped through the clear pages, '' Is it some sort
of books?''

Her skin held the flushed color as she nodded, '' It's two diaries.'' His eyes
flickered to hers, '' And they can feel each other, so what I write — you can see
and feel too.''

The grey eyes widened as he sucked in a harsh breath, '' And you got this for
us?''

'' I did.'' Her fingers intertwined behind her back as she sent the blond a humble
smile, '' I love writing, and I'm not that good at explaining my feelings and...''
She held as she nervously looked at him,

'' And...'' Draco spoke up at her silence, '' And what?''

'' Neither are you.''

'' Oh—'' He smirked, before placing the books onto the counter, '' Well, then I'm
glad that I've found someone that knows me better than I know myself.''

Her head tipped to the side as she gently rolled her eyes at him — it made her
heart flutter, what he said to her, and the way he was staring at her.

Amelie was never the one to cherish Christmas much either — her parents never
celebrated it, so every year, she got permission to visit Teddy and his father for
the holidays. Her views on it changed drastically when she got to be with her
best friend and celebrate in the ways he did.

'' I have something for you too,'' Draco's hand pathed up to her jawline, stroking
his thumb against the sensitive skin, '' It was hard, buying something for
someone who gives you everything.''

Amelie's teeth sank into the inside of her cheek as she sought not to smile, '' I
didn't want to buy you just one thing. I want to give you everything—'' He
raised, keeping the palm of his hand on her skin.

'' You already do, Draco,'' Amelie noted, '' I don't understand how you're so blind
from seeing how much I've changed with you — how much you've changed me.''
Draco let out a peel of chuckle before his jaws tensed, '' That's not true.''

'' But it is—'' Amelie's arms cloaked around his waist, '' Don't you remember the
night you found me with Adrian, in the locker room? Or when you caught me in
the library the first time? Don't you see how much I've changed since then?''

His gaze fell softly upon her, '' I do, but that's all you—''

'' It's not all me. If it was all me — I still would've been with Adrian because no
one would've helped me out.'' Amelie's fingers gripped the smooth fabric of his
shirt tightly.

His head slightly shook at her, '' It's all you, it's always you, Amelie.'' He
confessed, his hand held large on her face, '' I know that you're going to say
something about me saving you and that I am all the reasons to why you're
standing here right now, but don't.''

Draco dragged in a harsh breath, hesitant to if he wished to bare himself, '' You
are. You are all my reasons, because before you — I wasn't a worthy human
being. I did things that no one should ever be allowed to do, but you—''

She blinked quickly, '' You...'' Malfoy quieted down, '' Just you, Amelie.''

Her lips slightly parted as he kept his eyes on her.

'' You are the flower to my rain, or something like that.''

Amelie's heart fluttered, " Or something like that?" She chuckled, '' It's always
going to be rain, isn't it?'' She asked, and he leisurely nodded at her,

'' Good,'' Amelie continued, her forehead fell against his chest, '' I love rain.''

'' I do too.'' Draco mumbled into her head, '' But what I got you isn't something
you can wear when it rains.'' He withdrew from her, marching out of the room
for a quick minute before he returned with a gracious paper box in his hands.

The color stunned in azure shades as the bow on it held pearly. The box and its
wrapping was beautiful.

Amelie's eyes grew wide at the package he granted her. Her fingers stroked over
the glimmering paper, and her eyes flickered.

'' Draco, you didn't have to—''

'' Just open it.'' The blond stepped back, hunching down on the couch as she
studied her. How she stood so effortlessly and still managed to look so
breathtaking.

He didn't understand what he ever did to deserve her and the soft heart beating
within the cage of her chest.

Amelie slipped down next to him, the gift on her lap as she carefully tugged it
open by lifting the lid off it — and a gasp fled her throat as she did.

'' Really?'' Draco smirked at her reaction, peering over as her cheeks flushed in
color.

It was a dress, not like the others she had — no, they were different.

They were coated with long sleeves and high necks to cover her bruises, marks,
cuts — Adrian always bought her dresses that hid her body, that wouldn't allow
a soul to see the horrible truth she lived in — and it was always the color green,
but this one,

This one had thin, revealing straps, and it would trap her body utterly. It
wouldn't hide her like every other dress did. This one would expose her and
every mark of torture that was carved into her skin.

'' Draco...'' Amelie said in a whisper as the tips of her fingers brushed the silky
material, '' This is too much.''

'' When I brought your clothes into my room that morning. I saw all the dresses
you had, all the long sleeves, and the same color. I just figured I'd buy you
something you didn't have to hide in.''

She turned to her side, facing him fully, '' You never have to hide from me,
Amelie.'' Draco stated, raising a brow at her, '' Not from me, not from anyone.
You should be proud of how far you've come.''

She could feel how the tears shredded in the corner of her eyes, and she nearly
let them fall. He had really been thinking about this. He had watched, observed,
and thought about what to give her, and then he did.

Draco gave her something so simple as a dress, yet with so much meaning.

'' Thank you,'' Amelie whispered, her lower lip almost shook.

'' No, thank you.'' Draco's arm landed across her shoulders as he dragged her
closer to him. Her lips held only inches away from his — and as her eyelids
fluttered close,

He kissed her, slowly.

They spent the rest of the day, together with Narcissa, Teddy, Pansy, and
Hermione — opening presents, eating Narcissa's home-cooked meals, and
enjoyed themselves.

It was peaceful to Amelie; feeling how it finally turned calm around her — even
with Lucius, being locked up, furiously in his office because he couldn't stand to
be close to Hermione, was soothing.

It was just them — her and what she dared to call her family.

'' Narcissa.'' Lucius's voice urged from the hallway, and it made them all snap
their heads in between each other.

'' Yes, dear?'' She rose from her seat on the couch and strode obedient out in the
foyer, '' Already?''

Amelie couldn't quite hear what they told each other — and not that she wanted
to do so either, because it felt wrong, eavesdropping on someone who was being
so honest and welcoming to her. Still, there was something — a feeling — a
sense of disbelief that kept ticking in the back of her head every time Lucius was
being brought up.

'' Amelie,'' Teddy whispered harshly, and the severity in his tone caused her to
clock out of the attempt she made to overhear Lucius and Narcissa.

Her brows knitted as she shook her head at him, clueless to what he could want
now.
'' Look—'' Theo's head tilted towards Draco and Pansy as she was stroking her
belly before her hand gripped his, and she placed it upon her clothed stomach.

The act made Amelie's heart feel more than overwhelmed because he looked
disgusted — his upper lip nearly curled but still, somewhere in that gaze of
despite, he smiled and kept on asking his friend questions about her baby.

'' See...'' Teddy dropped down next to her on the couch, his arm laid over her
shoulders, '' He's not that bad, is he?''

Amelie chuckled as she peered up at her best friend, '' No, he's really great,
actually.''

Theodore hummed in response as Amelie let the side of her head rest against his
arm, '' Did you like your gift?'' She smiled, listening to the pounding sound of his
heartbeat.

'' I loved it,'' Teddy grinned back, his mouth pressed to the top of her head, ''
Now we have our safe haven for real, don't we?''

'' We do,'' Amelie whispered as her tired body caved into his, and her eyes
slowly flickered close.

She bought the cabin, the little cabin that rested ruined and overdue on the far
edge of the beach where they spent every free minute as kids. Amelie finally had
the freedom to do as she pleased, and that was the only thing that came to her
mind.

She needed to buy that cabin for them — it was her treasure at the end of the
rainbow. It was her hope and her dream.

She could feel how the two chilled hands closed around her body — that he
lifted her and carried her close to his chest, all the way up the stairs before he
laid her down in between their crispy sheets — and he watched her as her brows
knitted, her breaths shifted heavier.

Draco smiled to himself as he tucked her in, placing a kiss onto her forehead
before he slipped underneath the covers next to her.

He hated Christmas. He loathed everything that had to do with it, but her —
because of the girl, now sleeping heavily next to him as she unintentionally
buried her head into his bare chest, because of her — he hated the holidays a
little bit less.

Amelie.

He slightly shook his head as he dragged the bed linen over them, and her
breaths fanned his skin below it.

His Amelie.

_____
 Forty-nine

_____

'' Don't move.''

_____

Amelie breathed out, almost eased, as she felt his lips placing kisses on the back
of her neck. Draco's arm around her tensed the instant he felt her moving — the
second that he understood that she was awake.

She didn't say a word as she gently — in the early hours of dawn, shifted around
to face him. Draco's skin felt heated against hers as she crossed her leg over his
in between the sheets.

She couldn't help but feel the shivers as they pathed down her back. She had this
dream — this image of someone watching her as she slept, and it felt more than
real. It bothered her, the sense of someone eyeing her down in the night.

Amelie was quiet. Her eyes flickered all over his soft features as he looked just
as tenderly back at her. His breaths tasted sweet on her lips as he dragged her
even closer, locking the inches of space left between them.

'' Good morning.'' The blond's voice held raspy, nearly as if he was growling, ''
How did you sleep?''

Amelie's arms snuck underneath his neck, and her fingers locked behind it as she
gently kissed his chin, '' I slept just fine, you?'' Her note in a whisper.

Draco merely hummed in response, his lips pushed against her forehead as he
wrapped his arms around her, and in a swift move — she was straddling him.

'' Draco—'' Amelie smiled shyly at the blond in surprise at what he did.

'' Amelie?'' He rose a brow, attempting to suppress the smirk he felt curling.
Her eyes rolled, and his hands were large upon her body — she wasn't wearing
more than her underwear, and the way his eyes held glued in hers not to look
down at her bare chest made her nervous.

Amelie leaned in, her lips on his as he let go of her and propped himself up more
against the headboard — and not even a second later, his hands were back upon
her soft skin while hers brushed through the blond strands of his hair.

'' I have—'' Draco sought to speak in between kisses, '' I have business—''

'' Mhm,'' The tips of her fingers trailed over his chest as his hand moved up to
her neck, holding her in place — keeping her steady in top of him, '' Then you
should go, shouldn't you?''

Draco scoffed into her parted lips before she slowly drew away. Her eyes found
his again as they held an agonizing glance, '' I have to,''

Amelie could tell that he didn't want to — he would've done anything not to
leave her this morning.

'' I know,'' She whispered again, her fingers dragged over his shoulders, and his
forehead dropped to her shoulder.

Amelie held him as close as she could, for minutes in silence before she meant to
push herself off him — to allow him to leave, but the very instant she sought to
do so, as her knees loosened from the mattress — he yet again, turned them
around.

Her spine struck the covers as a squeal fled her throat because of it.

'' Draco—'' Amelie chuckled, her arms around his neck as he dipped down to the
soft, soothing spot right in the middle of her shoulder and collarbone. He loved
kissing her there, right where her pulse was.

Her neck arched to free more space for him to kiss her, and his body lowered
over hers — skin on skin as he mumbled, '' My Amelie,''

She gasped at that, at his hand on her jawline and his constant kisses across her
neck.
'' Mine. '' He whispered, almost as if he said it to himself, and then he pushed
himself off her, leaving her with her breath stuck in the back of her throat as he
closed the door to the bathroom behind him.

Amelie's eyes rolled at his strange behavior, but she knew that if he stayed with
her in bed — only for another second, he wouldn't be able to leave.

She tossed and turned as she waited for him to be done, to come out and kiss her
like he always did before he left. Amelie grasped that this had something to do
with Teddy — and what she'd asked of Draco two days ago.

She needed him to find out as much as he could about Theodore's father and
what they could do to help him before it was too late. Draco didn't even hesitate
to help her friend — or now, his friend. She was happy, pleased with the fact
that the two most important boys in her life were getting along.

'' I'll be back in a few hours.'' Draco's voice made her clock out of the thoughts
she held, and her eyes flickered to the tall, blond — standing in front of her, at
the edge of their bed in his black suit.

'' Is it Teddy?'' Amelie asked him, surprisingly, and his jaws slightly clenched at
the question. He didn't want to admit it as he uncomfortably bent over her, '' Just
tell me if it's his father, Draco.''

His hand cupped the back of her head as he tilted closer, and he kissed her
forehead, leaning his own against it after.

'' It is.'' Draco swallowed before he drew back. His eyes flickered all over her,
hungrily.

'' Thank you,'' Her smile made his veins flush in warmth, and he nodded, '' I'll see
you later then?'' She turned to her side. Her exposed thigh caught his attention in
a heartbeat.

'' Fuck—'' Draco groaned, once again bending closer to her, and with the palm of
his hand as it rested on her jaw, his lips matched hers.

He kissed her gently, '' I'll be back soon,'' Draco's nose stroked against hers, ''
Just... don't move,''
The blond pulled away, with force and he turned around to look at her from the
doorway, '' Alright?'' He rose a brow as she shyly nodded,

'' Don't move.''

_____

Amelie stayed in their bed, staring up at the ceiling — fiddling with the bracelet
she still had locked around her wrist, but the hours kept ticking by without any
sign of Draco being back.

She finally had enough of waiting as she pushed herself off the bed, and she got
dressed to see what Teddy was up to — Amelie still had failed to talk to him
about the letter his father had sent him.

She didn't want to bother him yesterday. She didn't wish to push him. In any
other case — he would've come to her. Theodore would've told her everything
about the letter, but strangely, he didn't.

He even failed to mention it to her.

Her knuckles collided with his door as she slowly shoved it open, '' Teddy—''
Amelie sought to whisper, '' Teddy, are you in here?''

'' I am,'' He stepped out of the bathroom, his shoulder leaned against the ledge of
the doorpost and his chest exposed, '' What can I do for you?'' Theo mumbled as
he tightened the towel around his hips.

'' Are you okay?'' Amelie closed the door behind her as she bravingly strode up
to his bed before flopping down onto his mattress.

'' What do you mean?'' Drips of shower water spilled over his chest from his wet
hair as he shook his head, '' Did something—''

''No,'' Amelie hewed him off with a smile, turning to lay on her stomach, '' I just
remembered your father's letter the other day, and I don't know. I just wanted to
check up on you, I guess?''

'' That's sweet,'' Theo grinned, his damp strands of brown hair kissed his
forehead as he walked over to his dresser, pulling out a shirt, '' But I'm fine, and
everything was alright with my father too—''

'' What?'' Amelie's brows knitted, her elbows pushed against the covers as she
propped herself up, '' What do you mean about fine?''

Teddy stared at her as if she was turning delusional. He didn't grasp the sudden
concern in his father's wellness.

'' He's doing fine. He just wished he could spend Christmas with us, but I told
him that we could celebrate together next year.'' Theo scratched the back of his
head as he awkwardly strolled back to the bathroom, '' Is that a problem for you
or...?''

'' No—'' Her eyes widened as she shot him a forced smile, '' I'm just not in the
right headspace.''

'' So I've noticed, but I just have to change, and then we can join Pansy in the
kitchen for lunch?'' Theodore smiled back at her as she nodded. He disappeared
into his bathroom, and the brave look on Amelie's face quickly fell into an
agonizing one.

She couldn't help but feel bad for the boy she knew to be locked up in the
basement below them and how he had no one to wish him happy holidays. He
was alone, all unattended in the darkness Draco's cellar brought.

All she wished to do, was to wish him a Merry Christmas.

Amelie caught Theodore's movements from within the bathroom as she

struggled up from his bed, and with quiet, slow steps — she managed to sneak
out of his room, undetected.

Her eyes flickered all over the hallways as she slipped down the stairs, through
the entrance of the manor, and without a second thought — she rested on the top
of the stairs, leading down to where her gravest nightmare was captive.

Even if she knew that he was in chains, without magic and one single chance to
get to her — she still couldn't help but haul her wand up, and her hand traced
over the diary that still laid in one of her pockets.

She didn't want to take a step without that diary — the gift she'd given to Draco,
her part of the gift.

With a harsh breath, deeply inhaled between her teeth, Amelie began to sneak
down the steps, further into the gloomy surroundings.

Her eyes snapped in the dimmed lights, and as they did — the heavyweight in
her chest she had been fighting so hard to lose — slammed over her like a tidal
wave.

Amelie couldn't breathe.

'' No—'' She gasped, almost stumbling into the stone wall behind her,

'' No,''

'' No''

'' No—''

Amelie's hands grasped at her throat. Her nails scratched the tender skin as she
watched the horrifying truth in front of her. All the frightening sense she had felt
since Lucius left — came back to this.

The feeling of someone watching her as she slept.

It all came back to the open door and the empty cell.

'' No, no—''

Her steps up the stairs couldn't be faster than they already were, and the panic
flushing through her veins nearly ached as she suffered the wind in her lungs.

He wasn't in there.

Adrian wasn't in the basement anymore.

'' Teddy!'' Amelie shouted as she sprinted through the hallways in the direction of
the foyer, '' Teddy!''

'' Hermione!'' She called out again, and the desperation, breaking through her
notes, shredded loudly — even Amelie herself heard how scared she sounded.
'' Pansy!''

She wasn't just scared — she was terrified.

'' Teddy—''

She was quickly cut off. Her eyes glinted in tears the very moment she stepped
into the hall. Her head slowly shook, and her lips parted. It felt as if Amelie
couldn't breathe anymore — her heart missed its beat, and everything she
believed to be true — wasn't.

All she saw was Adrian, standing in front of the front door, with a knife held up
against the girl's throat.

_____
 Fifty

This chapter contains character death and violent actions. Please read with
caution.

I cried. I sobbed, and I am so sorry. If you have a sad playlist, put it on.

_____

'' This is on you, Amelie.''

_____

'' I told you that you'd come back to me.'' Adrian's tone immediately shifted
hostility, '' You always come back to me.''

Amelie still hadn't gathered her missing courage — she was terrified, more than
it, but not of what he could do to her, but what he'd cause upon Pansy if he got
the chance.

'' Didn't you miss me, darling?'' His teeth showed as he rose a daring brow at her,
'' Answer me.''

She couldn't find her voice. She couldn't speak through her parted lips — she
tried to, her mouth divided, and a heavy breath filled her lungs but not a word
fell off her tongue.

'' Amelie—'' Pansy's hands grasped at the strong arm as it held her in place, her
spine, tightly pushed up against Adrian's chest, and the knife began to tear
through her skin, '' Amelie, look at me.''

She couldn't. She was already looking at Pansy, but not in her eyes — no.
Amelie's sight bored through Pansy's stomach, and her mind clouded by the
thought of Aimee.

'' So you did lie to me, didn't you?'' Adrian's jaws gritted, and blood started to
slip out of where the tip of the knife was pushing in, '' You knew she was
pregnant all along, didn't you? Who else knew? My mother?''

Amelie gulped, her wand firmly clenched in between her fingers — so tightly
that her knuckles shifted colorless.

Adrian merely chuckled at her, '' So my mother knew, that's interesting, but on
another thought — she was the one who set you up to this, wasn't she?''

She still held her tells, but her eyes finally flickered across the brunette girl and
landed on the boy her life belonged to.

'' I don't know—''

'' Don't lie to me!'' Adrian shouted as he took a step forward, and Pansy stumbled
along with him, '' Don't you fucking lie to me, you ungrateful witch.''

His words made her teeth clench together in fear, and her skin shivered — even
if she caught the footsteps down the stairs, that someone was coming to her
rescue, it didn't matter, not to her.

Amelie had faced the demon standing in front of her more times than she could
ever be able to count, and he will never stop. He would never cave nor give in.

She knew that.

It didn't matter who was coming down, who would be her freeing — because she
would never be safe. Not from him.

'' Fine!'' Amelie called back, her face twisted into a grimace — a look of agony, ''
I won't lie. Yes, your mother told me all about this, over six months ago, in your
home, and I didn't know what to do, Adrian—''

'' You helped her lie to me?'' The furious boy hissed, '' You actually helped my
own mother lie to me? You helped her get inside my head?''

'' No—'' Amelie seized a step forward, closer to the girl being held so violently
in his arms, '' I didn't know she was going to do that. I didn't even know that she
knew before—''
Pansy gasped, her nails bored into Adrian's arms as he dug the knife deeper.

'' With every lie, Amelie—'' He warned her, '' With every lie you tell, I will force
it deeper.'' He referred to the blade against Pansy's throat, '' Don't you dare lie to
me. I know you better than anyone.''

'' I— I won't just don't—'' Amelie's note tore in desperation, '' Just don't hurt her,
please.''

Adrian's upper lip arched. His grin made her nauseous. He toyed with her soft
heart. Adrian realized, many years ago, that it wasn't a thing Amelie wouldn't do
for her friends, and to play with that — to have a soul she held so dearly in his
hands, with her life on the line — was more than amusing to him.

'' Tell me about my mother, what did she do?'' He said mercilessly.

Amelie swallowed again, trying to ignore the panic she felt rising within — she
didn't prize to scare Pansy. She didn't want to do a thing that would frighten the
pregnant girl.

She didn't want to hurt Aimee.

'' She—'' Amelie sucked in a harsh breath, her wand ready in her fist, '' She
planted memories of herself taking care of Pansy's pregnancy. She made you
believe that it was taken care of, and I found out the night of your ceremony.''

Adrian nodded slowly, dangerously.

He didn't even have magic on his side in this. All he possessed was a knife —
but to someone who'd stood against the vile boy with magic as he didn't own it
and lost every time — Amelie knew not to underestimate him.

He was ruthless — a sinful monster.

'' I see...'' Adrian grinned once again, his teeth sank into his bottom lip as he
leaned closer to Pansy, and with his nose brushing against her ear, he kept his
sight locked at Amelie, '' Don't you remember how I used to sleep with her,
darling? When you laid in your bed at night, after I taught you one of my many
lessons, crying, and I wasn't there? Do you know where I was, Amelie?''
She refused to let him crawl beneath her skin, '' You were with Pansy.''

'' That's right,'' He groaned silently into Pansy's ear, '' I was with her, praising
every part of her body while despising yours. Don't you ever wonder why I hurt
you so badly?''

Her heart ached, but she wouldn't let him in, '' No,'' Her teeth gritted, '' Because
you hated me?''

'' I hate you, that's certain, but you disgust me, Amelie. You disappointed me,
and you drove me to find closure in another person, and now you want to save
that person's life? I fucked her, Amelie. When you stitched up every scar, when
you cried, when you learned how to manage spells to cover up your bruises — I
fucked Pansy.''

Her throat began to burn, her eyes prickled in tears, but she couldn't cave — she
had come so far, too far to let him take it all away from her.

She had Draco, and everything that happened before she fell in love with the boy
who constantly would save her life — didn't matter to her anymore.

'' I don't care,'' Amelie sought to speak against him, '' I don't care what she did.
She's my friend—''

'' Friend?'' Adrian seethed before a laugh, nearly a maniac one, slipped his
tongue, '' You call someone sleeping with your boyfriend a friend? God, you
never learn, do you?''

Adrian's eyes flickered down to Pansy's stomach as he slowly slackened the

pressure from her throat and dragged the knife down her chest, halting right over
her belly.

Amelie's eyes widened at that, and she took another step forward.

She didn't even hear Theodore approach her from behind. She couldn't feel his
hand on her shoulder. She missed the wand he raised towards Adrian — all she
saw was Pansy and her unborn child.

'' Oh, Theodore!'' Adrian greeted the brunet evilly, '' How's your old man? He
isn't that sick, is he?''
Amelie's brows dragged together, and the startled gaze upon her face shifted into
a doubtful one, '' What—'' She rose, but the instant she did — it clocked her
mind.

Lucius.

Lucius had told Narcissa about Mr. Nott's health when he knew Draco to be
home, and the letter — her face twisted — the letter didn't arrive with an owl.
She never once, during the days of the envelope's arrival, noticed an owl coming
with it.

She gasped, inaudibly, for herself, '' You did this,'' She whispered.

'' Did what, darling?''

'' You and Lucius...'' Her eyes leveled his again, '' But why? Why would you lie
about Theodore's—''

It all came rushing down on her — Draco.

They needed Draco out of the house. Both Adrian and Mr. Malfoy noted that
they couldn't get close to Amelie when Draco was around.

He wouldn't let anyone near her.

'' Draco,'' Amelie's jaws clasped together, '' You needed to get Draco away from
me...''

'' Finally!'' Adrian screamed out, '' Perhaps you aren't as foolish as you make
yourself look, darling.''

'' What is he talking about, Amelie?'' Theodore asked from beside her, and she
nearly flinched at the spoken words — she still hadn't clocked him being there.
She was too riled up in her thoughts.

'' He's—'' Amelie's eyes dragged off Adrian to level Theodore's, '' They lied,
about you father. They said he was sick, and that's why Draco left, to find out
more because we thought he didn't tell you, but it was all—''

Her hues sealed, and her breaths stilled for a mere second, '' It was all a part of
their plan to get Draco to leave.''

'' So clever, my darling,'' Adrian smirked from across the foyer, and Pansy's eyes
grew wide in panic as he put more pressure upon the knife, '' But do you know
why Amelie? Can you figure it out?''

Adrian taunted her. He was making fun of her, right there and then.

'' I—'' Amelie's fingers twitched against the palm of her hand, '' My mother...''
She whispered to herself again, '' But why—''

Her head shot up as her face fell into a complete look of despair, '' The Dark
Lord.''

'' That is correct, Amelie. The Dark Lord.'' Adrian rose a brow as he gripped a
fist full of Pansy's hair, and her head tugged back to lean against his shoulder, ''
Why do you think that Mr. Malfoy came back for Christmas? It surely wasn't to
wish his son a happy holiday.''

Theodore's features turned into a mantle of confusion, but Amelie's didn't — she
wasn't foolish. She knew what this meant, and her eyes fluttered close.

He was here to take her away.

Adrian was here to once again rob her of her freedom.

'' He found your mother, Amelie.''

Her veins iced as her eyes stayed sealed.

'' He found your mother before Malfoy did, and this is his vengeance. The Dark
Lord has granted you back to me, and I am allowed to take all precautions
necessary to make it happen.''

Theodore's hand dropped from her shoulder.

'' You are coming with me, Amelie.''

'' She's not—'' Theo sought to speak, but the second he did — Pansy let out a cry
at the knife digging deeper into her stomach.
'' Did you not hear what I just told you, Nott?'' Adrian yelled, his vocals
shredded throughout the manor, '' She's coming with me, or this pathetic little
liar dies.''

Trails of sobs left Pansy's throat, and Amelie couldn't think properly anymore —
nothing in her head added up, everything was on display, and Pansy's life was
hold hostage for hers.

It was as if a flicker of realization hit her — a moment of truth in all the

unknown.

She knew what she had to do, and her heart broke because of it.

'' I'll go with you,'' Amelie stated as her wand lowered, '' Just don't hurt her, and
I'll come with you.''

'' Amelie, don't—'' Teddy sounded desperate, more than it. He felt more than
helpless in a time like this one, '' There has to be another way,''

She smiled as she turned around to face him. Her best friend. Her savior through
it all. Her everything.

Amelie's hand reached up to cup his jaw as she held the brave smile, '' It's
alright, Teddy. I need to do this.''

His head shook, and the brown curls spilled over his forehead, '' No, no, Amelie
—'' He gripped her arms, nearly wanting to shake some sense into her, '' You
can't leave, think about me, think about Malfoy, we can figure this out, perhaps
it's something else he wants—''

Amelie gazed all over him, his face mantled in despair and agony as the tips of
her fingers brushed some messy strands out of his eyes, '' I should've cut your
hair too...'' She whispered,

'' Just—''

She could feel how her heart shattered, but she didn't want to show it. She tried
to be brave, to be everything she knew rested within her — to be everything she
taught herself to be, and not how Adrian made her.
'' Just tell Draco—'' The lump in the back of her throat hurt as her voice was
beginning to crack, '' Just tell Draco that I love him, please.''

Her eyes glinted in tears as she tore her sight away from his. She couldn't look at
him anymore because if she did — she would change her mind.

'' I never got the chance to tell him that I love him,'' She said, and Theo
swallowed, '' And I love you, Theodore.''

Amelie couldn't call him Teddy. It would make this more impossible than it
already was.

'' I love you so much it hurts, but you have to trust me. This is for Pansy and
Aimee.''

She turned away from him to look at Adrian again and the smirk he held
viciously, '' I'll go with you, but you can't hurt her. Let Pansy go, and I'll come
with you.''

'' I will...'' Adrian began to loosen the hold he had of her friend as Amelie
stepped over the tile floor, closing in on her gravest nightmare.

As Amelie stood, side by side with Adrian, he licked his lower lip, and he turned
to fully face Pansy, still with the knife in his hand, and just as Amelie was meant
to grab his arm and to raise her wand for them to apparate themselves away from
the mansion.

To leave everyone she loved and cherished so deeply in order to save them.

Adrian let out a peel of dark laughter, making Amelie frown at him, on the edge
of tears and the instant her lips parted, to question him,

'' No!''

Pansy gasped, her eyes flickered to Amelie's as Adrian forced the knife
murderously into her chest.

It was as if time stilled.

It was as if everything around her held in complete slow motion, as if all of this
was a dream — a terrifying nightmare that she couldn't wait to wake up from.

Her face fell as she screamed. Her hands cupped over her mouth to muffle the
sobs falling off her lips, and the sound of that screeching cry she sobbed out —
tore through the whole house.

It was heartbreaking — breathtaking.

'' Pansy—'' Amelie cried, her hand grasped at Adrian's arm to push him out of
her way as she watched Pansy's body collide with the floor.

In the lumbering pace, reality held her in, Amelie tried to push herself past
Adrian to get to the girl, now lying in a massive pool of her own drenching
blood — Pansy's clothes stained in the red color, and her eyelids closed.

'' Let me go!'' Amelie shouted; tears drowned her skin as she shoved, she pushed,
she hit Adrian with all she had — she needed to get to Pansy.

There wasn't a thing on her mind, not even the knife, falling out of Adrian's grip
and clicking against the ground caught her attention.

She only saw her — Pansy.

The girl she had learned to love through their common fate. The girl who'd failed
her so badly yet mastered to cause her to feel home.

Amelie needed to save Pansy, to save Aimee, and she used all the strength she
could main to get out of the vicious hold he held her in, but Adrian was too
strong, too evil, too sinful, and he would never let her go.

In a rough move, he slammed Amelie's fighting self into the wall behind her —
his hand snaked around her throat as he kept her in place, '' Don't fucking move.''
He spat at her. His fingers dug coarsely into her skin.

'' Let me go,'' Amelie sobbed, her eyes still glued on Pansy's numb body, '' Let
me go, please, please, please—''

'' Shut up!'' Adrian shouted into her breaking features, '' This is on you, Amelie!''
He pointed a finger towards the lifeless girl on the ground, '' This is your fucking
fault, never forget that.''
'' No,''

'' No,''

'' No,''

Amelie nearly dropped to her knees as her body couldn't keep her steady
anymore, but Adrian's hands around her neck tensed, '' Let me go,''

Amelie's vision became blurry. The lack of oxygen in fusion with her constant
trails of cries caused her eyes to be swollen red. Her tears kept flooding.

She couldn't do anything. She was utterly helpless as he kept slamming her back
against the wall — and the hands of abuse touched her again.

'' Amelie—'' Teddy let out in a whimper, but she couldn't look at him. She
couldn't look at anyone except Pansy as her skin paled and her trembling breaths
stilled.

The puddle of blood she was laying in shifted larger by the mere minute, and her
hand — Pansy's hand, that had been resting on her belly to protect her unborn
child, fell to the floor.

'' Amelie, please—'' Theodore's hands tugged his hair back in defeat. He was
crying too. Theodore didn't know what to do anymore, '' Tell me what to—''

Adrian's neck snapped, and he watched as Theodore strived to get closer to

them, to come as near as he could, and as he did — Adrian's hand grabbed
Amelie by her wrist, and he snatched the wand out of her grip.

He aimed it straight at Teddy, and another maniac laugh cleared his throat, ''
Stay back, Nott.'' Adrian growled, his hand upon Amelie's neck gripped it
harder, '' Stay back, and let us leave.''

'' Let us leave right now, or I'll kill you too.''

'' No—'' Amelie choked out, her need for air caused her cheeks to drain of color
as her heartbeat rose to pound in her ears. Her hands desperately grasped at his
arm, '' I'll go—''
She swallowed as it hurt to speak, '' I'll go with you, just don't hurt him—''

Amelie was still looking at Pansy, noticing how her lips had faded into an azure
and mauve shade.

Tears fell, over and over — she could barely make out anything through her dim
eyes anymore.

'' Amelie, don't go—'' Theodore was begging her at this point, '' Don't leave us,
please.''

She blinked, slowly and then — she nodded.

Theo didn't know what to say anymore — his sight snapped between Amelie,
standing in the grip of the devil, and Pansy lying lifeless in her own blood on the
floor. He didn't even dare to raise his wand towards them, too scared that he'd
hurt Amelie if he ever tried to go against Adrian.

Theodore sobbed. She didn't have to see him to notice that, and even if she
wanted to — she couldn't look at him. It would make everything so much harder.

'' You can do this, Teddy.'' Amelie let her body heavily cave into Adrian's grip of
her, '' You need to let me go...''

'' Amelie—''

Amelie would constantly give her own life to save theirs, even if it meant that
she would lose Draco too,

Draco.

She promised him not to move. She promised him that she'd never leave him, no
matter what, and now — now she was.

She was once again ripped apart — torn from the boy she had fallen in love with
so deeply, the boy who took all her pain and all the torture she ever had to live
through — away.

He was hers, and she was his.

Her Draco.

That name hurt more than anything, it caused her veins to ache and her heart to
break over and over as she nodded towards Adrian, giving him permission to
take her away.

'' I love you, Teddy.''

'' Don't you fucking dare, Amelie—''

'' Apparate.''

_____

I am so sorry, but remember that we have at least 30 more chapters to go. <3
 Fifty-one

This chapter contains violence and scenes of death. Please read with
caution.

_____

'' If something happens to her, you're dead.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

The wind tugged at his hair as he landed safely outside the Malfoy manor. Draco
was relieved — he was pleased with the matter that Theodore's father wasn't sick
as they feared him to be.

It turned out to be a lie — something none existent. Mr. Nott was fine, more than
it, and he couldn't possibly grasp why his own father would fill his mother with
such lies.

Draco's hand closed around the doorknob, and his eyes flickered as he stepped
inside. Even if he'd been away all day, even if he left Amelie in bed this morning
— he was happy because she said she wouldn't move.

She would be waiting for him, and nothing in this world caused him to feel more
at ease than her, lying in their bed and him being able to stay close to her for the
rest of the day.

As he took a second step inside, his heel nearly slipped upon something wet
across the tile floor of the foyer, and his sight grounded.

Blood.

Blood was shattered everywhere, a path of it crossed over the ground towards
the kitchen, it stained the walls and as the tips of his fingers gripped the wood
behind him, to close the door shut — his skin drenched by the red color.

Draco's head shook, and the first thing that clocked his confused mind was
Amelie. His veins iced, and his heart nearly missed its beat as he marched over
to the stairs and with storming steps — he rushed up to their room.

Nothing.

The covers in his bed still held in a complete mess since he left this morning,
and the slippers — his slippers, the oversized ones that she always wore, rested
on the floor next to the bed.

She never walked around without those slippers.

His fingers combed through his hair as he slightly towed it back, and he ran
downstairs again. He failed to hear the silent cries that echoed throughout the
manor — because when it came to her,

His Amelie, nothing else mattered.

Draco's heart pounded roughly within, and a thin coat of sweat layered on his
forehead as he stumbled into the kitchen.

His breaths hitched, and his arms dropped to his side at the look of a body
resting underneath a white blanket on the kitchen island.

'' Draco—'' His mother said, softly, but his head shook at her words, '' Draco,
listen to me—''

'' Is that—'' The blond choked out as his teeth gritted, '' Who is that?''

He didn't want to seem obvious. His mind couldn't properly process what he was
seeing or who he was seeing. Who the person, resting lifeless underneath the
cover — was.

'' No, it's not—'' Narcissa couldn't finish her sentence before Draco snapped, and
he marched up to the counter, his hand shook violently.

His entire body vibrated.

'' Draco...'' Theodore barely whispered, his cheeks stained by tears, '' It's not her.''

His neck arched and his eyes that held glued on the body on the island noticed
the bump showing beneath the white fabric — the shortcut hair slipping out
underneath the material and the color of it. It held differently than Amelie's. He
could place the shade of her hair and the length of it anywhere.

It wasn't Amelie. It was Pansy.

'' No—'' Draco muttered to himself, feeling as tears stung in his eyes at the
thought of Pansy and Aimee,

'' No, no, no—''

He fiercely turned around, and his knuckles struck the kitchen wall, over and
over as he shouted— but it didn't hurt. Nothing hurt as much as the reality of
Pansy's deceased body.

Draco flinched, his skin flushed as he felt Theodore place a hand upon his tensed
shoulder, but he couldn't control himself.

The monster he once tended to be, torched inside again. He couldn't restrain
himself as he grabbed Theodore by the collar of his shirt, and he slammed the
boy helplessly against the wall.

Theo's eyes grew wide as Draco's narrowed, '' Where is she?'' The blond seethed,
'' Where the fuck is she?''

Malfoy was shouting.

He carried no thought of how Theodore was doing, and he couldn't possibly care
less that his mother witnessed his brutal act.

He forced Theodore back into the wall again, harder this time, '' What the fuck
happened? Where is Amelie? Where is—''

He hushed himself, and his jaws clenched, more firmly than they had ever done.
He could almost taste the tang of his own blood before he shoved Theodore to
the side, and he stormed out of the kitchen.
Draco marched across the main floor before he rushed his way down to the
basement, and his heart ceased its beat the instant he walked through the wide-
open door.

Adrian wasn't there anymore, and Draco lost it completely.

His hands gripped the wooden chair standing in the middle of the cellar as he
threw it against the brick-covered wall, but it didn't break, so he threw it again,
and again, and again — until his hands sored in pieces of wood and his forehead
drenched in sweat.

'' Draco," Theodore's voice caught him off guard as he flung around, '' Listen to
me, Malfoy—''

'' She wasn't supposed to move,'' Draco was breathing heavily, '' She said she
wouldn't move. She said she would stay—''

His tone broke,

'' She wasn't supposed to move, Teddy. She—''

Theodore stumbled up to the blond before he had the chance to fall to his knees,
and his hands gripped him by his shoulders, '' Listen to me, Draco—''

'' I shouldn't have left. I shouldn't have left her. Why am I so fucking stupid?''
Draco growled at himself, his teeth clasped together, '' I shouldn't have left her. I
promised her that she was safe with me—''

'' Draco,'' Theodore sought to call out for him, but to no use, Malfoy pushed the
boy off himself as he stumbled back.

His hands brushed through his hair, tugging it back again and even from feet
away — Theodore could feel how Draco's heart was breaking. How much not
knowing where she was, and the fact that Adrian had taken her away broke him.

His heart was breaking. It shattered Draco into an infinity of pieces because he
just got her back.

Amelie was his, and now — now he'd lost her all over again. He couldn't bear it.
He couldn't even think about her not being here — her having to be close to the
sinner she'd worked so hard to escape from.

He swallowed the tormenting lump of sobs he felt growing in the back of his
throat as he turned to face Theodore again fully.

'' Where?'' Draco said sternly, '' Where did he take her?''

Theodore gulped, his hands nervously grasped at the ends of his sleeves, '' He
didn't say—'' He stammered, trying to live with his own loss,

'' He took her wand, and he apparated them out of here, but he did mention the
Dark Lord and your father—''

Draco's neck snapped, and the coldest of expressions manteled his face, '' My
father?'' He hissed, '' And the Dark Lord?''

Teddy nodded, his eyes flickered from Draco in the dimmed basement as he
watched the pieces of timber on the floor, and how a path of blood trailed to
where Draco was standing — he was bleeding, plenty from the palms of his
hands, but Theodore didn't dare to say anything else.

The flash of hope, that shimmer of aim Malfoy held in the grey eyes, burnt out.
The Dark Lord and his father were a part of this, and Draco would hold them
more than responsible for it.

'' Stay with my mother,'' Draco stated, shortly, '' And keep an eye on Granger,
will you? We can't lose anyone else.''

'' Draco, what are you—''

'' Just—'' Draco growled, impatiently as he felt more than annoyed with
Theodore, '' Just take care of them, and I'll be back.''

Theodore stood shakingly before him, and the look he held — that heartbroken,
split into pieces gaze his eyes carried, caused Draco's insides to wrench, but he
couldn't think about that now — no.

He needed to focus on Amelie. He needed to fixate all of his anger on finding

her before it was too late.
His hand slipped underneath the suit jacket, and he hauled his wand back up, ''
I'm not losing her again, Nott. I refuse to lose her again.'' He growled,

'' She's mine.''

'' She's mine, and I don't have a problem with killing every single person
standing in my way of getting her back.''

Draco was furious, even more so. He couldn't control the way his hands were
shaking out of rage and how his heart pounded with all of the despise he felt.

Theodore could feel a nod as it tipped off his head — almost unconsciously, and
he was scared.

The blond one, and the way he was acting, caused him to fear him, '' Then do
what you have to do to bring her back, Malfoy.''

'' Apparate.''

_____

Draco landed outside the fallen building he knew Voldemort held safely within,
and it was as when he watched it — when he saw the moving bodies inside the
darkened windows — he snapped.

Something within the boy, who cared for Amelie so raw and deeply — lit. A
torch of alight flushed through his veins as he thought about her.

Draco wasted no time. He marched up to the entrance as the two guards standing
outside raised their wands against him, and with a flick of his own wand along
the most forbidden words spoken — they dropped lifeless to the ground.

He was rising to become the monster he had worked so hard to suppress, but he
wouldn't have it any other way.

Not when it came to her.

His Amelie.

Without a doubt, his heels sounded severely across the wooden floor as he made
his way into the hall he knew Voldemort would be in. Draco grasped the truth
that the Dark Lord was most likely aware of Malfoy coming for him, but he
didn't care.

The paintings covering the walls almost ripped of them as he stormed past, and
the number of bodies and shattered material he stepped over as he went wasn't
countable.

'' Ah! Draco...'' Voldemort hissed the instant he entered the large room, '' I have
been expecting you.''

The Dark Lord stood, in the middle of the room, with a dozen of his Death
Eaters around him, '' You took your time, I see...''

Draco's eyes flickered in an attempt to make out his father in the crowd of
masked men, but he wasn't capable of doing so, '' You have, haven't you?'' Draco
snarled back, gripping his wand even tighter.

'' Yes...'' Voldemort strolled around in circles, '' I heard about your little guest,
child.''

The way he was addressing Amelie made Draco fume in rage.

He was hurting, more than it.

He was crumbling on the inside, and every time his mind reached her — it
tortured him even more, but he couldn't let it slip now.

He needed to stay focused.

'' I heard that you did,'' Draco caught a step forward as did Voldemort, '' Where
is she?''

A peel of dark, provoking laughter escaped the Dark Lord's throat as his cloak
shifted vividly around him, '' And what makes you believe that I would tell you
where he's keeping the girl?''

Malfoy's jaws gritted.

'' Adrian Pucey has the claim on her now, since you failed me, son.'' Voldemort
kept pushing, '' He took her to somewhere hidden, far, far away from here, and I
find it hard to believe that you'll ever find—''

Draco's hand rose, and the tip of his wand pointed straightly at the evil man
before him. His act caused the wands of the Death Eaters around him to aim
their wands against Malfoy himself — but he didn't seem to bother.

'' You took her from me.'' Draco stated, lowly, '' I have slaughtered for you. I
have buried bodies, erased memories. I have tortured for you!'' He shouted.

He lost the so far tamed temper. His mouth dry, '' I have done everything you've
asked of me, and I have done so without any failure, and this is how you repay
me? You take the one thing—''

Voldemort spread his arms wide, allowing his entire self on an exposed display.

'' You took her from me. You were never supposed to touch her!'' Draco yelled,
his tone severe as it echoed throughout the fallen building, '' She was supposed
to be with me, that was what we agreed on, not my father letting that pathetic
excuse of a Death Eater out of my basement.''

'' Is that so, Draco...'' The Dark Lord's sight pierced through his, in a burning
matter almost, '' Then how come you didn't achieve your task? How come I
waited for you to find that girl's mother for months, and you never succeeded?''

'' She didn't—''

Voldemort rose a hand towards him, staring at the men standing around them, ''
You see, child, that I'm not bothered with your excuses. You had a task, and you
failed to complete it, so I did what I had to do,''

Draco's eyes darkened.

'' I robbed you of the one thing you needed since you failed to grant me with
what I wanted.'' He kept on pressing the blond, '' She's none of your concern
anymore, and as I understood it, your father brought the option of a mind-
clearing spell to your attention. Perhaps that could be a brilliant idea for this.''

'' Where is she?'' Draco asked again, '' I'm not asking you again, where is she?''
'' You seem to have difficulties with your hearing, boy—''

Draco's neck snapped, and his hand twitched, '' Avada Kedavra!'' He shouted,
and a standing Death Eater fell to the utter ground by the green light.

Malfoy didn't even hesitate, and he would do it all over again when it came to
her.

'' Where is she?'' Draco questioned the Dark Lord, but as the time before this one
— he ignored it.

His wand slightly tipped, '' Avada Kedavra,'' Draco yelled again, and again, and
again — more and more bodies of Voldemort's servants dropped lifeless to the
ground by the murderous act, but he still didn't care.

Even if the Death Eaters collided with the floor, and their lives were taken from
them. Even if they strived to protect and defend themselves with simple spells—
he still overpowered them until only one person was standing before him.

Voldemort knew that the Death Eaters couldn't use the same dark magic upon
the blond as he did on them. He still needed Draco, and they understood that.

Voldemort simply laughed at the boy as the bodies of his men laid fallen around
him, '' So you still have it in you... she didn't take it all away?''

Draco put his wand back into his jacket as he took threatening steps towards the
man, holding only inches apart from him, '' She took nothing from me, she saw
it, and she fixed it. Amelie healed what you took from me. She made me human
again, and I will find her.''

'' Then I wish you good luck, son.'' He grinned at the blond.

Voldemort sought not to take all his fury out on the boy because he knew that he
needed him. If anyone else had spoken to the Dark Lord as Malfoy had done —
they wouldn't have seen another second of sunlight, but he needed Draco to stay
alive for his plans in the far future.

'' And when I do—'' Malfoy began to step back, '' When I do find her — I will
come for you. I will hunt you down, and I will do to you what you have done to
so many others.''
'' Is that a promise?'' Voldemort chuckled as he peered over the bodies on the
floor, '' I will be looking forward to it, Draco.''

He didn't say anything else. Malfoy stayed quiet, and he marched out of the
room. He was so mad — he was infuriated, and he keened that if he remained in
that room, for just another second — he would have tried to kill Voldemort as
well.

He didn't stand a chance against the Dark Lord like this — not when it hurt to
breathe, not when the one thing, glued to his mind, was her. He couldn't focus.

He had no chance of controlling himself.

'' Son—'' A raspy voice caught Draco's attention, and he immediately spun
around, facing the man he called his father, '' You have no right to just valse in
here—''

Draco merely saw darkness again as he gripped his father and pushed him away,
'' Don't you dare speak to me,'' He threatened. He usually owned respect for his
father, but not right now — not anymore.

'' How dare you—''

'' No, how dare you?'' Draco's vocals held dangerously low, '' I approached her to
save your filthy little life. I used her. I lied to her, only so you wouldn't face the
same consequences as so many others have. I saved your life, and you played
with hers.''

Draco stepped back, and the gaze he held was ripping apart in disappointment, ''
I saved your life. She saved your life, only so you could take her from me,
yeah?''

Lucius stood quietly. His eyes flicked off his son in shame.

'' For your sake, she better be safe—'' Draco endangered as he backed away,
towards the entrance, '' For this family's sake, he better not touch one single hair
on her head.''

'' Draco—'' Lucius sought to reach out to him, but without a win. Draco's mind
was too clouded, too overwhelmed by Amelie.
'' You better wish that he doesn't touch her, because if he does...'' He held at the
end of the corridor. His hand closed around the doorknob,

'' If something happens to her, you're dead.''

_____
 Fifty-two

This chapter contains violent actions and emotional trauma. Please read
with caution.

_____

'' I am thinking about her, every second of every fucking day.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

He had failed to sleep and eat properly for days. He couldn't focus on anything
that wasn't related to finding Amelie — he still held no closer to finding her than
he did the day she disappeared.

Draco had searched everywhere, every abandoned house and apartment. He had
looked through every home that belonged to a Death Eater, and if anyone even
intended to cross him — he slaughtered them.

He had no remorse for human life at this time. He had no thought on anyone but
her, and it killed him slowly.

Malfoy was drowning, within the coat of his own skin without her.

'' Here you go, mate.'' Theodore mumbled from behind him, stretching out a
plate as he placed it on the table, '' You need to eat something.''

Draco didn't even look at what Theo had brought him. His sight stayed glued on
the maps and pieces of paper in front of him.

Theodore huffed, slipping down onto the chair next to his, as he gazed over all
of the things that held in front of the blond, '' So...'' He sought to break Draco's
silence.
'' Where are we going next?''

Malfoy held in quietness, still focusing on what was written on the sheets of
paper.

'' Because I could really—''

'' Is it possible for you to just shut up?'' Draco snapped, '' I don't give a damn
about what you need.''

Theodore frowned as he stood up from the chair again, marching with severity
over to the door, leading out of the room Draco had been using as his base — but
then, as he was on his way of storming out, he halted in his steps.

'' You know—'' He said, turning around, '' You don't have to be so mean to
everyone, all the time. We miss her too.''

Theo aimed to walk out again, and just as he did. He caught the blond's chair as
it was forced back with violence.

'' What is that supposed to mean?'' He stood tall, '' That you miss her too, don't
you think I know that?''

Draco gestured forcefully towards the table and to all of the clues and hints of
where Amelie might be, '' Why do you think I'm doing this? For my own sake?''

'' Because I do. I do it for my own fucking sake, but I'll be dammed if you ever
believe that I don't know how you feel.'' Malfoy shouted, '' I do. I feel all the
pressure. From the second you walked through those doors, I felt it.''

Theodore didn't say anything. He stayed still in the doorway.

'' Every night I lay awake, knowing that she's not next to me — I feel it, Nott.
Believe me. I know that you miss her too. I even feel Granger's fucking pain
through all of this.'' Hermione's name slipped off his tongue with disgust as he
felt it burn, almost.

'' I do know, but I don't need you to waltz in here, every five minutes only to
remind me of it.'' He finished, breathing hard as he turned around, no longer
facing the brunet.
'' I know... Draco, I'm so—''

'' Don't you dare tell me you're sorry,'' Draco growled. The palms of his hands
slammed into the table before he shoved everything on it — off.

Papers, sheets of information, pictures, spells — all of it shifted slowly in the air
before it fell to the ground, and the sound of shattering glass echoed.

'' She's—'' Draco swallowed his own words, leaning over the table. The blond
strands of hair fell messily over his forehead, '' I don't know what to do
anymore.'' He quieted.

Theodore took steps closer, faltering only feet away, '' Maybe we should take a
break.''

'' A break?'' Draco snapped, flinging around, '' What in the bloody hell do you
mean about that?'' He could feel as his blood rose to fume within and the
boundaries of his relationship with Theodore dragged out.

'' Perhaps you should take a break, Malfoy. Think about it. She's been gone for
who knows how long? And you're exhausted!'' Theo didn't mean anything bad
with what he told, but he saw the blond and how much he was hurting.

The memory of his best friend was haunting him.

'' I'm not saying that you should give up—''

'' Give up?'' Draco's face twisted into a grimace, nearly taunting Theodore.

'' I just said that I'm not saying that you should give up, but you need to get
yourself together, Malfoy, because this isn't working, you can't just keep doing
this.'' Theo's voice leveled, '' Think about your mother and Amelie. Think about
Amelie, Draco—''

'' I am!'' Draco shouted back, '' I am thinking about her, every second of every
fucking day, what do you think I've been doing here?'' He pointed towards the
mess of sheets and papers, in a chaotic mixture with shattered porcelain on the
ground.

'' Then think about what she would come back to, a mess, Draco. You're a
bloody mess right now, and imagine her, coming back to this—''

'' To you being a wreck. She wouldn't want that. She wouldn't want you to
destroy yourself to find her.'' He kept his sight on Draco, noticing as every nerve
in his body held on the utter edge.

'' She wouldn't be happy with the way you're acting right now, Malfoy. She
would be ashamed, and she would be—''

Theodore was pushing him too far this time. He had been provoking Draco. He
had wanted a reaction out of him for days, but nothing. Malfoy was hidden, deep
underneath his rage and fury.

It looked to Theodore as if Draco wasn't human anymore. He had lost it since the
day they lost her. Draco changed into someone vile, someone unlawful, and not
that he minded — he honestly didn't.

Theodore lost Amelie that day too, and he was supportive of all the methods
Draco was using to bring her back to them, but as the days passed and the days
shifted into weeks — he noticed how Malfoy changed. It wasn't an act anymore.

He was dying.

He was crumbling inside, and if she wasn't to be found soon — he was unsure if
they would find a way to bring the blond back.

'' Don't fucking speak about her like that. I'm not giving up.'' Draco yelled as he
shoved Theodore back, '' Don't fucking speak about her at all when you're the
one to blame for all of this!''

Theodore nearly stumbled away from him, his face twisted and the spoken
words hurt him, truly, '' I couldn't do anything—''

Draco pushed him back again and again and again.

'' You—'' The blond seethed, his teeth gritted as he got a hold of Theodore's
collar, '' You did this. You were with her, and you should've protected her, but
you didn't because you're weak, Nott. You're a weak, pathetic excuse of a man.''

'' Don't—'' Theo's hands struck Draco in the chest, and Malfoy could feel how
his fingers curled, '' There wasn't a thing I could've done! He would've killed her
too, and me. He has no fucking limits—''

Theo had no chance of finishing that sentence before Draco's fist collided
roughly with the sharp bone in his jaw.

'' Don't make excuses.'' Draco spat as Theo's spine was forced into the wall
behind him, '' Don't blame this on her, or Pansy or even Pucey himself—''

Another struck came across Theodore's nose as blood splattered over them both.

'' I'm not—'' Theo was coughing up blood, his hand trailed up to his mouth to
wipe it off, '' I'm not making excuses, Malfoy. I'm not, but this isn't on me. There
was a reason to why—''

Yet again, Draco threw his curled-up fist against Theodore's chin, and it almost
knocked him out completely as he slipped down — out of breath, along the wall.

'' Get up!'' Malfoy shouted, '' Be a fucking man, and get up!''

He was falling apart.

Draco couldn't take the pain anymore. He couldn't hurt more than he already did,
and he needed Theodore to fight him. He craved for Theo to push, shove, hit him
back so that he would feel something — anything but the pain of her not being
here.

'' I said—'' Draco growled, gripping Theodore's drained self by his shirt, and he
dragged him up before he hit him again, and again,

'' I said—''

And again,

'' Get—''

And again,

'' The fuck—''

And one last time,

'' Up!''

Draco was exhausted. He could barely breathe anymore as he forced Theodore

back, and he stumbled back into the darkened room.

'' You're not listening to me, Malfoy.'' Theodore whimpered, holding his fingers
over his nose as the blood kept on flowing, '' You haven't been listening to me. I
tried to tell you. I wanted to tell you, weeks ago—''

Draco's temper snapped as air filled his lungs again, '' What are you trying to
say? That this is my fault? Yeah?'' He got another hold of Theodore's shirt, and
he pulled him up to his feet, slamming his back into the wall again.

'' Or what is it now, Nott? What are you planning to tell—'' He couldn't stop it.
Malfoy needed to feel something — anything, so he hit him again. His knuckles
didn't even hurt anymore.

He was completely numb.

'' Stop it!'' Theo shouted back, his own fist managed to stroke Draco's jaw this
time, and the blond let go of him, '' That's fucking enough, Malfoy. I have taken
all your rage for weeks, and it's enough now.''

Draco's chest rose and fell violently as he licked his bottom lip clean of the
blood, '' It's enough when I say it's enough, don't you fucking dare. I never asked
for your help—''

'' I'm not—'' Theodore's entire face blasted in pain. His features were swollen,
red, '' I'm trying to be honest with you.''

'' Then say it.'' Draco hissed, feeling the metallic taste of his own blood, '' Tell
me what you wanted to say, and we can go back to hating each other because I
can't fucking stand you. I hate you. I despise you for not protecting her.''

'' Malfoy...'' The back of Theo's head tilted against the wall as he gathered
himself, '' It's not— I didn't want to tell you...''

Theodore knew that it was now or never — that the truth he'd been keeping from
the blond needed to be spilled before it was too late.
'' It's not my fault—'' Theodore coughed, his hands on his knees as he bent
forwards, spitting blood out from his mouth, '' It's not my fault, because it's
yours.''

It turned quiet. Absolutely silent.

'' What are you talking about?'' Draco said, confused to what the brunet just
stated, '' What do you mean, with my fault?''

'' I have been trying to tell you... but you won't listen. You never listen anymore
because you're so stuck in this thing with killing people.'' Theo stretched his
spine straight again, gathering the courage for what he was about to say,

'' Before Adrian...''

'' Took her away, and before he killed Pansy—'' His eyes flickered in pain at his
own tells, '' He said that the reason him, and your father was working together,
was because you failed Voldemort. He found her mother, and this is your
punishment.''

Draco's hands rushed through his hair as he stood nearly breathless in front of
him, '' My what? My punishment for what?''

Draco didn't recall what Voldemort had told him the night she disappeared. He
didn't remember because he shut it all out.

'' For failing to find Athena, before he did. You didn't do as he told you, and
now... He allowed Adrian to take Amelie away from you.'' Theodore hushed,
scared to say anything else.

'' I—'' Draco gasped, his fingers clenched around the blond strands of his hair as
his face fell into an agonizing look, '' She didn't trust me, Nott. How was I
supposed to—''

His arms dropped to his sides, '' She didn't trust me enough. How can that be my
fault? I trusted her. I trusted her enough even before you even took her to that
stupid cabin. She saw everything, Nott. I trusted her enough to show her things
that I couldn't even remember, but she—''

His voice split in torment, and it felt to him as if daggers cut through his skin, ''
She never trusted me enough... I lied to her too many times, and I took her here
the first time against her will... I fucking locked her up in a room, so why would
she?''

Draco was shouting, '' Why would she fucking trust me when all I did was
hurting her—''

'' Don't say that.'' Theodore endangered, pushing himself off the wall, '' Don't you
dare say that. You if anyone saw how much she changed, and there wasn't
anything you could've done. She was abused and violated for most of her life,
Draco. She needed time to trust you and her—''

Draco couldn't think clearly anymore — everything turned too overwhelming for
him as the images of her started flashing in his head. Her smile, her laugh, that
little thing she did when she scrunched her nose, her kisses on his skin, her
humming to herself as she read, everything.

Their first night sharing a bed together, their first kiss, their tiny little words that
no one but them understood, their first time, the night she fully trusted him with
her body — everything.

It killed him, slowly, unnoticeably.

He was suffocating, drowning, burning.

Draco fell to his knees, and his hands cupped his face, '' She didn't trust me, and
it's all my fault...''

Theodore dropped down next to him, and his hand landed over Draco's back, ''
It's his fault, Draco. It's Adrian's fault. We couldn't do anything. He has no
limits, and we should—''

'' She said she wouldn't move.'' Draco whispered into the palms of his hands, and
his entire body began to shake, '' She's mine, Nott, and I was too stupid to realize
that it was all a trap—''

Draco had to use everything he had, every piece of strength he still possessed,
not to cry.

'' I would never hurt her.'' He whispered again, '' I wouldn't let anything happen
to her, and I promised her that she's safe with me—'' He couldn't hold back the
tears as Theodore dragged himself closer, and he hugged him fully.

'' And the one time she truly needed me... I wasn't—'' Another sob cleared his
throat, '' I wasn't there.''

Teddy's heart ached, out of control for his friend as he held him. Draco didn't
have Amelie here to help him take his pain away, so he had to do what he
believed to be best.

'' It's alright, Malfoy.'' He could feel Draco's trembling self, '' We'll find her.''

'' I promise you that. We will find her.''

_____
 Fifty-three

This chapter contains emotional trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

'' I know a pair of soulmates when I see them.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

'' What about overseas?'' Theodore asked, quietly from across the dining room
table, '' What if he took her—''

'' He didn't,'' Draco shoot back, sounding annoyed, '' The Dark Lord would never
let him take her across the borders. He wouldn't be able to keep track of Adrian
if he did.''

'' Why would he—'' Theo rose again, his fingers grabbed the glass in front of him
as he took a mere sip of his juice, '' I mean, why would he care about what
Adrian is doing?''

'' Because he's unpredictable. Pucey has no limits. You haven't seen that side of
him because it happened after he was granted the mark, but if you think what I
am doing, how I choose to deal with things is much, Pucey is worse.''

Theodore nodded slowly as he placed the crystal back onto the table, '' And I
suppose he's not letting him go too far either?''

'' Correct,'' Draco mumbled, '' He's here, somewhere, right underneath our noses,
and I can feel him taunting me—''

'' Draco, dear.'' Narcissa called out for him, nodding towards the fork he was
clenching tightly in his hand, as it was on edge to bend in his grip, '' Calm down,
please.''
Malfoy's eyes rolled as he threw the fork across the table, and he forced his chair
back in a rough move. He took long strides up to his mother as his hand placed
on her shoulder, and he kissed her head, '' Thank you for dinner."

Her head snapped as he was on his way to walk out, '' But you barely ate—''

'' Don't,'' Theodore shook his head at her, smiling politely, '' It's to no use.''

Narcissa nodded, taking her napkin in her hands before wiping the corner of her
mouth carefully, not to smudge her red lipstick, '' I'm worried about him,
Theodore.'' She said, her note concerned, '' He's not himself.''

'' How can we expect him to be himself when he lost the one person who made
him who he is these days?'' Theodore huffed, thinking about his missing best
friend, '' I mean, how can any of us be ourselves, right now?''

'' I know, dear.'' Narcissa stretched her hand out, placing it upon his, '' He truly
cares for her, doesn't he?''

'' He kills for her,'' Theodore mumbled, taking her hand in his, '' And I'm sure
that he's about to get himself killed for her too, so that must count for something,
doesn't it?''

She got visibly uncomfortable with what the brunet just spoke, and her lips
pushed together into a firm line, '' It certainly does, but you'll keep an eye on
him, will you?'' She asked him, thoughtfully, '' He doesn't speak to me much
these days, and I would be lying if I said that I'm not worried for him.''

'' I will,'' A curve arched on his upper lip, '' I will always look out for the both of
them.''

Narcissa smiled back, and she pulled her touch away, staring out over the set
table, '' She truly changed him. When he first brought her here, all those months
ago—''

She huffed to herself at the remembrance, '' I always knew that there was
something between those two. You should've heard how he was talking about
her, even before he was granted the task. He was always so... kind with his
words about Amelie.''
Theodore's heart rushed in warmth as he thought of the same thing — how much
his best friend had grown with Malfoy.

'' And then, you took her away, and I have never seen him so... lost before.'' She
continued as she stood up, '' Amelie did great things for my son, and I hope we'll
find her soon.''

Theo nodded again, standing up next to her to help her with the dishes, '' Your
son did great things for Amelie too.'' He hushed down as Narcissa completely
stopped in her actions.

'' That's why I have such high hopes that we'll get her back, Theodore. Soulmates
usually and most likely find their way back to each other, in the right time and
place.''

'' You think they are soulmates?'' He asked her, gripping the plates to carry them
to the kitchen, '' It sounds a bit... much, don't you think?''

'' I know they are,'' She smiled, cheekily but still with flashes of hurt as it showed
in her dark eyes, '' I know a pair of soulmates when I see them.''

'' Then I guess you're right, Mrs. Malfoy.'' He started to walk out of the room, ''
I'll help you with the dishes, and then I'll go and check up on Draco.''

_____

Draco stood as frozen in the doorway to his room. He was terrified even to set a
foot inside because he knew it would hurt too much, being here when Amelie
wasn't.

Still, he needed to feel closer to her — to be with her in a way he had been
already, and the only thing that clocked his mind was the bathtub.

He walked dubiously into the bathroom, and his eyes flickered over the interior.
Draco watched himself in the reflection of the mirror, and it hurt — it pained
more than he believed it would, to not have her standing in front of him, smiling
at him for looking at her.

Malfoy swallowed as he locked the door behind him and his hand closed around
the shower tap to let the water flow. He folded his suit jacket over the edge of
the sink, but he couldn't undress more than that.

Not without her. He couldn't be more exposed than this without her.

So he slipped down in the tub, with his shirt and pants still on, and the warm
water soaked him.

Draco's entire self shook violently as he leaned his back against the ceramics,
and he tried with all strength he had left — to picture her, still being there with
him.

How soft her skin felt as it brushed against his, and her small, nearly inaudible
chuckles.

His eyes closed.

How stubborn Amelie was with cutting his hair and how she demanded that he
had to cut hers after.

Malfoy's heart ached.

How he would — if he ever got her back, let her do anything she ever wanted.
He would never pout or try to convince her not to. If she were to come back to
him, he would let her have everything.

His jaws clenched at the burning sensation in his chest.

It wasn't working, and he forced himself up just as fast. The lights in the
bathroom held dimmed as he stumbled across the tile floor, and his hands
grabbed both ends of the sink.

Draco looked at himself in the mirror, and he hated what he saw.

He loathed himself, more than anything, because he lost her, yet again — he lost
her.

When he finally got her back, in every way possible. When she finally trusted
him enough, and he got to kiss her, in the way she deserved, when he got to
praise her body, and all of the cuts, scars, and marks she had carved into her skin
— just when she was his — he lost her.
Malfoy couldn't look at himself anymore. His face stoned at the sight of
something so unworthy of her love. His fingers curled up, and without hesitation
— he punched the mirror, over and over, until his knuckles bled.

He didn't know if it was to feel something again or if it simply was because he

hated himself, but as the glass shattered, it cut his skin deeply, and he stumbled
back.

The blond struck the wall on the other side of the bathroom and fell against it,
blood stained his arms, his soaked clothes, everything — but he didn't care.

He didn't feel anything anymore.

'' Draco—'' Theodore knocked on the door, '' What was that Malfoy? Are you
okay?''

Draco could feel the salty taste of his tears in the corner of his mouth as they
rolled down his cheeks, '' Go away—'' His head tipped back, '' Just leave me
alone."

''Alohomora,'' Theodore whispered, underneath his breath — scared to death that

Draco would hurt himself in ways he couldn't possibly fix. Theo's breath hitched
as he watched the mess Malfoy was placed in,

Glass from the shattered mirror spilled all over the bathroom, and stains of blood
covered everything.

'' Oh God—'' Theodore kneeled beside the blond, and he took Draco's hand into
the palm of his own, but the instant he did — Malfoy sought to pull away.

'' Don't fucking—'' Draco growled, attempting to push the brunet away, but
Theodore wouldn't let go. He only held on tighter as Malfoy tried to move, to
shove, to hit him.

'' It's alright, get it all out there,'' Theodore mumbled, '' Be angry Draco, be mad,
it's only good that you feel it,''

He did. He was furious, but he didn't have the power to fight Theo more than
he'd done, and after only a couple of minutes, he caved into the hold Theodore
had of him.
'' There you go,'' Theo whispered, stretching over to close the running water of
the bathtub, '' Let's see...'' He once again took Draco's hand in his, and he quietly
studied the wounds covering his skin.

'' I think this will do the trick—'' He tugged his wand out of his back pocket
before aiming it at the bruises and cuts, '' Here—''

''Ferula,'' Theodore whispered, and Draco gasped as his hand wrapped into a
magical bandage, but the feeling of his skin healing and the cuts dragging
together — caused him to feel something.

He wasn't foolish.

He wasn't a maniac as everyone believed him to be. He just missed her. He

missed her so much that it burned his skin, and it stung in his chest. He missed
her so much that his mouth felt dry and his knees weakened.

He wasn't crazy.

He just missed her.

'' Draco—'' Theodore mumbled, letting go of the blond as he stood tall beside
him, '' If you'd just let me tell you what she—''

Malfoy shot up next to him. His face shunned coldly as he shouldered past him,
out in his room again. His clothes still soaking wet and Draco — without
thinking strode up to his closet.

The doors dragged open, and it was as if his lungs tightened.

He couldn't breathe the second he watched her clothes.

All of her dresses, skirts, sweaters — all of it.

It hit Draco again, forcefully as his eyes flickered over the dress he got her for
Christmas, and all the thoughts he craved to suppress welled over him once
more.

He couldn't look at them anymore. He didn't want them in here. He didn't

deserve to have them in their room.
Their room.

He still felt like it was — since the night she stumbled in to him, crawling up
beside him, and she comforted him.

It was their room.

And he didn't feel as if he deserved to share it with her.

Something inside the blond — snapped, a flicker of darkness in his head took
over as Theodore watched him from the doorway into the bathroom.

'' Malfoy—'' Theo barely got out before Draco stormed off. He rushed down the
stairs, leaving a wet trail of drops after him as he went, and he didn't stop until
he was outside.

Draco stood outside in the early spring weather, with his whole self drenched in
everything — water, sorrow, hurt, torture, love, hate.

He couldn't possibly describe it anymore, and he didn't know how to deal with it
because Amelie was the reasonable one. She lead him right. She made him
rational.

It was all her, and without her — he wasn't anything.

His bare feet stung upon the gravel ground, and his head tilted back.

Draco wanted to give up. It wasn't possible for him to do this anymore, not
without a sign, not without something to go on, not without her, and as his hands
grabbed the strands of his own hair — he shouted.

Draco screamed out in the gloomy surroundings. He had no strength. It all

suffocated him. It broke every last piece of him as the thoughts of ending his
own misery began to circle, and just as it did.

The instant, his features looked up at the darkened sky, and his knees weakened.

One single drop of nature scored his skin and then, another, and another, and
another.
It started raining.

Malfoy felt his eyes closing, and his body caved into the pouring rain.

It would always be rain to them.

This was his sign, nearly as if she was there with him, and he would never stop
searching for her.

'' Rain, yeah?'' Theodore muttered behind him, stepping out on the yard as well, ''
Amelie said something about rain once.''

Draco didn't move a muscle. He simply stilled as it soaked him all over again.

'' We were on that beach, where she took you too, you know?'' Theodore peered
around, '' She calls it her safe haven, and it was this day where I think she missed
you quite a lot, and she drew this adorable parallel...'' Theo held.

He folded his arms around himself as his clothes stained by the drops, '' You
being similar to rain, or something like that.''

It flickered in Theo's head, what she told him that day,

'' He was kind to me, not in a way you would've expected from someone with his
reputation, but he was, and even if it was all an act at times, it still felt real. You
know, as he meant it?''

Theodore nodded,

'' I don't know. It just... It felt safe with him.'' She sighed, burying her chin deeper
in between her crossed arms. She felt the air tug at her cheeks, making them
flush in color.

'' Draco was like the sound of rain. It comforts you when you are in need of it but
still soaks you with all of its sorrows when you're not. You could listen to it all
night, but despise it in the light of day, and you—''

Amelie swallowed the lump she felt growing in the back of her throat as
Theodore's eyes stayed on her.
'' And you miss it terribly when it's not raining anymore.''

Even if this was hard for her, talking about Draco in the way she did — she
couldn't help but smile at the thought of him.

'' He was my favorite feeling on my bad days, and I think I... I think I was all of
his good days.''

Theodore kept looking at her, his sight was soft, sympathetic, but he didn't say a
word. He let her speak her mind in a place he knew she was safe.

The thunder echoing over the mountains made her shiver as she held herself
tighter, her eyes fell gently over the heavy clouds storming closer,

'' But that's the thing about rain, isn't it? Eventually, it stops pouring.'' She
smiled again, holding onto the little piece of bravery left inside of her,

'' And God... I miss the sound of rain.''

For the first time in weeks, a tiny, nearly unnoticeable arch curved at the corner
of Draco's mouth, '' She should be here.'' Malfoy stated, still facing the heavens,
'' It's raining, Nott. She should be here.''

'' She will be,'' Theo said, encouraging, '' She will be here, Malfoy.''

Theodore never reflected much on his own pain through all of this. He felt so
responsible for Hermione and Draco that he didn't have much time to feel what
he actually felt — he missed her.

Teddy missed Amelie too, so much that if he was ever to give into that — if he
would've let his mind cave into all of those haunting thoughts he held.

He would die.

Theodore stayed strong and helpful for his friends, but he was drowning too,
more than it because it had always been them — ever since they were kids, he
and Amelie were inseparable, and now,

Now he couldn't even let it hurt. He needed to be there, for Draco.

Theo couldn't possibly let it get to him because if it did — no.

It couldn't. It simply couldn't.

He needed to find her too. He needed her to be safe too. He needed to hold her
and to tell her that he loved her too, but she didn't deserve to come back to
Malfoy, torturing himself.

'' It's freezing,'' Theo mumbled, shivering as he nodded towards the manor, '' And
you need to change, before your mother—''

'' Lucius!'' Narcissa called out, and her unexpected voice broke them out of their
trance, '' Lucius, what are you doing here? If Dracos sees you—''

'' Are the boys inside?'' Lucius asked his wife. Draco gripped Theodore by his
arm and dragged him over the yard, closer to where his parents were standing,

'' Good. Then he won't know I'm here.''

'' What are they—'' Theodore mumbled, hunching down behind a bush next to
Malfoy, '' Oh god, what if they—''

Draco's hand collided with the back of Theodore's head, and he evilly eyed the
brunet down, '' Shut up,''

Theo's eyes rolled as they focused on his parents again.

'' I can not give that to him, Lucius. Are you completely out of your mind?''

'' No, Narcissa, but he has to have it. You have no idea what plans the Dark Lord
—''

'' He's your son, for God's sake! Give it to him yourself.''

'' I can't! Then the Dark Lord will know it's from me, and if that book comes
from me—''

It turned quiet for a slight minute as Theodore and Draco gulped in the darkness
they were being held in.

'' If the Dark Lord realizes that it's from me, the girl dies.''
_____
 Fifty-four

This chapter contains violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

'' I love you, and I will find you.''

_____

Draco Malfoy.

'' We haven't—'' The man standing in front of him uttered, '' We don't know
where he's—''

Draco's wand dug deeper into the Death Earthers neck, and he sighed loudly, '' I
know you do.'' He said, '' I know you know where he's keeping her. You're one
of his most trusted.''

The man let out a chuckle, looking around slightly in the abandoned safe house
before he peered back up at Draco, blood was dripping from the corner of his
mouth, and his teeth stained in the red color.

'' Once—'' The Death Eater coughed, ''So were you.''

Draco grinned, licking his bottom lip as his grip on him tensed, '' Kneel,'' The
blond demanded and overpowered as the man seemed to be — he had no other
choice than to fall to his knees in front of Malfoy.

'' The Dark Lord took something from me, and I tend to get her back, so either
you tell me what you know—'' Draco's face twisted, evilly as he gestured to the
fallen Death Eaters around them, '' Or I'll kill you, and you can join your friends
in hell.''

The man swallowed, with Malfoy's wand, still forcefully pushed into his neck,
and he whimpered by the sense of it, '' I'll tell you nothing. He will kill me if I
do.''

Draco nodded slowly before his head tilted, showing him compassion for a mere
second, '' It's a shame, isn't it?'' He mumbled as his wand dragged over the man's
cheek, lifting his chin with the tip of it.

'' Malfoy—''

'' Avada Kedavra!''

Draco's jaws gritted, and the man's deceased body dropped to the infinite
ground.

He had slaughtered yet another hiding, filled with Voldemort's loyal servants,
and he would continue doing so until someone gave her up — until she was
returned to him.

He stepped over the lifeless bodies before he marched out of the house and
closed the door behind him. He never looked back. He couldn't.

Draco wasn't able to do so without trapping himself into an endless chain of

guilt. He was a murderer and a ruthless one at that, but there wasn't a thing he
wouldn't do to get her back, to find her.

He apparated himself home, back to his manor, and into the guestroom he'd been
staying in since the day she was taken from him. He couldn't sleep or even be in
his own room anymore. He couldn't bear to watch her clothes in his closet again
or the oversized slippers on her side of the bed.

Her pillow and how her messy morning hair spilled all over the soft fabric
caused his heart to ache out of despair every time his mind reached that image.

His head shook as he strode up to the wall, and he halted right in front of it.
Draco's gaze flickered all over the pieces of papers coating the wood as he
reached for the tiny pin, and he dragged the sheet off.

He picked yet another paper of information off of his map. He had been tracking
everyone and everything as thoroughly as he possibly could. He didn't miss a
safe house. He didn't fail to notice one single human being serving the Dark
Lord.
He found everyone and everything — but her.

He had even explored Adrian's house at a time where he knew them not to be
there. He looked through every room, every space in that house he could find.

Draco had been searching for what felt like months, looking behind every
corner, going through every house, every city — and it drained him to a level
that he almost believed Theodore to be correct.

Perhaps he was losing it — maybe he lost track of himself, but he couldn't think
of any reason, better than this one, to do so.

Amelie was worth it all to him, even if he wouldn't be the same when she came
back. She still would be home, safe from everything Adrian most likely put her
through as she was away.

Draco couldn't think about it without breaking. He couldn't cross the thought of
her being harmed again, of Adrian using his vile hands to violate her — how
much she must be hurting, and he couldn't do a thing.

He was helpless, and so was she.

He tore the sheet of paper off the wall before he threw it in the trashcan next to
it, but it was packed — and pieces of scrunched-up paper spilled messily around
it.

Narcissa had been begging him to let her clean it for days, but he refused. He
didn't want anyone but himself in that room. It was his closure to her — it was
his way of finding her, and he couldn't share this with anyone, but Theodore.

Draco paced around, back and forth with his fingers constantly scratching his
jaw, thinking about what to do next, and he shot the clock, hanging on the wall a
swift look, and it was time.

Every hour, it was time for him to do, what he'd been doing every hour, of every
day — for the past few months, no matter if it was in the middle of the night or
when he was out on one of his many missions — he always made sure to do this.

It was one of the only things keeping Draco together.

He gripped the diary off the table, and he slipped down to the floor, next to the
door with his knees hugged to his chest.

Even if he got it from her, simply a few months ago — it was already worn, the
edges of it had been scratched, and the pages held crinkly of his dried-up tears.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

Draco wrote it, over and over — so many times that his fingers began to shake
and his hand burnt, but he wouldn't stop.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

Over and over. He filled every page with it.

I love you.

I love you.

His mouth went bone dry.

I love you.

I love you.

He needed her to know that. He needed her to understand it, that he loves her,
even if he couldn't be sure that she saw his messages — he hoped that she did.

I will find you.

I love you, and I will find you.

I promise.

His throat began to hurt, and the lump in the back of it couldn't hold back the
sobs he felt coming.

You are mine.

You are mine.

You are mine.

A clear, stinging tear rolled down his cheek, and he felt — in a truly strange
way, more pain as he kept on writing.

He couldn't help but wonder if it was her. If it was Amelie's torment that ripped
through him.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

He didn't know how to breathe anymore, and he had to look up from the pages to
give himself a break, but merely a second later — he stared right down onto it
again.

I love you, Amelie.

My Amelie.

I love you, and I will find you.

Mine.

I'm yours, and you are mine.

I promise.

Draco slammed the book shut, holding it wrapped to his chest for moments as he
thought about her.

It hurt. It was torture thinking about Amelie and what the monster holding her
was doing to her when Draco himself could do nothing.

He remained there for what felt like hours before he forced himself off the floor,
and he placed the diary where he always kept it. Right in front of him, so that he
could — if she ever saw what he wrote, or if she one day was able to answer him
— see it.

'' Mate,'' Theodore knocked on the door before taking a step inside, '' Are you
alright?''

'' What kind of question is that?'' Draco turned so that his back was facing him,
wiping his tear-stained cheeks with the end of his sleeves, '' Of course I'm not.''

'' I'm sorry—''

'' Can you just—'' Draco sighed, trying not to be angrier with the boy standing in
the doorway, '' Can you just leave. I don't need your pity.''

Theodore rose a brow and he closed the door behind him, and he felt a wave of
doubt as it scored his senses. He was more than familiar with Draco being rude
to him at this point. Theo understood that this was Draco's way of dealing with
his pain.

'' Did they tell you anything?'' Theo sought to ease the hostile tension, '' When
you went to the safe house, I mean—''

'' No,'' Draco stated shortly. He slipped down onto a chair before placing both of
his elbows upon the table, '' No one told me anything.''

Theodore nodded, and he slowly strode up to the desk, hunching down onto a
chair next to Draco's again. His hand settled on Draco's shoulder before he
quickly dragged away.

He didn't want to push Draco again, not after the fight they had.
Both Malfoy and Nott forgave each other promptly after they had hurt each other
so badly, mostly because of Amelie, and they needed to work together to find
her — but also because the two had been growing closer. A friendship like theirs
wasn't something to be thrown away.

Despite all the calmness in their friendship at the time, something was nagging
Theo and the utter fact that Draco refused to let him speak, what Amelie had
asked of him, caused him to feel sick with himself.

She wished for Theodore to tell Draco that she loved him, but every time he
came close to doing so — every single time, his lips parted to tell the blond,

Draco shut him out completely, almost as if he could feel what the brunet was
about to say.

And he did. Draco could feel it, that Theodore wanted to reveal something that
she'd told him, but he didn't want to hear it from Theo.

He wanted to hear it from her.

It was supposed to be her, telling him those words for the first time, not her best
friend.

'' Draco—'' Theodore hesitated, and his fingers grasped at some of the sheets of
paper, coating the table, '' I think we should talk about that thing.''

'' Stop it,'' The blond hissed, frowning at Theo, '' I told you. I don't want to hear
it, now help me figure out what this bloody book means, before I—''

Theodore silently groaned, '' That book?''

'' Yes that book. Mother brought back this book after she dropped of Hermione
at the burrows, and I can't figure it out. She lied and said that someone left it for
her, even if we both know it was my father, but I don't—''

Draco hushed, and his hands slammed against the table, '' I can't figure it out,
Nott. I can't—'' He was infuriated again, with himself.

He had never hated, loathed, despised someone as much as he did with himself.
He felt as if he'd failed her, and all of this was his fault.

'' Perhaps if we—'' Theodore reached for the book, his fingers trailed over the
dark coated cover, '' Invisible spells...''

'' I know what the name of that bloody book is, Theodore.'' He seethed, and his
back leaned against the backrest of the chair, his legs long in front of him, '' I just
don't know what it means.''

'' Then let's figure it out, shall we?'' Theo forced a smile, '' Your father gave this
to your mother, that's what we know, right?''

Draco nodded.

'' Right, so, didn't one of those Death Eaters you killed—''

'' Punished.'' Draco corrected him to his own satisfaction. He loathed to be

termed a murderer, when if he was aware of being one.

'' Yeah, punished,'' Theodore mumbled, '' But didn't they tell you that the Dark
Lord is tired of your massacre? That if you don't stop this madness soon, he'll
come for you, no matter how important you are to him?''

His lips pushed together into a firm line, and he nodded again, '' He did.''

'' Right, so what if...'' Theodore was playing around with the thought.

'' No, that's not possible, my father wouldn't take a stand against Voldemort, and
especially not with Amelie—'' It burnt in Draco's chest to speak her name, '' He
wouldn't betray the Dark Lord like that.''

'' No, you're right,'' Theo's fingers flipped through the pages, and it turned silent
for a minute, '' Unless...'' I clocked him, and his spine arched off the chair,

'' Unless your father found out.''

'' Found out what?'' Draco snapped, his brows dragged together as he followed
Theodore's act, '' Found out about what the Dark Lord said.'' He realized on his
own.
'' Yes, and that's why he gave you the book through your mother in secret so that
Voldemort wouldn't find out—''

'' He wants me to find her,'' Draco snatched the book out of his hands, '' He wants
me to find her so that the dark lord doesn't kill me...''

He started going through the pages, one by one — searching for a clue, for
something that would tell him where she might be — something he'd overlooked
the last time, but nothing.

No note, no spare words, nothing.

They went through the whole book, word by word, for hours, and that was — the
first time in weeks that Draco's mind clouded by something else than the diary.
Sheets of paper had been pushed over it, and he couldn't see the bounded book
anymore.

'' There's nothing.'' Draco muttered, flinging the book across the table, '' There's
nothing but empty pages.''

'' I'm sure that it's—''

'' Fuck,'' Draco cursed to himself before his hands grasped everything that
covered his diary away, and he held it tightly in his hands.

He turned quiet. His face fell into a heartbreaking look. He felt evilness as it
radiated off the book, but not in the way he used to feel it.

Draco was familiar with the heartbreak the diary brought. He could almost feel
Amelie's heart breaking as he believed that she read what he was writing, but
this — this was something else.

His eyes sealed, and he tried to focus on that particular feeling. It was
breathtaking. Whoever that had placed their hands on that diary — was
dangerous. He could feel the fright of someone close to them,

And then — it stung. It was as if he could feel her.

He felt Amelie.
His head shot up as he stared down at the pages, and a vague '' P '' had appeared
on the cover of it.

'' Still nothing?'' Theo mumbled, disappointingly without noticing the frightened
boy next to him, '' Well, I'm sure—''

'' The Puceys.''

'' What?'' Theodore frowned, '' What do you mean?''

Draco looked up. His eyes flashed in torture.

'' The Puceys.'' He said again, harsher this time, '' That's why my father gave me
that book,'' Draco rose from the chair, forcefully, but just as he was about to
stand up — he gripped a pen, folding the diary open,

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

I am coming for you.

I am coming for you, Amelie.

He slowly shoved his seat back and the corner of his eyes shredded in tears.

He needed her to know that he's coming for her. He craved for her to know that
he will find her. That she will be safe.

She would always be safe with him.

I love you.

I love you, and I am coming for you.

I promise.

Don't move.
'' She was there all along, just hidden—'' Draco began to storm out, leaving the
diary behind, but Theodore wrapped his hand around his upper arm and dragged
Malfoy back.

'' Are we sure about this?'' Theo said, lowly, hesitantly, '' What if it's a trap? It
seems a bit too easy, doesn't it?''

'' I don't care.'' Draco's jaws clenched and unclenched, '' I don't care if it's a trap,
but I'll be dammed if I don't do everything I can, Nott.''

Draco could feel the hard piece of metal in the pocket of his jacket.

The knife Adrian had used to kill Pansy and her unborn child with, rested right
here, and had done so ever since he found it.

He wanted to hurt Adrian with the same knife he'd taken his friend and the baby
in her stomach, away from them.

'' I don't know, Draco—''

'' What if it's her?'' Malfoy yelled, shoving the brunet back, '' Yeah? What if it's
her? What if the person who wrote that actually is her?''

'' I—'' Theo quieted, his sight grounded, '' You're right, I'll just—''

'' No,'' Draco's hand tensed around his wand, and he shot Theodore a severe look,
'' You need to tell my mother where we are going. She needs to know, in case
something goes wrong.''

Theodore hastily nodded, '' I'll let her know, and I'll join you as soon as I can,
and Draco—''

They looked at each other, both in the utter fusion of agony and hope —
somewhere in between — somewhere grey — somewhere neither of them knew
what to make of it.

'' I know.'' The blond swallowed, raising his wand. His eyes dragged off
Theodore in a heartbeat, '' You too.''

The brunet stood, scared to death in front of him, watching as he mumbled the
words before he stormed out to do what Malfoy had asked of him.

'' Apparate.''

_____
 Fifty-five

This chapter contains violent actions, abuse and emotional trauma. Please
read with caution.

_____

'' I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

Three months.

'' Stop, Adrian!'' She screamed. Her lungs burnt out of exhaustion. Her throat
hurt, '' Stop, please!''

Three long months.

'' I can't take it anymore.'' Her tears fell as her lips shifted in purple shades — she
couldn't breathe, '' Adrian, I can't—''

Three months of pure torture and pain.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she could feel how her soul merely
left her body for a second.

He was strangling her again. Hurting her in ways he knew would traumatize her
to a point where she could never live freely.

Adrian wished to mark her, to wound her, and to scar her in all ways possible.
New scars as old ones. He wanted her to suffer — to hurt beyond reason.

He wanted her to feel as if she was dying only to be the one who brought her
back to life, and then — he craved to do it all over again.
He wished to drown her with all of his cruel and sinful powers, and then he
wanted to bring her back up, to save her from going under — only to push her
down again.

That was his vengeance for all the months he'd spent, locked up underneath the
Malfoy Manor. For every act of torture, Draco had brought upon him.

Adrian was punishing her because he understood that it would cause the boy she
loved, far more hurt if Amelie was the one paying for Draco's actions.

Amelie knew this because he'd never let her forget. Adrian said it to her, all day,
every day. Not once did he allow her to misplace that she was only being
tortured, beaten, suffocated, burned, starved, violated, abused, and hurt —
because of Draco.

It felt to her as if Adrian tried to plaster it into her head. Manipulate her to think
and believe that Draco was the one to blame.

That this was his fault.

That Malfoy had hurt Adrian so severely that he had to seek his revenge on
Amelie, and as the days shifted into weeks and the weeks blurred into months —
she slowly, nearly unconsciously started to believe him.

That Draco is the reason, she's hurting so intensely.

At least, that was what Adrian thought — she made sure of that.

Amelie played along with his games, and to him, it looked as if she caved into
his wicked mind, but she didn't — no.

Amelie had been locked up in magic chains for months, and she could barely
call herself human anymore. She didn't understand how much time had actually
passed since Adrian shoved her in here and locked the door behind him.

One day, not too long ago, when he let her out to shower, she saw through the
small crack of the bathroom window how the snow had faded and how the
leaves upon the crowns of the trees — was slowly shifting into a green shade.

She understood that it was on the utter horizon of spring, but she couldn't quite
be sure.

Adrian only allowed her to go out of her room once a day, and he guarded her
like a hawk when he did.

The first weeks, he didn't let her take a step outside the four walls of the room
she was being held in. He brought her food and everything she'd needed to stay
alive — but not more than that.

When he left the room or even the house — he locked her in, and he cursed it
with magic so that if anyone came looking for her, they wouldn't be able to see
her, nevertheless hear her.

He was hiding her in plain sight, and one night — she was almost found.

Amelie barely remembers it because, at the beginning of being here, Adrian beat
her senseless.

She wasn't capable of placing things that happened so early on, but she could, in
vague, small, nearly tiny ways, remember Draco and how he opened the door to
her room.

It must have been months ago now. She couldn't be sure — nothing was certain
to her anymore, but she could still recall how Draco opened her door, and he
shouted her name, but she couldn't move.

Amelie was too wounded even to say something back to him, so she watched as
his eyes flickered through the room he believed to be empty, and then he walked
away.

She had to see that.

She had to see as his skin paled, and his shoulder had sunken. He was here, not
knowing that she was here too because she was hidden underneath the mantle of
Adrian's magic.

It broke her heart, and that's why she fought so hard to believe it to be a dream
because it hurt even more when she thought it to be true.

He really was here, and he stared right at her bruised body while calling her
name. He just didn't know that he did.

She was invisible, and she cried in the dim reality of her worn mind.

Amelie knew that she could never tell Draco about that; if he ever came back for
her because it would break him. Knowing that he was here, even in the same
room as her while she struggled to breathe all those months ago — and he didn't
realize that she was there.

'' Get up!'' Adrian shouted, making her flinch out of her thoughts as her spine
was dragged across the floor, '' I said, get up!''

Amelie tried to inhale, but it was almost impossible by the stinging feeling in her
lungs.

It hurt so much to breathe.

The room was dark, and the lights flickered as he gripped her by her throat, and
he threw her on the bed — usually, when he did that — he tied her wrists and
ankles to the bed frame, and he poured ice-cold water all over her body,
followed by steaming hot water.

All to make her scream and for her skin to rupture.

Later, when she calmed down and her surface cooled — he wished to violate
her. He understood that Draco and Amelie had done things, been intimate with
one another, and he sought to take everything Draco gave her, away.

He wanted to ruin her body for both her and Draco, but he couldn't. Adrian
couldn't even look at her in that way after knowing that she'd been with Malfoy.

He despised that about her — that she gave herself to the blond in all the ways
that she did.

Instead, he beat her more brutally.

Adrian tried to break her.

Still, she did everything she could to shut it all out, to think about Draco and
Teddy. To not think about the sinful hands that continually touched her body.
He indeed tortured her, more than he'd ever done before, but she was stronger
now. Amelie knew that she was, in fact, loved, cherished, and she was worth it.

Adrian could never take that away from her.

'' I fucking hate you,'' He spat at her before his palm struck her cheek, and he left
her in that cold room, with her clothes soaked.

Amelie's jaws clenched as she shook.

Her entire body trembled, and with multiple yanks of both her arms and legs, the
ropes started to loosen slowly as she slipped out of the coarse hold he'd kept her
in.

Her mind and her thoughts always snapped to the girl who lost her life the night
Amelie was taken away. She couldn't, no matter how hard she tried — get Pansy
and her unborn child out of her head.

Somewhere, she still hoped with everything she had that Teddy and his greatness
within healing would've saved them. That he was capable of at least rescue one
of them, but she wasn't foolish — it was all wishes. No human with magic or
without could survive what Pansy had to go through.

Pansy and Aimee were dead, and Amelie blamed herself for it.

If they would've left sooner, she and Hermione — if they didn't stay for
Christmas, they would've been fine. Nothing similar to what happened could've
occurred if they did.

But Pansy wanted to stay for Amelie, and now — in Amelie's head, she was to
blame for her death.

Her skin sored, and her boned caved within, but this was nothing — nothing
compared to the pain her heart felt.

She had, since the day Adrian brought her here, and since the day she could
swear she saw Draco — kept that little diary she bought them, completely out of
sight.

It was a crack, in the corner of the room, underneath her bed, where the wood
had shifted, and she could hide it, underneath a floorboard, so that whenever it
turned too heavy, and her life seemed to be blankly pointless, she took it out.

When she believed that the easier way out was to simply end her own life and
take her most ruthless nightmare with her into the unknown — she read it,
reminding herself that they were waiting for her.

That she had something, someone to come home to.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched Draco's writing in it. She could
feel what he felt. He was miserable, more than it.

He was numb, senseless — just like she was.

He was hurting, more than she'd ever sensed him hurt before. Amelie had
studied his mind, and she knew what pain was to Malfoy. She understood all his
deepest and darkest thoughts, but this, what he had to live through right now,

It was more torture than she'd seen anyone go through.

Her eyes flickered as she slid down along the wall, and she dragged her knees up
to her chest. Hugging herself and she opened it.

It hurt.

It hurt more than any type of abuse ever could because she didn't get to say
goodbye. She didn't get to kiss him again and to tangle her fingers into the blond
strands of his hair. She didn't get to feel his scent and to breathe all that safety in.

He loved it when she did that, but she couldn't remember how he smelled like.

She couldn't remember how it felt when they last kissed each other.

She couldn't feel his hands upon her skin anymore.

All Amelie could do was watch as he wrote and as it entirely shattered him.

I love you.

''I love you more,'' She whispered to herself, nearly inaudible.

That was what she could do because she didn't have anything to write back with.
Amelie tried to scratch her nails against the pages, but nothing.

I love you.

'' I love you more.''

I love you.

'' I love you so much more.''

I love you.

'' I love you, Draco.''

It was as if she said it so that he could hear it. She needed to say it out loud as
the ink — his words magically appeared in her diary.

I will find you.

'' I know you will,'' Amelie whispered again.

Her lower lip quivered.

I love you, and I will find you.

I promise.

'' I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.'' Amelie squeezed her eyes shut
out of the ache she was feeling.

You are mine.

You are mine.

You are mine.

'' I'm yours, and you're mine.''

Her heart missed a beat.

Even if he wrote the same things every day, she read them. In precise order, just
like all the days before — still, it struck her, like a flash of pure lightening every
time.

She felt as if he was dying without her, and she was drowning without him too.
Her eyes fell upon the pages in path with the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

'' I'm yours. I'm yours. I'm yours. I'm yours.'' She nearly sobbed out, and the
longing for the blond ripped her apart.

All she wanted was to be with him, to be with Draco, to feel safe again.

I love you, Amelie.

My Amelie.

'' My Draco,'' She couldn't control it anymore. Her tiny sobs leveled in a loud
cry.

I love you, and I will find you.

Mine.

I'm yours, and you are mine.

I promise.

'' I love you.''

Her tears drenched the paper, and it held crinkly.

Amelie missed him so much that it started to get to her, and she missed Teddy
too.
Her Teddy. Her best friend, and the one who always saved her.

She couldn't possibly imagine how he was feeling through all of this. Even if
Amelie knew that he would never say it out loud — he blamed himself so
greatly.

Teddy always did, blame himself.

She slammed the book shut quickly the instant she caught the slight vibration
going through the wooden floor.

Amelie had been locked up in the same room, and she learned how to feel it all
in the darkness.

She could hear the tiny clinking as the door rocked, invisibly against the
doorframe, and it usually meant that Adrian had walked up the stairs and that he
was storming through the hallway.

He was coming back.

She mastered catching onto the little things, and it saved her from a lot of
trouble.

'' What are you doing?'' Adrian growled, ripping the door wide open, '' I heard...
noises.''

Amelie made it back to bed just in time; with the wind stuck in her throat — she
nearly choked on her own words, '' I was just—''

The green eyes scanned her, trying to figure out what she was up to before his
gaze studied the room, and he frowned — it looked to her as if he was deciding
what to do with her this time.

'' Adrian, please—'' Her throat hurt, and her mouth sored by the taste of her own
blood. It hadn't even been an hour since he was last in here, '' I wasn't doing
anything. I promise—''

''Muffliato.'' He hissed, loudly and her veins iced.

Adrian never grew tired of hurting her. He could spend whole days tormenting
her beyond despair.

She knew that without that spell, the neighbors would hear her heartbreaking
scream, and without that magic — everyone would hear her from miles away.

Not that she even sought to shout anymore. It was to no use.

No one was coming for her either way.

'' Next week,'' He said, and his face twisted in pure evil, '' I know I said it would
be too kind to take your memories of Malfoy away...''

Adrian's eyes bored through her as shivers fled down her spine, and she prepared
for the pain. She distanced herself from reality — it made it easier.

'' But I think it's the best thing to do because they are not fucking quitting it.''
Adrian was shouting, taking dangerous steps up to her.

His fists curling.

'' Malfoy just keeps going after every single Death Eater he can find, and the
Dark Lord is growing impatient with him.''

Adrian had threatened her for months to erase every trace of Draco from her
memory, yet he had failed to do so. He believed it to be too kind for her to forget
about the blond boy who stole her heart and made it his.

Amelie's mind clocked back to being as she trapped Draco's name, '' What?'' She
said in a whisper. Her face fell into a cloak of confusion, '' What did he—''

His balled hand struck her jaw, and it caused her down into the mattress,
breathless.

'' This is your fucking fault. Yours and his,'' Adrian yelled as he climbed on top
of her, one knee on each side of her body, '' And to what cause?'' His hands
wrapped around her throat again.

Her skin hurt, and her face blasted in pain.

'' You're not worth any of the lost lives, even a useless Death Eater weights more
than you do—'' He put pressure upon the grip, and he started choking her, '' I
wish that Voldemort decides to kill him.''

Amelie didn't have time to space herself, and stars rose to prickle in her eyes
along with the hot, burning tears rolling down her chin.

Her hands grasped at his, and she couldn't breathe again.

'' But either way—'' Adrian grinned, enjoying the look of her fighting for her life,
'' I'm taking him away from you.''

The thought of it made her panic, and the anxiety of not having the memory of
Draco with her came overwhelmingly.

Amelie needed to remember him.

It was all she seemed to have — everything she could hold onto, all that made
her human.

'' But for now, let's play a little game—'' Adrian dragged a knife out of his
pocket, and he held it against her cheek, '' And feel free to scream all you want,
darling.'' He chuckled darkly.

'' No one can hear you anyway.''

_____
 Fifty-six

This chapter contains emotional trauma, mentions of death, and violent

actions. Please read with caution.

_____

'' Please hurry.''

_____

Amelie Avery.

It wasn't in an actual reality to her anymore.

The way her eyes stung by the bright light crackling into her room from the
hallway every time Adrian opened the door made her mind dizzy.

How the food he brought her was barely enough to feed a child. He simply gave
her the very minimum to survive, and he still came, several times a day, to
punish her.

To mark her body for the worst and Amelie did everything in her power not to
let it affect her. Not to allow herself to cave into his brutal, inhuman acts, but it
started to get to her.

How could it not — three months of nothing but plain torture was nearly more
than she could handle. She was strong, indeed, but her body was frail, and it
undoubtedly weakened for each day that passed.

Amelie had worked so hard. She had mastered loving herself and cherished
everything around her, but that was slowly coming to an end.

Adrian was taking it all away from her again, inch by inch — to a point where
she thought about taking her own life to be free, but still, she couldn't leave the
people she loved so dearly behind.
That was the only thing that managed to keep her safe within the walls of
Adrian's hell — Draco and Theodore, not a minute clocked without them
lingering in her mind.

Amelie sleeping next to Draco with his arms protectingly wrapped around her,
his nose buried in her hair, and the tips of her fingers gently tracing meaningful
words upon his chest, across his scars over and over — or Theodore, how he
always sat close to her, shoulder to shoulder only because he wanted to feel the
warmth of her.

He wished to be as near her as he possibly could and never to leave her side.
They were best friends, almost belonging to one another.

Her mind often crossed Teddy and how she wished she'd cherished the small
moments with her best friend more, even if he was throwing snowballs at her or
braiding her hair so messily that it was tangled for days — walking, oh how she
loved just walking while talking about everything with him.

He always made sure that she smiled. That her lips arched in a curve and that
laughter escaped her throat. It was one of his many talents. He always made
Amelie happy.

Her head shook, and her hands grasped at her throat. It turned hard to breathe.
The air thickened towards the afternoon, and everything hurt a bit more.

Amelie was cold. Her skin shivered by the spell Adrian had cursed her with, to
torment her constantly. He didn't want her to be comfortable, not one bit, but he
still didn't want her to pass.

She could hear, at night, how he brought other girls home. She had to listen to
how he satisfied them and how they pleased him for hours.

Adrian was too disgusted with what Amelie and Draco had done — that he
refused to touch her in that way, but he still craved for her to hurt. He desired her
to hear the echoing sounds of moans and screams as he slept with someone else
in the room next to hers.

He believed that it affected her — when it honestly didn't. Amelie did care for
Adrian, but not in that way anymore. Her heart belonged to someone else now,
and that someone took far better care of her than Adrian had ever done.
She loved Adrian, but only out of the kindness of her heart and the memory of
him before he turned absolutely vile.

Adrian wasn't always like this. He didn't turn out to be her most feared
nightmare until years after they met.

There was a time when the two got to know each other — when he loved her
back, and he cared for her in all the ways she deserved. Still, he never deserved
her.

She was always too pure, too humble for the boy she today calls the devil, and it
took a toll on him. Instead of loving her, he learned how to use her. He mastered
how to wield her soft heart.

Adrian shaped Amelie. He formed her into the person he needed her to be, not
who she indeed was, and then he hurt her to the extent of it. There were days,
moments when they were happy together — when he kissed her head and told
her all the sweet things a teenage boyfriend is supposed to tell their lover.

How beautiful she was, how worthy she lived to be, how much she meant to
him, how he could never live without her, how she was his, and how he would
treat her with respect.

It was wishful thinking for that to happen.

Sometimes he loved her back, she believed. Amelie hoped with all of her heart
that he did, that he somewhere, within that bitter shell of his — that he loved her
back.

Not enough. Even if she wished for it to be something else than imagination, she
knew that he'd never cared for her enough, not to hurt her — it was never
enough, and now his life was bounded to hers as he kept her locked up in a room
in his childhood home.

Again, she was forced somewhere against her will. Fated to obey someone else's
commands and never earn a voice of her own. She was chained within four
walls.

The same room, where he'd taken the life of his mother, right in front of Amelie.
She was cursed with a spell that caused her entire body to shift in stone, and she
couldn't move. Amelie couldn't speak. She could barely blink as she had to
watch Adrian slaughter his own mother right in front of her.

The day it happened was a day her mind had been shutting out.

If anyone were to ask her about it — she'd be clueless. Amelie was already
drained to a point where she nearly fell apart, and for her overworked mind to
process Ana's death too wasn't an option for her.

It would've shattered her, only a swift thought in that direction — to that night
caused her breath to stress and her pulse to quicken.

Amelie was lying, numb on the wooden floor, trying to close her eyes as he
ripped his mother to pieces, and Adrian made her look. He made the tears roll
down her colorless cheeks as he took another life.

He said that his mother deserved it — that she'd been dishonest about Pansy and
the pregnancy, so she earned what she received, but then he left her body in
Amelie's room for days until Amelie began to smell like death.

Her hair rose to scent similar to something rotten, and her skin scored in the
same order as well. The scent of Ana's dead body was something Amelie could
live with, it bothered her, but not as much as looking at it did.

The way Ana's skin paled, and her limbs began to sink.

Adrian left her in Amelie's room with her eyes open, and Amelie couldn't stand
that. It had been too much death around her, so she — before she knew that
Adrian would bring her for her shower. She used the back of her hand to settle
Ana's eyelids close, and she folded her sheets over the lifeless body.

It disturbed Amelie more than anything had ever done. It caused her to feel sick,
but she couldn't help but shout it out — to neglect everything traumatizing.

It was as if her head, her mind, her brain protected itself.

Her own body shut down — similar to how she fainted when he was hurting her.
She seemed to do that a lot, her figure rescued itself from feeling the pain, and
she passed out.
But that didn't stop her from hearing him the night he dragged his mother's
deceased body out to the back yard, and she listened to how he shoveled soil,
how he grunted and muttered as he buried Ana's body, with no remorse to what
he'd done.

He killed his mother without once showing a flash of emotion.

Adrian was senseless, cold — something not human.

Her eyes flickered, and her knees dragged up to her chest as she hugged herself.

Amelie could feel as if something was wrong, but she couldn't quite place her
finger upon what. It was a simple feeling, merely that.

She missed Draco a lot today, and she couldn't understand why — she just did.

Her skin was sore from Adrian's vicious hands, and she was almost sure that he
had cracked one of her ribs this time. Her eyes were swollen red, and her mouth
tasted dry by the blood she'd been coughing up.

Most of all, she was exhausted. Tired to a point where it wasn't manageable to
sleep — her eyes blinked quickly, and every time they did, she hoped that they
would stay sealed. That she finally would be granted a second of rest, but they
never did.

Her lashes battled her blurry vision through the darkness of her room, and she
decided to reach for the diary again.

Her diary.

She couldn't feel Draco's gentle hands upon her skin anymore, so reading the
kind words, he always wrote her had to make up for the fact that her body hurt in
the missing of him.

The longing for him and all that safety he carried shifted overwhelmingly.
Amelie missed him so much that it ached, and her heart clenched; a flush of pain
scored her vessels.

She wished they'd done more together, learned more about each other, not taken
one single minute for granted. She starved to kiss him again, to feel his hands
snaking around her waist and the chills down his spine as she stroke the back of
his neck.

She thirsted to bathe with him again, to feel the tips of his fingers drag over her
back and to guess what he was writing, to feel his skin brush against hers in the
heated water, to wash his hair, and to feel his hands massage her scalp as he
cleaned hers.

She dreamed of their most intimate night together. How much she realized there
and then that he cared for her, it was so much more than closeness to him. He
loved her so much it pained him, and that broke her now.

Amelie wished with everything she owned that she'd be given a chance to do it
all over again. To cherish and love that blond, stubborn boy back. She'd never
fail him or give up on him.

She'd love him just as deeply and intimately as he loved her.

Amelie's feet struck the wooden floor carefully, not to cause any suspicion with
Adrian, and she dropped to her knees — her hand grasped underneath her bed as
she quietly opened the loosened floorboard, and there it was. Waiting for her,
just like she waited for Malfoy.

It was always her waiting for him. It always had been, even when neither of
them could help it.

She crawled back up in her bed, hiding her whole self underneath the sheets as
she opened the diary. The lights from the hallway outside granted her enough
vision to see what he'd been writing her this time.

I love you.

I love you.

Even if Amelie saw those three words in that diary several times a day, every
day for three months — she could never grow tired of them.

To her, those words were the one thing that caused her to stay, not to snap and
turn as mental as she should've done.
From miles away, he kept her steady.

I will find you.

Amelie knew that he would. Draco would never leave her behind — even if it
took time. He'd come for her.

I love you, and I will find you.

'' Please hurry,'' She whispered to herself, within the flesh of her own mouth, ''
Please, please hurry.''

I promise.

'' I love you,'' Amelie said again as her veins ached. Her teeth sunk into her
bottom lip to muffle any sounds, '' I love you.''

I am coming for you.

I am coming for you, Amelie.

'' Then come for me, please.'' She nearly sobbed out.

I love you.

'' Please, Draco—'' Amelie's throat hurt of how hard she sought not to cry. She
couldn't cry because if she did, Adrian would storm in, and hell would be raised
all over again.

I love you.

'' I miss you,'' She whimpered, her fingers clenched around the spine of the diary
as her eyes squeezed shut.

You are mine.

'' And—'' She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat. Amelie dragged the
ends of her sleeves over her knuckles to dry her stained cheeks, '' And you are
mine.''

She was mouthing the words now. She didn't dare to speak to them.
Mine.

Amelie's hand hushed the echoing sounds of her own cries. It was heartbreaking
not understanding if he knew that she was there all along, reading the words he
wrote her.

It hurt so much it was hard to breathe again, and her teeth plunged into the skin
of her fingers — to make something else than her heart shatter. Something else
needed to hurt before she completely broke down.

Mine.

I'm yours, and you are mine.

I promise.

'' I can't take this for much longer Draco. I'm dying—''

Her heart stopped as she felt the cover she was hiding underneath being thrown
off her. The wind swirled around her for a mere second before she could, in all
the confusion, look at who stood before her.

Adrian's eyes bored through hers murderously, and if she didn't know any better,
she would've believed that he would kill her, right there and then.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the sheets in his hands as hard as he
possibly could before he unexpectedly bent forward, facing the shocked look her
features held, and he tore the diary away from her.

Amelie gulped. She didn't know how to react because he caught her red-handed.
He trapped her in the act of having the bounded book in her hands and
whispering to herself.

Adrian wasn't foolish. He would quickly and without her help — figure out what
that diary meant. He'd be furious, more than it.

His eyes snapped over the pages, evilly as he rose a dangerous brow at
something he read, '' Malfoy...'' Adrian whispered to himself.

His hand — without notice, wrapped around her throat, and he held her face
close to his. He looked as if he could explode out of rage and fury, his skin
burning red,

'' Tell me what this is, right now, or I'll fucking kill you.''

_____
 Fifty-seven

This chapter contains scenes of death, abuse, and violent actions. Please
read with caution.

_____

'' Where is she?''

_____

Amelie Avery.

'' You ungrateful fucking witch, how long have you had this for?''

He was flipping through the pages — seeing everything that Draco had been
writing her, and just as her lips parted to speak, Adrian slapped her with it.

Her cheek sored red, and the corner of her eyes shredded in tears.

'' I asked you a question,'' He stated again, chuckling darkly to himself as he read
what Draco had written, '' This is just—''

He burst out laughing at her, smirking devilishly as she felt the humiliation
waver within. He even tried to take the safety of that diary away from her.

'' Is this what you have been doing? Reading this?'' Adrian kept on pushing her,
continually threatening to hit her with it again, '' Is it those twin-diaries parents
buy for their kids?'' He mumbled while studying it, thoughtfully, '' Looks like it.''

'' You can't even respond, so what? He just writes you over and over?'' He
mocked, shaking his head at how desperate Draco seemed to be, '' God, I wish I
could see the look on his face when he wrote this.''

Amelie's jaws clenched, and she looked away from him. Her cheeks burnt by the
slap she just received, and her pulse stressed throughout her.
It stung in her chest by that image. How heartbroken Draco had to be to actually
admit to loving her. He'd lived with her for weeks and not said anything — but
now he did.

'' It's pathetic. That's what it is. Malfoy will never find you here,'' He growled
before he threw the diary across the room, making it hit the wall with a loud
slam, '' Don't you think I know that he was here once? That he came here looking
for you?''

Her eyes prickled in tears.

Amelie did know. She did, but she also did everything manageable to shut it out,
to not think about it.

'' But he couldn't see you, could he?'' He laughed at her again. He was
dangerously close to her, '' It's so fucking tragic, isn't it?''

Adrian's hand moved to her hair, and he dragged her by it to the end of her bed.
Towering her as his tongue rolled over his bottom lip, '' Answer me.''

Amelie's head shook, trying to save herself from the coarse hold he had of her, ''
He loves me,'' She breathed, '' It's not tragic. He loves me, and I love—''

Adrian's hold of her throat hardened intensely. Squeezing her skin so tight that
he took every chance of breathing away from her.

'' Love...'' He scoffed, '' What the hell is love anyway? A good story in a book
perhaps, but let me fill you in on a little secret, Amelie...'' Her fingers scraped at
his hands. Her whole body was overwhelmed by the dread, '' Love doesn't exist.''

'' Are you sure he didn't just say that because he wanted to fuck you?'' Adrian
slammed her spine down to the mattress, and he climbed on top of her, nailing
her into the sheets, '' He got what he wanted, Amelie. How do you even know
that he's actually looking for you?''

She swallowed as the weight of Adrian straddling her felt more than heavy upon
her fragile body.

'' He got you into bed, and he doesn't want you anymore. Why do you think I
started to treat you like the waste of space you are after we first slept together?''
His hands closed around her neck, squeezing tightly.

'' Why do you think I fucked Pansy? Because I loved you so much? Because you
were—''

'' You killed her,'' Amelie gasped as her body wrenched under his. She did
everything she could to try and snake her way out of his grip, '' You killed her.
You have no right to talk—''

Adrian slapped her again, causing her head to fall to the side, and the wind
within the cage of her chest heaved for a slight moment.

'' Yes, I killed her, and you know what, Amelie?'' He shouted, his hand gripped
her chin, making her look at him, '' I would do it again, and I would've killed you
too if it didn't bring me so much pleasure to see you hurt—''

Amelie's hands grasped at his. Her nails scratched his skin, but he didn't budge.

'' Stop it, Adrian—'' She panicked.

She couldn't breathe.

'' Or what?'' He seethed, his eyes drilled through hers, and the devilish mantle
coating his features flickered in pure evil. A monster without disguise, '' What
are you going to do?''

'' Please—'' Amelie's eyes slowly sealed, the strength she believed to have —
wasn't there anymore.

She was too weak, too frail to stand against him.

The tips of her fingers clawed at his face, his neck, his arms, but he was too
strong.

'' You know what?'' Adrian snapped, roughly letting go of her as he crawled back
over the mattress, and Amelie gulped at the air filling her lungs again, '' I think I
know what to do...''

His hands hurt upon her skin as he tugged her shirt up, revealing the large scar
coating her stomach.
The scar Draco wouldn't stop kissing.

The pain Draco took away.

Many years ago, Adrian had stabbed her with a knife when he believed her to be
pregnant, and he left her with it until Theodore found her in a pool of her own
blood on the bathroom floor.

Theodore healed her, and he tried to fade the mark Adrian's cruel actions left, but
he couldn't — so she had to live with it.

Amelie learned not to despise that scar because of Draco, and now — now
Adrian's fingers grasped upon her skin again.

She couldn't look at what he was doing. She couldn't bear herself to spare him as
much as a glare.

'' Let's recreate some old memories, shall we?'' He smirked, biting his lower lip
as his hand clenched around his wand, and the instant the tip of it scratched
against her scar — Amelie screamed.

She screamed so loudly out of the tops of her lungs. It hurt as he forced his wand
deeper. It felt worse than any type of torture had ever done before.

Her body yanked back and forth, trying to escape the unbearable pain, but she
couldn't. She clawed, she scratched, she tossed and turned, but he was too
powerful. She didn't stand a chance.

Amelie was once again trapped, and all she did was cry.

Adrian ripped the whole mark open again before he pushed himself off her. He
looked at her with solid disgust as he bent down, gripping the diary of the floor.
He seemed to be thinking for a brief moment.

'' You know what?'' He said, flipping the pages of it open, and with the blood
covering the edge of his wand — her blood, he wrote something in it.

Adrian wrote one single letter in it with Amelie's blood before he smiled, evilly,
'' Let's see how long it takes for Malfoy to figure it out.'' He stated, turning
around to slam her door shut on his way out.
Amelie fell apart. Her skin layered by a fusion of her own blood and sweat as
her body shook violently. It was hard to breathe because of the aching pain, and
the thought of Adrian doing something to Draco made her nauseous.

Her elbows scored against the covers as she propped herself up, peering down at
the reddened wound. Blood slipped out of it, constantly by the mere minute, and
she needed to stop it — not to bleed out.

Amelie grabbed a pillow, tugging the pillowcase off it before she pressed it as
hard as she could against the cut.

Tears kept on falling. Small hurtful groans left her throat as her head fell back to
the mattress. She was exhausted, and the pain shifted overwhelmingly as her
eyes rolled back.

Amelie just needed a minute. She just needed to breathe before she could think
about Adrian and what he did with her diary.

The second she sought to faint again — the very instant her body meant to give
her some sort of peace, she heard the screaming from downstairs.

Her body jolted, and everything turned dark around her.

_____

Draco Malfoy.

The wind scored around him as the darkness had clouded.

He stood tall in front of the Pucey residence with his wand more than ready in
his hand. He feared that this place would be crowded in Death Eaters, and the
blond wasn't wrong.

It was.

The Dark Lord had sent dozens of Death Eaters to Adrian and Amelie's
protection. Especially after the realization that Draco slaughtered every single
one he could get his hands on.

Malfoy killed them mercilessly.

It frightened Voldemort — that Draco was so careless and had no respect for his
own life. That he went against the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters with no
second thought. That he, for something so meaningless as love, would break
Voldemort's trust.

Malfoy's jaws gritted, and his shoulders tensed underneath the black suit jacket
— a flick of fear flashed in his mind, not for himself but for Amelie. He
understood that he was capable of fighting every man standing in his way.

He just wasn't sure he'd be able to do so once she stood beside him. Was he
ready to reveal that side of himself — the deepest of darkness resting within his
soul?

He didn't know if she'd be able to love him once she saw that, but he was willing
to risk it.

Malfoy would risk it all just for her to be safe.

Hell, he'd even lose her again. He'd give the time with her up, all for her to be
protected. He'd give his own heart for hers to beat.

He'd tear them all apart to keep her solid.

He knew that she was here now, and he wasn't going to waste another second.
His steps echoed severely over the yard as he marched his way over to the door,
and with a twitch of his wrist, feeding his wand with power — the door flung
open.

He looked inside, hesitatingly before he took a step back, raising his arms
against the building, '' Finite,''

Draco's magic set alight on the house for a second, and it sparked in azure colors
before it went deadly quiet again. He cleansed Adrian's house of spells. He took
away all the magic protecting it so that he could — if Amelie still rested behind
it, see her either way.

Draco stepped inside, immediately facing two masked men that drew their
wands against him — but he'd done this for months now, and he'd grown
stronger.
The tip of Malfoy's wand cut through one of the Death Eater's throat as he, in a
sudden move, tore it into the other one's chest after.

Draco didn't even need magic anymore. He could rob them of their lives with
simple movements.

He kept on walking, slowly through the hallways of Adrian's home, and for
every corner, Draco rounded — other Death Eater showed themselves.

Malfoy's arm closed around the neck of one, and he squeezed it tightly,
suffocating the man before he dropped him to the ground and moved along. He
had no time to stall.

He killed them, one by one, until he reached the stairs. Draco understood that
Adrian kept her in a room on the upper floor because all of the rooms on the
main floor were held empty.

His back pushed against a wall, trying to hide as he heard steps stumbling down
the wooden stairs and voices mumbling quietly, not to catch his attention.

'' He's here.''

'' Didn't you hear what Pucey said?''

'' Protect the girl at all costs. He's not allowed to take her out of here.''

'' I know, but he's—''

'' I don't care. If the Dark Lord finds out that we failed to protect her, he'll come
for us.''

'' So it's either die because of Malfoy or die of the Dark Lord?''

'' I suppose so.''

'' That's a hell of a way to go.''

Draco licked his bottom lip before his back rolled off the wall, and he showed
himself. Entirely on an exposed display for the three Death Eaters in front of
him.
'' Malfoy—'' One of them sought to warn, but the moment he did, Draco
chuckled.

'' Don't speak to me,'' Draco said sternly, toying with his wand in between his
fingers, '' I never gave you permission to speak my name.''

'' But your father did,'' Another masked man filled in, taking a stride closer to the
blond in the hall. Attempting to intimidate him, to scare Draco into obedience, ''
And if you don't play your cards right, Malfoy, your father—''

'' I'd be dammed if I ever cared about my pathetic excuse of a father ever again.''
Draco snarled back. His fingers gripped around his wand firmly. His face colder
than ice, '' Where is she?''

'' Who?'' One of them smirked, and Draco could feel the fuming rage as it
washed over him.

His blood rose to boil at the spoken terms.

'' I'll ask you again. One more time and I suggest that you answer me—'' Malfoy
endangered, his voice hoarse, serious, '' Or I will kill all three of you.''

The Death Eaters stared at each other, their necks snapping before all three of
them shrugged, '' Doesn't seem like a fair fight to me, you're alone, and we're—''

'' Where is she?'' Draco threatened for the last time, his vocals demanding. He
lost his patience, and time was at the limit for him.

'' We don't know—''

'' Wrong answer,'' Draco stated.

Malfoy's wand stretched in the air as he threw a spell suffocating the three. Their
bodies nearly stoned before he dragged his hand back and hastily shot forward
again — the Death Eater's figures exploded into pieces. The dust of it fell to the
infinite ground.

Draco stepped over it as if it was nothing, marching up the stairs. He spun

around.
He didn't know where to go, so his eyes sealed. He tried to listen — to hear if he
could catch her voice or her movements. He wanted to feel her, to somewhat
connect with her if possible.

He knew that time was a limited asset, and he couldn't spare much more of it.
His sight clocked wide as his head snapped to the end of that corridor.

His heart pounded roughly within the cage of his chest as he halted, right outside
a door he heard soft sobs coming from. Not the usual cries he caught back at
home — this winded to be something he'd failed to hear for months.

She was crying in her sleep. Draco could gather that from miles away. He knew
exactly what she sounded like when she did.

Malfoy swallowed thickly as his hand closed around the doorknob, and he,
without falter, shoved it wide open.

He had been looking for her for over three months. This wasn't real to him. His
skin burnt in the longing of hers as the ache in his veins flushed throughout him.

Draco had almost given up. He even thought about ending his own life in the
missing of hers, but he didn't. He kept on searching, looking, hunting for her.

Malfoy had been losing himself only to find her, and here he stood — in a
doorway, in a haunted house. It was surreal. Not happening. His eyes flickered,
and his pulse slowed.

The beat of his heart he'd been missing for months struck him forcefully again.

Draco's breaths hitched, and his face softened. His features never soothed, but
they did for her.

It was as if he'd seen a ghost, someone that he hadn't looked at for years and
tears shredded in the corner of his eyes because of it. It felt like a dream, as if he
was strolling on clouds, and he was simply waiting for a misstep so that he'd
wake up, only to realize that he lost her all over again.

He did that quite a lot, dreamed of her.

It was the only place he could see her fully. It was the one thing that made the
hours of sleeping worth it — he got to see her, feel her as she smiled at him in
his imagination.

But it wasn't a fantasy anymore. It wasn't a dream. This was real because he saw
her.

She was right there in front of him, lying on a worn bed.

His Amelie.

_____
 Fifty-eight

This chapter contains scenes of death and emotional trauma. Please read
with caution.

_____

'' I can't live without you.''

_____

Draco didn't know what to do.

He didn't know what to say or what to think. He simply stood frozen in front of
her, entirely still in the doorway, and he couldn't believe what he was looking at.

It was her.

It was his Amelie, after months and months of searching for her.

He found her.

Amelie's breaths held shallow, her eyes sealed. She looked to be in pain to him,
and the instant he strode closer — he noticed the blood-stained sheets and her
hand placed on her stomach.

Malfoy swallowed thickly as his eyes flickered all over her body, and his blood
fumed.

Her arms had marks of Adrian's fingers, her throat was bruised, and the skin
wasn't close to nude anymore — it held completely mauve. Her collarbones had
marks and cuts all over. She had a purplish circle around her eye.

He didn't even have to guess what the rest of her body would look like.

Draco's jaws clenched as his insides wrenched in pain. His heart dropped to the
pit of his stomach as he kneeled beside her.

He didn't know if he was allowed to touch her or not. Draco didn't want to scare
her, yet he needed to take her away. There was a fragile timeframe he moved
within, and if there was a chance of Adrian coming back — he wanted to avoid
him, for Amelie's sake.

Malfoy didn't want her to have to see that monster one more time. He just
wanted to take her away from it. That was one of the strangest holds Amelie
seemed to have of Draco. He didn't care for vengeance when she was around. He
only cared for her.

'' Amelie,'' Draco let out in a whisper, hesitant to if he could touch her, '' Amelie,
are you awake?''

She stayed quiet, and his heart shattered altogether.

It hurt him beyond explanation to see her in this state, to even begin to imagine
what Adrian had put her through. It caused his eyes to flicker off hers, and tears
prickled.

'' Sweetheart.''

He hadn't called her that for what felt like ages. Not that he didn't want to, but
because it didn't measure up to her. No name except Amelie could ever compare
to her.

Still no response from the heavily asleep girl.

'' Amelie, please,'' Malfoy reached his hand towards her, gently tracing the tips
of his fingers across her cheek. It broke him to pieces yet made him complete.

He touched her again.

He finally had her right here again, yet so far away.

Her fingers gripped the sheets as she hastily shot up from her lying position. Her
entire body jolted, making Draco flinch back.

'' I'm sorry. I'm sorry.'' Amelie blurted, her eyes hooded as she looked down onto
her lap. She failed to realize who was standing next to the bed, '' I fell asleep, I'm
sorry. I didn't mean to—'' She kept on mumbling before her face shifted in
agony, and she clutched the wound on her belly.

'' I'm sorry—'' Her neck arched back. Her eyes flickered.

Amelie's heart stopped. Her lips parted, the lower one shivered.

'' No—'' Her head shook as she pushed herself away from Draco on the mattress,
'' No, no, no—''

Her sight snapped to the door before it landed on the blond again, '' You're not
here. You're not really here.''

'' Amelie,'' He said, lowly. He was scared to death.

Her head kept shaking, '' No, Draco—'' Amelie gasped, holding the cut tighter, ''
No, Draco. You can't be here.''

She propped herself up on her knees before grabbing the already blood-soaked
pillowcase, and she pushed it against her wound. Amelie then crawled over the
mattress, stumbling up to the door, and she shut it.

Her actions earned a confused look to coat Draco's features, '' Amelie, what are
you—''

'' You can't be here.'' She whispered, her spine struck the wood, '' You can't be
here, Draco. You need to go—''

'' Are you out of your mind?'' He hissed, taking steps closer to her again, '' I'm
not leaving you.''

'' You have too—'' A tear rolled down her cheek, '' He knows you're here, Draco.
He found the diary and he—''

'' You had the diary?'' Draco's heart dropped again.

She did. Amelie had the diary all along, that was one of the only things that kept
him sane the months they spent apart, and it turned out to be true. She had it.
'' Of course, I did,'' Amelie whispered, still holding feet away from him, '' But
Adrian found it Draco, and he wrote something and he—''

'' Shhhh...'' He mumbled, closing in on her slowly so that she wouldn't panic, ''
I'm here, Amelie.'' He kept his tone quiet, and he halted only inches away.

'' Draco—'' Amelie gasped, trying to find all the bravery she had left to stand
against him, not to let herself cave into the boy in front of her.

She couldn't, because if she did — she could never leave him again, but this was
too dangerous. He was put on the line for her, and she would never allow that.

Amelie loved Draco too much to let that happen. As much as he wanted to
protect her — she wanted to protect him too.

'' Are you really here?'' She was so overwhelmed because the last time he was
here, he didn't see her, she was hidden, and now she wasn't.

If felt like a strange dream to her, '' Are you—'' She swallowed a sob, '' Are you
really here?''

'' I am,'' Draco held her tightly, '' I am here, Amelie. I am here, and I will never
leave you again.''

Her heart skipped a beat.

'' I missed you,'' Her head tipped, making her now longer strands of hair fall over
her face, '' I missed you so much,'' Amelie's voice shredded.

Draco traced his finger carefully as he placed it underneath her chin, and he
tilted it back up, meeting the eyes he'd missed so badly.

'' And I missed you,'' He mumbled. His hand moved over her skin before resting
on her jaw, and he gazed all over her.

She looked numb. Still, her eyes glinted in the long-lost hope she sought so hard
to find, but it was right there — with him, always.

'' I'm sorry—'' Amelie choked out on the utter edge of tears, '' I'm so so sorry—''
She couldn't finish her sentence before Draco wrapped his arms around her, and
he dragged her into his chest. Right where she was supposed to be all along.

Her fingers grasped at his suit jacket, and she buried her head in his chest.

For months, this was the first time she felt as if she could breathe properly again.

He came for her, even if it was dangerous and both of their lives held at risk —
he came for her.

Draco held her as tight as he dared to. He didn't want to hurt her more than she
already had been hurt, but he could at the same time — not help it. He craved to
have her near and never to let her go again.

There wasn't a world that could be spoken at this time. Them simply holding
each other said more than enough.

'' I missed you, and I'm sorry.'' She whispered again. Malfoy settled his chin on
the top of her head, '' I'm so sorry.''

At the same time, he couldn't take it. He couldn't be alright with her blaming
herself. This was far from her fault.

Draco leaned back, slightly, cupping the palms of his hands around her jaws, and
he bent her head back to look at her. His Amelie. His beautiful Amelie.

'' It's not your fault.'' He stated, his thumbs stroked her bruised skin, '' You don't
have to apologize for anything. This is my fault. All of this is on me. I shouldn't
have left you.''

Amelie blinked quickly, her cheeks drenched in tears.

'' I'm not going anywhere without you, and I'm never leaving you again.'' Malfoy
sounded honest, truthful as he kept his eyes on her, '' You are mine, Amelie.
Mine and only mine.''

She nodded slowly. Even if everything hurt at this time, she couldn't help but
feel a curve in the corner of her mouth.

'' And you are mine,'' It wasn't a question or a vague thing for her to say. It was a
statement. She meant it in the most honest way possible.

She did belong to someone else than herself now. Amelie was Draco's, and he
was hers.

'' My Amelie,'' Draco leaned closer, his nose brushed against hers, '' I'm never
letting you go again.''

Amelie let out a sob at the feeling of his breaths fanning her skin again, and
without even a second thought — his lips pushed against hers.

Malfoy kissed her.

He finally got to kiss her again.

Amelie's fingers tangled into the blond strands as she forced herself up on her
toes. Draco's arms wrapped around her, fully.

'' I love you,'' He mumbled into her lips, '' I love you. I love you. I love you.''
Malfoy couldn't stop saying those words to her as he kissed her, over and over.

He needed both of them to hear it, to understand what it meant.

'' I love you more,'' Amelie's tears kept streaming as she pulled away from him, ''
I love you so much more.''

Draco felt complete by that. He had never felt as whole as he did with her, even
in a time like this one.

'' But Draco—'' Her feet flat against the floor and the pain from the cut in her
stomach sored, '' You can't be here. I love you, but you need to—''

'' I'm not leaving you.'' Draco's jaws gritted as he hauled his wand out, '' I'm
never leaving you, Amelie. I can't live without you.''

'' Draco, please. He has locked down the house for weeks. We can't apparate
ourselves from here. We need to go outside, and it's too dangerous. If he catches
us—''

" I cleared it of magic." He stated, " I cleared the whole house of magic the
minute I got here, let me try—" Draco raised his wand, mumbling the spell that
was meant to take them away. To save them both, but without success.

" How is that—"

" Just go Draco. Please just leave. He can't kill me, so just go and save yourself
—" It hurt so much to speak for her.

'' I haven't—'' He sighed, tearing his eyes away from hers. It ached too much, '' I
haven't been alive, Amelie. I couldn't breathe not knowing where you were and
to know that you were right here, so close—''

Malfoy inhaled shakingly. His eyes agonized, '' I have never hurt so much as I
did without you, so no. I don't care. You're coming with me.''

Amelie's eyes caught him again, '' He'll kill you, Draco. He won't hesitate. You
don't know what he did—''

Her head wavered. Amelie didn't want to tell him what she had to live through
the time they spent away from each other. She couldn't do that to Draco.

'' I don't care. I'm already dead without you.'' He finished, and his hand dove
back into his pocket before he brought out the knife.

The same knife Adrian used to cease Pansy and Aimee of their lives.

Amelie recognized it immediately, and she took half of a step back because of it.

'' Is that—'' She whispered, her eyes flickered. Her skin paled.

'' Yes, and I need you to hold onto that if something happens.''

Amelie didn't fully understand what he meant, but she doubtfully let her fingers
close around the handle, and she hid it inside the pillowcase.

Draco peered down at her body, seeing the cut as it still leaked blood. It pained
him to see her hurt.

'' Here—'' He breathed, bending down to carry her, but she instantly dragged
away, '' What are you...''
'' I can walk, and you're gonna need both of your hands when Adrian—'' She
swallowed the last word, and her eyes pleaded his.

Malfoy nodded as his arm wrapped around her shoulders, ready to walk out of
the room, but the instant they did — he stopped, and he looked down on her
again.

No one had ever looked at her the way Draco did. Her heart could beat rightly
again.

'' God—'' His lips collided with her forehead, '' I didn't think it was possible to
miss someone this much.''

Her nose brushed against his chest, smiling lightly before his grip on her tensed.
He carefully led her out of the room.

Draco held onto her, glaring around every corner before he even dared to lead
her around it. He couldn't afford to take one wrong step — to have a clouded
judgment because it would hurt her.

'' Draco—'' Amelie whispered, earning his attention in a heartbeat as she nodded
shyly towards the end of the stairs. Two Death Eaters stood on the main floor,
peering around.

Malfoy pushed a finger up to his lips, singling for her to stay hushed and still. He
let go of her for just a second to take a few strides ahead, his wand pointed
towards them as he shouted, '' Avada Kedavra!''

The green light made Amelie stumble back, right into someone's chest.

Draco was out of sight to her as she flung around, facing the masked man.

'' You—'' The man hissed, grabbing a fist full of her hair, and she whimpered. He
turned them around before he forced her back, aiming his own wand right at her,
'' Where is Malfoy—''

Amelie's eyes grew wide. She gasped as she watched Draco score his wand right
through the Death Eater's back from behind, causing the man to gasp for air.

'' I'm right here,'' Draco growled, carving the Death Eater open before he pulled
away, '' And that's for touching her." He spat, brushing his hand against his suit
jacket to wipe it clean of blood as the man fell lifeless to the floor.

Amelie's skin shivered at that, but Draco simply reached his hand out for her to
take, and he tugged her with him again, '' I'm sorry,'' He mumbled as they started
to walk down the stairs, '' You weren't supposed to see that.''

'' You killed—''

'' I know,'' His teeth clasped together, '' But he touched you.''

Amelie gulped. Her face twisted in a grimace out of the torture her scar caused
her. She held onto the blond with her life as they continued to walk through the
Pucey residence, and just as they passed the dining room,

Chills fled her spine, and without even warning Draco — she turned around.

Her eyes caught his in a heartbeat as he stood at the end of it, smirking devilishly
at her, with the diary tightly held in his hand.

'' No—'' Amelie whispered, slightly arching forward by the pain she felt. Draco
stopped the second he felt her arms slipping of his, and he spun around too.

'' Well, well, well,'' Adrian grinned, clapping his hands, '' What do we have
here?''

_____
 Fifty-nine

This chapter contains violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

'' You took everything from me.''

_____

Draco's face twisted in pure anger as he watched Adrian stand unbothered with
the diary in his hands. Amelie gripped the blond's arm tighter, holding onto him
for dear life.

She didn't dare to let go. She didn't want to — Amelie needed to feel him, to
have him close, and somewhere in all the madness that kept on coming, so did
Draco.

'' So you knew I was coming after all?'' Draco seethed, his wand firmly gripped
in his hand. The grey eyes darted through Adrian, and his blood nearly fumed at
the look of the vile boy.

All Draco could think about was Amelie and all of the marks he, for months, left
on her body. How thin and fragile she portrayed out of his violence.

He wanted vengeance. He craved to hurt and to wound Adrian, similar to how he

always tortured her, but he couldn't because she was right here. All his thoughts
faded into saving her.

Amelie was always safe with him.

'' Of course, I did. Don't tell me that you take me for a fool, Malfoy?'' Adrian
hissed back, striding closer over the polished floor, '' Let me tell you that I'm
everything but a fool. Haven't noticed that yet, have you?''

They were standing in the dining hall, where his mother used to throw all her
gatherings, but that was long gone. Now, Adrian's childhood home sored in
death and broken promises. He had even slaughtered her, his own mother, within
the walls of the house she built.

Adrian was merciless, and that was just another reason to fear him.

'' I haven't,'' Malfoy shot back, his arm bent out in the air to shove Amelie to
stand behind him. He couldn't have her standing in harm's way. She was far too
exposed to the devil in front of them.

But she didn't budge. Amelie stood solidly next to Draco.

She couldn't be scared anymore — she needed to use all the strength left in her
to get out of the circle of death she was trapped in.

It was simply that to her. Either she lived a life in magical chains, bounded to a
boy who'd never stop hurting her, or die to escape his insanity.

'' And you, darling?'' Adrian smirked. His eyes bored through her, viciously, ''
Do you take me for a fool?''

The way he was looking at her made Draco furious within. He couldn't stand
Adrian even placing an eye on her.

'' Don't you dare speak to her,'' Draco hissed recklessly, '' You don't get to speak
to her anymore.''

'' I don't—'' Amelie breathed out, slightly putting more pressure upon the
pillowcase that covered her wound and a painful grimace coated her face
because of it, '' I don't, but you need to stop this, Adrian.''

His eyes narrowed before his sight traveled down her figure, landing precisely
where he'd carved her skin apart.

'' I said don't fucking look at her—''

'' And why is that?'' Adrian gritted, ignoring the blond to his best capacity, '' Why
do I have to stop? What about him?'' He hauled his wand out from his pocket,
aiming it straight towards Draco, '' My life was all planned put for me before this
prick came along.''
'' It's not—'' Amelie bent forward in torture, blood kept on slipping out of the cut,
'' It's not his fault!'' Her tone split in desperation, '' It's your fault, Adrian. It has
always been your fault.''

'' Has it now?'' He rolled his eyes away from them, too disgusted to see Draco's
hand as he placed it on Amelie's back. Malfoy tried to comfort her, to ease that
stinging pain of the open tear in her stomach.

'' Let her go, Pucey, and we can discuss this in a proper way,'' Malfoy snapped
his neck to Adrian, pure hatred radiated off the blond, '' She doesn't need to get
more hurt.''

'' I don't care if she gets hurt, Malfoy,'' Adrian spoke, honestly. His hoarse voice
shredded throughout the room, '' I never did. For all I know, I'm the one who
brought her most of her pain.''

Amelie's insides twisted. She knew it to be true.

It was always him, even years ago when he claimed to love her — he would hurt
her even more.

'' You fucking—'' Draco raised his voice, trembling in anger, but Amelie's hand
found his, and she tangled their fingers together.

Now it was her, easing his pain.

'' Don't,'' Her smile was fragile as she peered up at him, '' I know. It's okay. He
can't hurt me anymore—''

'' Crucio!'' Adrian shouted, but the instant the green light meant to tear Amelie
apart from the inside — Draco was quick to pull her to the side, making the
magic crash against a wall behind them.

'' Adrian—'' Amelie gasped out, her eyes wide and her skin drained of color, ''
Are you done now?'' Her temper failed her, and she looked startled, '' Do you
want to hurt me even more? Is that it? Get it over with then. Hurt me, Adrian.
Hurt me more, because my body can't take it and if I go down—''

'' I go down with you,'' He finished for her. Staring wickedly as he chuckled
darkly, '' Perhaps that's a good idea, isn't it? We started out together, and maybe
we should die together as well.''

'' Shut that filthy mouth of yours, right now,'' Draco warned him. He couldn't
take Adrian mocking her anymore, '' What do you want, Pucey? What can you
possibly want that you haven't taken from her already?''

Amelie stood breathless next to him again, attempting to stretch her spine. To
focus on the fact that Draco is standing next to her and that he came for her. That
he once again saved her, but it all turned too overwhelming.

Something clicked in her head. As if she came to the realization of what she
could do.

'' You don't want anything else, do you?'' Amelie's eyes met Adrian's, '' You just
want control. You want it all to be as it always has been, don't you? You want to
live your life, and then come home to strangle me—''

Her throat burnt as she took a step forward. Her legs shook out of exhaustion.

'' You want to punch me, to hit me so hard that I pass out, and then you want to
force yourself on me, don't you?''

Her eyes narrowed in his as his face voided emotion.

'' You want to lock me up in a room, just like you have for months now, and you
want to keep me there. You want to be able to hurt me without anyone hearing
or seeing it. That's what makes it all better, isn't it? To do it all in secret, to seem
like a powerful person only to be the weakest one behind closed doors?''

Adrian swallowed thickly as she took another step closer. She was pushing him
— she knew that, but she had to.

'' Amelie—'' Draco growled behind her, worry slipped his hoarse tone, but she
merely ignored his call for her.

'' You want to be in control, Adrian. You always have.'' Her fingers clenched
around the pillowcase, pushing it tighter to her belly, '' This was never about me.
This was about you and your need to be on top of everyone and everything. This
has always been about you. I just failed to notice.''
Adrian's teeth gritted dangerously. Never once did he drag his eyes off her. His
jaws sharp, his head held high.

She halted, right in front of him — inches apart as her eyes battled the tears.

Even if she despised him and everything he'd ever put her through, she couldn't
help but seek that boy she fell in love with. That version of Adrian that once,
years ago — loved her back.

'' You always wanted this to be about me, that I was the one in the wrong, that I
pushed you away, that I was the one to upset you so much that you had no other
choice than to hurt me, and I believed you, Adrian.''

'' Amelie—'' Draco seethed again, more violent this time. He loathed the sight of
her being that close to Pucey. He couldn't even bet the chance of her getting
more hurt, '' If you don't step away from him, right now, I'll march over there
and I'll—''

'' I always believed it was my fault,'' She whispered, the tips of her fingers
unexpectedly stroked over his forehead, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes,
'' I trusted you so much, and I loved you, Adrian. I would've given my life for
yours, and you blamed me for it.''

The corner of her mouth arched, and she smiled bravingly, '' You called it
weakness, that I loved you so much that I could've died for you.''

Adrian swallowed, and just for a slight second, by that truthful look in her eyes
— that glimmer of honesty — he let his guard down, ''I would've done anything
for you.'' She said lowly.

Her words circled his head, and just as his shoulders eased and his lips parted to
say something back to her, to actually address what she was saying. Not to
apologize, he'd never, but to say something. To, in his own ways, take a tiny bit
responsibility for what he'd done.

Amelie watched as his eyes brightened from the clouding darkness that always
seized them, and she took the opportunity to do what she meant to do all along.

The pillowcase dropped to the ground, and her fingers clenched around the
handle of the blade Draco had brought her — without even a second thought, she
mightily pushed it into his stomach.

'' But I don't anymore,'' She whimpered, feeling his muscles tense around the
sharp blade, '' You took everything from me.''

A loud screech fled Adrian's throat by her unlawful deeds, and she pulled it out
forcefully as she stumbled back.

It took the last of her. Every piece of power she had gathered drained out of what
she'd done.

She hurt him, just enough for her and Draco to make it out of there, but she
didn't hurt him enough to kill him. Amelie knew better than that because if she
did — she would die too.

'' You fucking—'' Adrian tripped back, his chest rose and fell heavily, so did
hers, '' You ungrateful witch.'' He spat, clutching his hands over his stomach.
Blood slipped in between his fingers.

'' Amelie!'' Draco yelled, rushing up to her trembling self before his arms folded
around her body. He lifted her, quickly and her hands grasped at his neck as he
sought to take her away from this now.

Malfoy walked quickly towards the dining room entrance, with her tightly
hugged to his chest. His eyes caught hers, and his head shook, '' You're fucking
crazy. You know that, right?'' He mumbled, pushing his lips against the side of
her head.

'' You make me crazy,'' She bitterly smiled back, her eyes snapped over his
shoulder, only to see Adrian, struggling to stand tall on his feet again, '' Draco,
move—''

Amelie pushed herself off his chest, making them fall apart as a spell struck the
hallway wall right outside the dining room.

Draco was quick upon his feet again, and his wand leveled Adrian's, '' Crucio!''
Malfoy cursed, but Adrian simply protected himself, '' Sectumsempra,'' Draco
kept on delivering torturous spells.

If anything, Malfoy knew how to fight.

'' Incendio—''

Amelie crawled up from the floor. Her wound hurt terribly by the fall she just
took, but she wasn't the one to lay helpless or to cave when Draco needed her.

Still, she couldn't help but understand that all of this could end terribly wrong.
That her, or even worse — Draco could get hurt.

Amelie didn't want him to leave without her, but to her, it seemed like the proper
way to go. He found her once, and hopefully — he would do so again.

She couldn't risk it.

She couldn't risk her Draco.

''Draco—'' She whimpered, her eyes swollen red out of the prickling tears,
''Please, just go, Draco. Leave, and we'll find each other again, I promise—''

''I'm not—'' His wand slammed over his head, making sure that Adrian's spells
wouldn't touch him, or her,

''I'm not leaving you.''

Magic was thrown between the two boys to the left and right, glass shattered,
walls exploded, the curtains next to the massive windows burnt up in flames.
Shades of bright light scored evilly through the dimmed room.

Both Adrian and Draco were completely out of breath as they kept on trying to
hurt each other.

Draco made sure that every spell that was directed against Amelie — he caught
and aimed it right back at Adrian.

He would never let Adrian touch another hair on her head. Malfoy would rather
die than her getting another bruise.

''Enough, Malfoy!'' Adrian growled out. His forehead shunned in sweat and his
clothes stained by the bleeding cut in his stomach, '' She belongs to me. Her life
belongs to me. She's bounded—''
''The hell she does,'' Draco fired another dangerous spell against him before his
eyes flickered to see that Amelie was standing behind him, '' Amelie,'' Malfoy
whispered, '' Leave, just go outside and hide, and I'll find—''

''Draco—'' She trembled, her voice shaky, '' You need to go. He won't stop, he
will never stop, and he will continue to hunt me down—''

''I'm not leaving you,'' Draco said, harshly and she stepped up to him, her eyes
hooded, her mind haunted by the images of how all of this could turn out, ''I
would—''

''Stupefy!'' Draco's magic struck Adrian like lightning from a clear sky as the boy
flew weakly into a wall across the room.

Malfoy was quick to turn to Amelie. His hands rested on her jaws as he kissed
her. He kissed her softly in the heat of the moment. It was as if he needed to
push his lips against hers.

To feel her innocence, to gather all the purity she possessed. Like Amelie was
his source of strength. He kissed her one more time before leaning his forehead
against hers.

His eyes matched hers, and he looked at her gently. His cold features softened at
the gaze of her. She always had that effect on him, ''I would rather die than to
live without you again.''

'' I know, Draco.'' Amelie's fingers grasped at the collar of his suit jacket,
standing on her toes to be closer to him, '' I know, and I love you for that, but I
need to you promise me something.''

'' What?'' His eyes glistened, and it was as if they didn't pay Adrian any attention
anymore, ''Anything. I will promise you—''

'' That if it ever comes to that, to choosing between yourself and me—'' She
paused. Hesitant to if she could say what she wanted to, '' If it ever comes to that.
I need you to promise me that you'll kill me.''

Draco's jaws clenched, but his eyes stayed on her. He didn't want to miss a
second of looking at her, even if she was speaking the way she was, ''If I die,
Adrian dies too, and that's the only way to end this, so I need you to promise me
—''

Draco's fingers traveled to her neck, bending it back slightly as he enjoyed how
her heated breaths tasted sweet on his lips.

He had missed her so much.

Amelie's arms dropped to his shoulders as he held her face steadily, '' I love you,
Amelie, but nothing is going to happen to—''

'' Sectumsempra!''

Adrian was aiming for Amelie.

His wand was edging towards her from across the room, but the instant Draco
mastered the words fleeing Adrian's throat, he pushed her back.

'' No!''

_____
 Sixty

This chapter contains mentions of death, emotional trauma, and disturbing

scenes. Please read with caution.

Put your sad playlists on <3

_____

'' Please forgive me for this.''

_____

The light of torture ripped through Draco like the blades of a thousand knives
and his body at once dropped to the cold ground.

Without notice, his black suit was stained in blood, and it pooled around him.

He whimpered by the sense as his eyes squeezed shut by the pain.

'' Why would you—'' Amelie cried out, falling to her knees beside him, '' Draco,
no, no, no—''

Her hands grasped at his shoulders to drag him onto her lap, '' Draco, look at
me.'' Her voice crackled in pain, '' Look at me, Draco.''

He couldn't. He had no possibility to even open his mouth out of the mortifying
pain scoring through him.

He didn't even cry.

'' Draco—'' Amelie sobbed, '' Draco, please look at me,''

Her own clothes started to shade in the same red color as Draco's blood did. It
drenched them both as he was bleeding, colossally.
'' Draco, please, look at me,'' Amelie was begging him, her fingers gripped
around his cheeks as she bent his head back, but it only hung out of
unconsciousness,

'' Please, please, please,''

'' That's what happens,'' Adrian growled, still standing on the other side of the
room. Her eyes flickered to him, watching as he had both his own and Draco's
wands in his hands.

All so that Amelie couldn't save him.

'' That's what happens when you disobey me, Amelie.''

She knew the spells. Teddy had taught her the spells to save Draco from the
cursing magic, but she didn't have a wand.

" Please let me save him. I'll do anything." She whimpered, her eyes pleaded
Adrian's, " You can erase my memory and his. I don't care anymore, just let me
—"

She was cut off by her own crying, still holding onto Draco with all she had left,
" I'll marry you. I'll live with you, and I'll do whatever you want. Just let me save
him."

Adrian scoffed, annoyed by her lack of understanding, " It's too late," He hissed
at her angrily, " You made your choice when you stabbed me, Amelie."

" Please, Adrian.''

Her eyes drained of all her emotion. She was desperate, and she would truly give
her own life to save Draco's. She would give up her freedom, her memories,
anything she possibly could sacrifice — she would.

" I'll do anything, just—" Her breaths hitched, " Please let me save him."

Adrian slammed a fist into the wall, making her flinch by the sudden act, " Shut
up! Just shut the hell up! I'm not falling for this again."

Amelie couldn't see clearly. Her vision blurred by the drowning tears, '' Why
would you do this?'' She whispered, finding no strength to yell at him, not when
the person her heart was beating for was dying in her arms.

'' Why would you do this to him? He just wanted to protect me—'' Her note split
in a sob, and her forehead dropped to lean against Draco's, '' That's all he ever
did. He just wanted to keep me safe.''

'' You said that I took everything from you, but I failed to do so.'' Adrian said
again, half chuckling at his own words, '' Now I have.''

He turned away from them, whispering spells underneath his breath to put out
the fire that was still fuming up the curtains.

'' Draco—'' Amelie whispered, her tears rolled over to his skin, '' Draco, please
say something.''

Her heart broke. She couldn't breathe at the feeling of his breaths slowing down.
The blood kept pooling around them, and time stilled.

The room darkened as Adrian managed to stop the fire, and the moonlight
scoring through the windows was the only source of light, but that was enough
for her. She could see Draco.

Amelie always saw him, even when Draco believed that no one did, that no one
paid attention to him — she did. She saw him perfectly.

His eyelids flickered, and for the first time in minutes, his lips parted, but
nothing more than an airy breath could escape them.

Draco was dying, right in her arms, and she couldn't do a thing.

'' I love you—'' Amelie whispered, '' I love you, I love you, I love—''

Another sob hewed her off.

'' Please don't leave me,'' She whimpered, inaudibly, only for them to hear, ''
Please don't leave me, Draco... I can't live without you either.''

He heard her, and he fought with everything to say something back, to answer
her that he loved her too, more than anything.
Malfoy realized that he was dying. That his time had come.

He wasn't a worthy human being. He had hurt people, taken lives, tortured
innocent souls, but Amelie — his Amelie lived to be his redemption.

She made him human again, someone dignitary of her love. Her love for him and
his love for her overcame everything.

Perhaps there actually was something called soulmates, maybe there wasn't, but
if there ever would be, Draco and Amelie was the greatest example.

Something so pure as their love grew out of something so violent.

He loved her, and he would die for her. Malfoy saved her, and he knew that this
was the only thing that kept him peaceful as he slowly shifted towards the light.
There wasn't a way that was better to go — than for her.

He always told her that she was safe with him. That he would always save her
and now — now he did.

'' Draco,'' Amelie's head fell to his blood-covered chest, '' I'm so sorry. I'm so so
sorry.''

It was so hard to breathe. She couldn't breathe.

It felt as if someone had forced a hand through her chest and ripped her heart
right out. Nothing had ever felt more pointless and hurtful as this.

'' I can't—'' Amelie cried out, '' I don't want to live without you,'' Her hands
grasped at his shirt as she pulled herself closer, so near that she could sense how
his body eased and his skin turned colder.

It struck her mind that he was fading from her. He was vanishing in her arms as
she tried with all she had to hold him back from death.

Draco was a foul, mean boy who played his way into her life. He was a killer, a
merciless slaughter, and he scared her to death. Amelie despised him the first
weeks of knowing him. He kidnapped her, he tricked her, he locked her up, and
he hurt her, but somewhere,
Somewhere along the line of fighting him, of shutting him out, of doing
absolutely everything possible to stand against him — he turned human.

And she fell. Amelie fell so deeply in love with his worn mind and his haunted
thoughts. He was just like her — broken, shattered to pieces of what other souls
put him through.

It was as if she was made for him, and he was made for her.

No one had understood her so perfectly without her ever having to explain.

He taught her not to be afraid, not to fear another person's touch as she did for so
many years before she met him. He made her love him and herself in the
process.

Draco never pushed her. He never forced her. He always respected her. He had
never been gentle in his life, but he was with her. He gave her everything, and so
did she.

Malfoy's chest heaved slower and slower by the second, and she cried — she
sobbed — she trembled next to him.

Once again, she didn't get to say goodbye.

She didn't get to say goodbye.

Her cries echoed throughout the house.

She never got to say goodbye to anyone. She was constantly torn from everyone
she ever cared about. It was always her.

Amelie's head rose slightly as she pushed her lips against his damp skin, '' I love
you,'' Her fingers tugged at his shirt, trying to hold pressure upon his wounds,
but there were too many.

She couldn't save him.

She couldn't do anything except one thing.

The only thing that clocked her breaking self was the thing that she'd worked too
hard to avoid. What Draco, Teddy, Hermione, Pansy, even Narcissa had fought
to stand against.

Amelie watched as Draco's breaths ceased and his skin turned ashen. Her blood
iced.

She knew what she had to do.

She kissed Draco. She pushed her lips against his numb ones before her eyes
flickered to Adrian, still standing with his back facing her.

Amelie looked down at the blond again, the tips of her fingers brushed through
his hair.

God, how she loved his hair, even before he let her cut it.

" We'll be together again, Draco." She whimpered, "I will find you, and we will
be together again."

Her hand gripped his numb one, and she held it up to her fragile chest, '' Can you
feel that, Draco? Your heart beats with mine,'' She held it against her heart for
moments, hoping that it would cause something, but it didn't, '' Your heart will
always beat with mine.''

Tears rolled down her cheeks, " You're mine, and I am yours. Always."

Her chest stung. Her veins ached.

A slight curve on her lips as she, for the last time, let her lips press against his
forehead, " I'll find you, and you'll find me, in the rain or something like that."

Her mouth tasted more than bone dry.

" And my favorite book..." She whispered against his bitter skin, " It's Romeo
and Juliet."

She swallowed yet another sob. She needed to be strong for this.

" I always said it was Teddy's, but it was mine too. I bought him that book all
those years ago so that he could love it as much as I did." His body slackened
from her hold, "And I never got to tell you."

Her fingers curled into fists.

" I love you."

Her breaths shifted heavier. It wasn't in real reality to her. This couldn't be
happening.

She would never get to hear his raspy morning voice again. She would never get
to intertwine her fingers with his again or smile as he kissed her. He would never
praise her body, or embrace her scars again, never hear him say really only to
say it back and know the true meaning behind it.

It would never be them again.

" I know what to do now, and I'm sorry."

Her lower lip quivered.

" Please forgive me for this.'' Amelie's voice held low, simply for him to hear as
she did everything she could to shut all the pain out, '' Promise me that you'll
forgive me for this.''

Amelie reached over Draco's body as she gripped the knife resting next to him,
and she rose from the floor, leaving the blond unconscious on it.

Her eyes sealed, taking in the deepest of breaths she could manage. Amelie
didn't know if Draco was alive or dead, but it didn't matter to her.

She was certain of what she had to do.

It was as if a realization hit her, and she needed all of this to stop. For years she
had been battling this — fighting every single day just to see another, but she
couldn't anymore.

Her face fell into a comforting look. She understood how strong she was for
doing this, how much it took for a person to realize that this had to be it. That
she wasn't what her father wanted her to be.
Amelie didn't live to be selfish, mean, greedy. Amelie lived to be remarkable,
loving, and someone that would be known for having the biggest heart. It was
filled with all the people she cherished and despised.

It wasn't the world using her for her soft heart anymore. It was her being aware
of what to do with it. Amelie wasn't born to protect herself and to let others
suffer on her expanse. She grew to protect the world and everyone living close to
her.

This wasn't the end for her. The memory of how Theo had helped her, how
Draco saved her and how she, in the aftermath of it all — truly loved herself.

As Draco once thought, he knew that she was fragile. That she could easily
break at the tips of his fingers, but he also knew that the world rested on the tips
of hers.

She could take on anything if she wanted to, and he needed to show her that.

And he did. Draco showed her the world, while being hers.

'' Everything comes to an end,'' She shyly smiled to herself as she thought of
everything she had in her life to be grateful for.

It wasn't only pain and torture. She had lived a haunted, cursed life indeed, but it
was also filled with love and happiness. Memories to be pleased for,
recollections of dying for.

Amelie was happy in her misery.

She had her best friend. Her Teddy that she could rely on everything and when
Draco wasn't the one to save her — Theodore did.

It made her sick, knowing what she was about to do and how her best friend
would suffer because of it, but she also understood that Theo wasn't foolish. He
was smart, sometimes more clever than she'll ever be, and that heart of his.

That beautiful, kind heart he owned and that brilliant mind he carried — he
would get through this. Amelie knew he would. There wasn't a thing he couldn't
do.
Her Teddy.

Amelie's eyes peeled open, watching as Adrian's back still faced her, and she
thought about her mother.

She never got to meet her mother again. They knew she was alive, and the Dark
Lord knew where to find her now, but that was out of her hands. Amelie, even if
that was all she wanted to do — couldn't save everyone.

Her jaws clenched as she slowly, unnoticeably traced the knife up to her chest,
and she swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth.

'' Adrian,'' She called out for him, whispering almost, ''You went too far this
time,''

He still had his spine against her. He didn't want to see her.

'' You killed Pansy, Aimee, your mother and—'' It hurt tremendously to speak
the names of the people she'd lost, '' And Draco.''

Adrian sighed loudly, '' And happily so, perhaps people will understand not to
cross me again.''

'' Pansy never crossed you. She was innocent, so was Aimee,'' Amelie breathed, ''
She was carrying your child, and you still—''

Her eyes tried to resist the tears. She didn't want to give him any more of her
tears.

What a life she could have had with Aimee in it. How much she'd care for that
little girl.

'' And you still managed to kill her.''

Adrian's head shook, his hands placed onto the wall in front of him, '' I did, and I
would do it again.''

'' Your own mother, Adrian.'' She was slowly coming to realize just how wicked
he was, '' You killed her right in front of me.''
'' I kill everyone in front of you.'' His vocals strained, trying not to let one single
emotion out, '' And I will keep doing it, until the day you understand that you
can never escape me.''

'' I know I can't.'' She did understand it.

Amelie's tears failed her as they rolled down her cheeks, but she didn't bother, ''I
know that I can never escape you, Adrian, believe me. I have tried.''

''And failed.'' He pitched in, chuckling to himself, ''I will always own you.''

'' I know.''

This was it for her. It was time.

Her time had come, just like her mother told her as a child.

Athena told Amelie one stormy night while braiding her hair that she'd know
when it was her time to give in. When her time was up and when it was time to
let everything go.

Time.

That was something she and Draco never got to experience together. All of the
valuable things they shared, were everything but time.

It hurt her more than anything ever could. Knowing that she and Draco could've
been so much more together, that they maybe could've had kids of their own, a
life that wasn't doomed and chained.

They deserved more, so much more.

Her eyes closed again, her fingers gripped the handle of the knife, and the edge
stung against the cage of her chest. Blood slipped from where it entered.

Amelie inhaled sharply, '' You took everything from me and from so many
others. I can't let you do it anymore.'' She always prepared for pain, but she
couldn't do that now.

This had to hurt.

'' What are you—'' Adrian grumbled, turning around to finally face her and as he
did, '' Amelie, put that—''

'' I'm sorry that I wasn't enough for you.'' She smiled with more courage than
she'd ever felt before, still with her eyes closed, '' But that only made me realize
that I was more than enough to so many others.''

The edge of the blade started to cut through her skin, but she didn't mind.

It was all over now.

She was going to be with Draco again.

And even if this, to many people, would seem like she was defeated — she
actually won.

She got her life back. She was finally loved.

She loved herself.

She slaughtered every demon in her life, overcome every nightmare, battled
every feeling.

This was her story, and no one could take it away from her anymore.

Amelie won.

''Amelie, don't you fucking—'' His wand aimed towards her, ready to fire a spell
to knock her out.

'' Goodbye, Adrian,'' Amelie whispered before she, with everything she had left,
pushed the knife deeply into her own chest.

Her eyes flickered open as she gasped, loudly and even if she knew she was
going to die. She needed to watch Adrian go with her.

Amelie's body fell to the ground, right next to Draco. Her breaths heaved. She
couldn't find the force to breathe anymore. Her pulse slowed, her head felt
heavy.

It didn't feel as she pictured it — dying.

It was always a scary thing to her because she was always threatened with it, but
it didn't hurt as she imagined it to do. It was relieving like a heavy stone had
been lifted off her chest.

Her cursed life, at last, let go of her.

She had earned her freedom.

Amelie heard a loud slam as she watched, in the corner of her eyes, Adrian's
body drop to the floor, and she knew that she could rest in peace now.

She would finally find the peace she deserved, and she wouldn't be cursed
anymore.

Amelie and Draco were free, and now they had all their time in the afterlife
together.

Just like it was supposed to be.

_____
 Sixty-one

This chapter contains emotional trauma and mentions of character's death.

Please read with caution.

_____

''Please come back to me.''

_____

Theodore Nott.

His steps down the stairs echoed throughout the whole house as he yelled for
Narcissa, constantly trying to wrap his own head around all of this in the
meantime.

What going to the Pucey's meant.

''Narcissa!'' He shouted again, feeling the scent of home-cooked food as it

dragged through the house, ''Mrs. Malfoy, are you—''

''Theodore, dear,'' She smiled cheekily as Theo walked through the doors into the
kitchen, ''Why would you be shouting about—''

''He found her.''

Narcissa's entire face fell, her otherwise warm expression chilled at what
Theodore just told. Her breaths stressed as she dropped the spoon held in her
hand, ''That is not funny, Theodore. If this is a joke—''

''It's not.'' Theo cut her short, placing both of his hands upon the countertop,
bending over it slightly. He felt anxious, ''It's her, Draco was sure.''

''And we are certain that this is her? That we can trust my son's judgment in
this?'' She quickly moved the pots filled with tomato soup off the stove, and her
hands grasped around the apron hanging tightly around her waist, ''It's
dangerous, Theodore. You must understand that what my son has done, all those
servants...''

She swallowed her own words, folding the fabric in her hands as she placed it
onto the table, ''All those people he killed, it's not something the Dark Lord will
simply forgive and forget.''

''I know,'' Theodore nodded, his teeth clenched together as he thought of it. That
Amelie — if they were to get her back, would have to live through the
consequences of Malfoy's actions.

Even if he did those horrible things to find her and bring her back to them —
there's always a price to pay.

Theodore's tone held low, ''He knows it too, Narcissa,'' He stated, his head sunk
and his eyes sealed, ''But he doesn't care. He only cares for her.''

Narcissa stepped closer as a motherly hand stroked over his back, ''I know. My
son has never been much for love, let me tell you that, but when you find that
person, you can't seem to grow tired of, the person you only want more from—''
She smiled to herself by the thought of her son, finding someone that makes him
happy.

''You never let go, and I am proud of Draco for fighting so hard to get her back,
even if the methods he uses and all those killings—''

''He calls it punishment,'' Theo pitched in, sounding more sarcastic than he meant
to, ''He hates being called a killer.''

''Who wouldn't hate it?'' Narcissa sought to speak, but her voice slightly cracked
by the subject, ''Enough about this, tell me, where do you think she is?'' She
asked.

''We figured it out from the book.'' Theodore admitted, making her nod slowly,
''We believe that Adrian kept her in his house all along, just hidden underneath
protective spells.''

''That's..." Narcissa's eyes flickered, ''I think you're right. My husband, he's been
visiting the part of town where Adrian's parents used to live. Apparently, his
mother is nowhere to be found.''

Her face held a cloak of hurt as her mind reached her good friend Ana.

''Do you think—'' Theo hesitated, rushing a hand through his hair to ease the
messy looks,'' Do you think he'd do anything to hurt his own mother?''

She frowned, ''I think there's a lot of things Adrian Pucey would do to please that
wicked mind of his.'' She peered over her shoulder, making sure that everything
in the kitchen was turned off before her hand gestured out in the air.

''I think so too...''Theodore muttered, walking after her with hurried steps, ''But
we need to leave. Draco has been there for way too long on his own.''

''Do we know what to expect when we get there?'' She mumbled, reaching down
into her pocket to haul her wand out, ''Will there be Death Eaters?''

''I doubt it,'' Theodore sighed out in relief of his own words, ''If there were any
Death Eaters there before...'' He paused. His pulse quickened nervously.

''Malfoy would've taken care of them already.''

With a slight bow of Narcissa's head, she raised her wand, ''Take my hand,
Theodore.'' She sought to smile, ''We don't have much time.''

The palm of Theo's hand struck hers, and before he clearly understood what was
happening — she apparated them through the wind and down to the Pucey
residence.

If anything, Theodore wasn't used to the magic that was practiced with an
apparate. He always preferred to use more calm ways to travel, but there was no
time.

The second they landed on solid ground, bodies, lifeless figures laying across the
yard caught their attention, and Theodore, without a thought, understood that
Malfoy was right.

Amelie was here.

He would never cause a massacre like this one if she weren't.

Narcissa's dress whirled vividly around her as both of them marched towards the
entrance, their wands firmly hugged in their balled fists.

Theodore was preparing to walk in on chaos — on spells being thrown to left

and right and no one to meddle with them. Not that he cared, he truly didn't —
all he cared for was to get Amelie and Draco out safely.

''I'll go upstairs, and you can take the dining hall and the kitchen,'' Narcissa
shoved the door open, whispering in case there was still Death Eaters standing, ''
I will join you as soon as I can.''

Theodore nodded briskly before he stepped inside the mansion.

He could hear as Narcissa took steps down the hall before the sound of her heels
faded, and he walked, at a measured pace, not to draw any attention to himself.

His eyes flickered through the dim surroundings. His feet stumbled over dead
bodies as he went. Some of the fallen Death Eaters had different wounds than
the others, and to Theo — it looked to him as if Draco had lost it in here.

''Draco—'' He whispered, ''Amelie, are you here?''

Theo stepped past the kitchen, muttering '' Lumos,'' underneath his breath, and
his wand lit up in a cold, icing shade. He could see everything much clearer now
as he peered around, looking for any sign of life.

''Malfoy,'' He yelled in a whisper, ''Are you here?'' Not a movement scored the
kitchen's deserted facade, and he kept on moving further into the house.

Theodore felt a shiver down his spine as closer to the dining hall he came. He
was, in reality — scared to death because he was clueless. He didn't know what
happened.

It wasn't a fight going on. If there were, he'd hear it. Almost everyone in this
house was dead. Malfoy had slaughtered all of them.

He could see on the very different ways they'd lost their lives that it was no other
than Draco who'd done it.

Theodore had been with Malfoy countless times, hunting Death Eaters down —
he wanted to participate, to help the blond in his search for Amelie, and as he
was, he'd witnessed just how merciless Draco could be.

Theodore gasped, flinching by his own reflection in a mirror, covering the

corridor wall — as if he wasn't terrified enough already.

His eyes flickered, and his insides twisted. There was a sense as if something
heartbreaking had taken place, and he could feel it.

Theodore moved faster, his breaths stressed, and just as he entered the dining
room.

His heart dropped.

He couldn't breathe anymore.

With tears in his eyes, Theo watched as his best friend laid with a knife in her
chest next to Draco. Blood pooled around them both, so much that it drenched
the clothes on their bodies.

His eyes instantly snapped further down the room, and he saw Adrian. His eyes
numb and open. Theodore didn't know if he was dead.

He couldn't think clearly.

He hadn't seen his best friend for months, and now, her skin paled, and her chest
stilled. Amelie looked dead to him, so did Draco.

Tears began to form in his eyes, and his chest felt so heavy, but he couldn't waste
any time. He needed to do something.

Theodore stumbled up to Adrian, and without really checking if the boy resting
lifeless was actually dead — he booted the two wands lying next to him, far
away, before he strode back to Amelie and Draco's bodies.

He kneeled in between them, placing his wand on the floor so that he could use
both of his hands. He pushed a finger of each hand against their necks, right
where their pulse was supposed to be.

''I'm here now, Amelie.'' Theodore mumbled, his thumb stroked over her ashen
cheek, ''We both are here now.'' He wasn't sure if she could hear him. He didn't
fully know the damage the knife had caused her yet.

Theo's head snapped towards Draco as his entire body followed the movement.
As the healer he once intended to be, Theodore began to make invisible circles
over Malfoy's wounded body.

Theodore needed to start with him. Malfoy owned the strongest heartbeat, and
his chance of making it with enough help was greatly.

He whispered inaudible things underneath his breaths to follow the gesture made
by his hands, bright loops of azure light sparked around Theodore's wand, and
his voice shifted louder.

It heard as if he was humming.

The boy repeated the exact words, over and over, for nearly half a minute until
he saw, in the corner of his eyes, that Malfoy's fingers twitched, and his wounds
slowly started to drag together before they faded into his pale skin.

'' There you go, Draco,'' Theodore whispered in between the healing words,
''Stay with me, Draco. Stay with Amelie and me.''

Theo could see as Draco's eyelids flickered, and the instant he did — he turned
around, forcefully to face Amelie instead.

Teddy's lips pressed into her forehead, ''I'm here, love, and I will fix this... I will
fix you. I promise.'' He muttered, holding his wand over the knife in her chest. A
jolt of coral light slipped her wound as Theo's eyes squeezed shut.

His hands gradually held over the blade. He tried to feel it — the blade, to sense
where it struck and how damaged she was by it.

''I see...'' He murmured still with his eyes closed, and he nearly flinched by the
gasp from the entrance of the room.

''Oh dear God, Theodore, what can I—'' Narcissa choked on her own words,
terrified to what she'd walked in on, ''Tell me how I can help.''

'' Pucey,'' Theo kept his focus on Amelie's cut, his vocals sternly, ''Check if he's
alive and help Draco wake up. His wounds are healing.''

Narcissa gasped again, almost tripping back at the sight of the knife carved into
Amelie's chest, ''Did she—'' Narcissa swallowed the sickening feeling she held
within. It was a heartbreaking sight, ''Do we know if she did that to herself?''

''I know she did,'' Theodore squinted, watching as the coral light had shifted into
a rosy color, ''I know she did this to herself. She did this to save everyone else. It
was her bloody plan all along.'' Theo's note shredded angrier.

''She always planned for this. I just didn't tell anyone because she was happy
with Draco, and I thought that perhaps she wouldn't do it anymore, but at the
same time, I always knew that the day she was ready... She'd do this. She'd kill
herself and take Adrian with her.''

Narcissa hunched next to Adrian, leveling the boy as her fingers pushed against
his pulse. Her head shook as she sighed stilly, ''He's gone.''

''Good,'' Theodore said, his eyes flying open as a flame of greenish shades
swirled around them, ''There we go, come on, Amelie.''

He strived to heal her from within, to mend the injuries caused by the blade as it
ripped through her insides.

His hands stayed over the knife before his fingers closed around the handle,
''This may hurt, even if you don't hear me. You might feel it,'' Theo tried to warn
her as Narcissa walked up behind him, falling to her knees next to her son.

''One, two...three—'' Theodore ripped the knife out of her body, and a deep
inhale scored her lungs because of it. He was rapid to get back to the blood
welling out of the tear in her chest.

'' Draco...'' Narcissa's fingers trailed over her son's hair, combing through it,
''Draco, it's safe to wake up now.''

No response from the blond, even if his skin regained its color and his wound
healed.

'' Is he going to wake up soon?'' His mother looked more than worried, ''He
seems so at peace, sleeping like this.''
''Give him a minute,'' Theodore shot a glare over his shoulder to check that
Draco's chest heaved and that he got the air he needed, ''He'll be just fine.''

'' Amelie, love...'' Theodore bent closer to her ear, ''We're here now, Amelie.
Draco is fine. He's okay, Amelie.''

Somewhere in all the chaos, they were seated in, Theo understood that he
couldn't help her to his best capabilities here, in a dark room with nothing but his
wand.

He could do so much more for her with the herbs he'd left behind in the manor,
and he didn't want — when Draco clocked consciousness again, to have to see
her like this.

Still, he didn't know if he could move her.

His wand twitched in his hand, and his eyes fell shut again. He mumbled unclear
words, attempting to figure out if it was safe to take her away, but he could feel
something — something strange he'd failed to notice.

''What are you hiding from me?'' Theodore muttered, his hands nearly danced
over her numb body, working hard to locate what he'd missed, ''What are you
hiding for me, Amelie. You don't have to hide from me, let me—''

''Her stomach—''

Theodore's eyes snapped open, and he flung around without delay. Tears
shredded, ''Malfoy?''

''Her—'' Draco coughed weakly from the floor, ''Her stomach, she has a cut. She
was bleeding a lot earlier.'' Malfoy was stuttering as his hand stretched out,
towards Amelie and his fingers grasped at the blood-soaked material of her shirt.

''He hurt her before I got here, and I—'' Another cough scored his throat as he
strived to sit up, to crawl closer to her.

''Draco, you shouldn't—'' His mother sought to speak, but her son merely ignored
her words, '' Draco, please. You just woke up.''

''Amelie,'' Draco struggled closer to her, his entire body shook out of what he'd
just been through, ''I'm right here, Amelie. I'm here.'' His mouth pushed against
the top of her head as Theodore shyly smiled to himself.

His eyes fixated on the wound on her belly, and to him, there was only one thing
they could do.

''I have an idea, but I don't think you are going to like it—'' He rose but was
quickly hewed off.

''Anything.'' Draco didn't take his eyes off her. Seriousness mantled his cold
features, ''I'll agree to anything, Theodore. I just need her back.''

Malfoy's voice crackled in desperation, and hurt ripped through him. It hurt so
much to see her eyes sealed and her breaths stilled.

''I just need her to come back to me,'' His jaws gritted. He did everything not to
show any weakness, ''Make it happen, Nott, bring her back to me.''

Draco was hurting, tremendously but he'd never reveal it. He'd never let on that
his skin sored in bruises and that it stung in his chest.

Never when it came to her.

His lower lips quivered as he watched Theodore perform minor spells on

Amelie, ''Come back to me,'' Malfoy whispered into her hair, pushing himself up
on his knees to be able to look at her properly.

'' Please come back to me.''

He was fighting so hard not to cry, and Teddy's heart shattered into pieces
because of it.

''I think I can help her...'' Theodore grumbled, his eyes sealed, ''I think I know
what to do, but you are not going to like it, Malfoy.''

'' What?'' Draco whispered into her head, holding her lifeless body close to his
own, ''What are you planning?''

''I think I can put her in a coma—''

''In a what?'' Draco snapped, and for the first time since he woke up, his eyes
flickered from hers and drilled through Teddy's, ''Are you out of your mind? If
you do that, there's a chance of her never waking up. I can't risk that.'' His hands
tensed around Amelie.

Malfoy truly couldn't risk it again.

She was barely alive now — they didn't know if she'd make it back to the manor
in one piece.

''Fuck—'' Theodore yelled out, and all the flickering colors that stormed in and
out of her chest burnt out, ''Damn it, damn it, damn it.''

The room leveled in darkness again.

Draco's face fell. His features shifted in torture, ''What did you do, Nott? What's
—''

''Shut up!'' Theodore growled, leaning his ear against her stomach as he tried to
listen to her body. How it spoke to her, how he could take care of her from what
she'd given him, but nothing.

Her body was quiet.

''Don't you dare—'' Theodore rose onto his knees and his hands placed on top of
each other over the cage of her chest. He started to add pressure, pushing up and
down, ''Don't you dare do this to me, Amelie.''

''What the fuck did you do?'' Draco shouted, his jaws clenched, his breaths
ragged, ''She was fine—''

''She wasn't fine, Malfoy!'' Theodore breathed, trying to balance her heartbeat
again, ''I was trying to tell you! Her heart stopped, Draco—''

Malfoy's sight caught his for just a second. Both of them looked at the other in
pure fright.

''Her heart stopped,'' Theodore sought to swallow his tears, ''I need you to help
me, Malfoy. I need you to pinch her nose shut, and I then I need you to—''
Theodore couldn't speak properly. Not a complete sentence was formable.

''I need you to push your lips against hers and blow when I tell you too, can you
do that?'' He still tried to remain calm. Theo didn't want to scare Draco more
than he had to.

'' Yeah, yeah—'' Malfoy took place next to her head, the palm of his hand rested
on her jawline, ''I love you.'' Draco whispered against her lips, '' I love you, so
come back to me. I don't know how to do this without you.''

He was begging her unconscious self as Theodore trembled. Sweat flooded

down Teddy's forehead as he worked to keep her heart beating, '' Alright, on
three, Malfoy.''

Draco nodded. The tips of his fingers gripped her nose.

'' One, two, three—''

Theodore let go of her quickly as Draco pressed his open mouth against hers,
angling her head back so that the air he was about to blow down her throat
would reach her lungs.

Her skin paled even more. Her lips shaded in purple color.

''No, Amelie—'' Draco heaved after numerous tries to force life into her, ''You
don't get to leave me again.''

They performed it again.

And again.

And again.

Theodore's shoulders sunk, his head tipped forward, and he could hear the silent
cries of Narcissa behind him.

''Draco,'' Theodore wanted his attention, but nothing could tear the blond from
Amelie, ''Draco, she's—''

''Don't you say it!'' Malfoy shouted, placing his lips onto Amelie's again, '' Don't
you dare say it, Theodore. She's not gone until we've done everything we can.''

'' Malfoy—''

''No!'' Draco was shaking, his clothes still stained in his own blood, ''I'm not
giving up on her.'' His eyes flickered to Amelie's closed ones, ''I'm not leaving
you, and you're not leaving me. Do you hear that?''

Another blow of air.

''Come back to me,'' He kept on going, until his own lungs hurt, '' Please,
Amelie.''

He was exhausted.

It was quiet.

The room was as silent as she was.

Amelie's heart didn't beat anymore. Her otherwise rosy skin had now drained of
all its color. Even if the wound in her chest was partly healed, and no blood
flooded — she was gone.

Her body was too weak, her heart too fragile after she'd taken three months of
Adrian's abuse. She had no fight left in her.

''Don't do this to me,'' Draco cried out numbly as his forehead fell against her
chest. He was finally letting go of his stoned facade, ''You said—''

It hurt.

It hurt too much to speak again.

Theodore couldn't look at them anymore. His eyes were drenched in tears as his
head shook, and he glanced away.

Watching Draco lose the one person who still made him human ached too much.
To see the life slip away from his best friend as she laid helplessly on the cold
ground could kill him.

''Here,'' Draco's hand grabbed hers, and he held it against his chest, ''Your heart
beats with mine, don't you feel it, Amelie?''

She didn't.

She wasn't there anymore.

Amelie left them for a place much safer than this one.

Her body was frail in Draco's arms as he tried to shake her, to yank the life back
into her, but to no use. She wasn't coming back.

'' Mate,'' Theodore placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. Both of them crying, ''Let
her go.''

''I can't—'' Draco gasped, ''I can't give up on her.''

''You didn't.'' Teddy's fingers squeezed around his flesh, ''You, if anyone, never
gave up on her, but she deserves to go in peace, Draco.''

Malfoy's eyes flickered over her body.

Her little nose, her perfect lips, her cheeks, her jaws, her neck — God, how he
loved to kiss her neck. To bury his head into her locks and the world around him
faded, inhaling that calming scent of hers.

''I love her,'' The blond sobbed out, ''I have never loved anyone but her—'' Draco
couldn't hold it back anymore. His hands grasped at her body, and his tears
stained her skin.

''I love you, Amelie. I love you.'' He couldn't inhale anymore. His throat hurt too
much, ''I will always love you.''

''Let her go, Malfoy.''

''I can't—''

''We have to. She's gone.''

Theodore, with the help of Narcissa, managed to drag Draco off Amelie's cold
body. His mother hugged him as he cried into her shoulder, and Teddy stood,
numb next to them.
His eyes were still glued to her body. Theo couldn't help it. It was as if he
searched for a sign. Something, as much as a splatter of color on her skin, half a
breath, anything he could work with.

Moments passed, the minutes felt like hours.

Theo was about to give up, to actually let her go and get the rest she truly
deserved. If anyone earned to rest in peace, it was her.

Amelie was cursed, beyond reason, and she deserved some rest.

His beautiful best friend. Amelie was always so quick to call Teddy her savior,
her reason, her everything — but she was his too, if not more. He'd lost his
mother at a young age. His father stopped caring as he mourned his late wife and
Teddy — he was all alone, but not with her.

Amelie was his favorite feeling. Amelie was his home. If a home could ever be
another person — it was her.

She knew him, understood him in ways everyone else had failed to do. She was
a Ravenclaw, and he was a Slytherin. Still — she was everything to him.

They were never destined to become friends, to learn to get along and love each
other, but they did. Theodore and Amelie helped each other, and now — now he
was meant to master without her.

Amelie was free, after living like an angel through hell. She was finally
unbounded, unchained.

Theo's lungs tightened, and his pulse pounded as he sought to look away from
her, not to dive into that endless hole of sadness it brought. She wouldn't have
wanted that for him, to stare at her dead body — but he couldn't help it.

It felt to him as if he peered away, if he stopped looking — that he would give

up on her, and that was something he could never do.

Amelie's hair spilled messily around her, and her head tilted away from him.
Perhaps that was for the better, so he wasn't able to see her angelic face. His
sight dragged down her chest, and just as it did,
'' No—'' He hushed his own breathing. His eyes widened, ''It's not possible, is it?

''Malfoy,'' Theo gulped, taking a stride closer to Amelie, leveling Narcissa and
her son, ''Look at that, Malfoy. Look at that and tell me that it's not real, that I
am imagining things.''

Draco's head snapped up from his mother's arms, and he stared at the brunet.
Tears still glinted in the grey eyes, ''What?''

''Do you see that?'' He asked, self hesitant to if he just made it up to feel better or
if his mind was in denial, ''Can you see what I'm seeing?''

Draco's sight flicked, and his mouth slightly fell, ''How is that possible, Nott?''
He bent loose from his mother's hold, staring directly at Amelie, ''But I see it.''

It was Amelie, and they watched as her chest filled with air, "She's alive."

_____

Dramelie is endgame and I truly mean that. Thank you for being here and it will
all be worth it. I love you.<3
 Sixty-two

This chapter contains emotional trauma, throwing up, and mentions of

abuse. Please read with caution.

_____

"Don't you dare leave me."

_____

''Amelie—'' Draco shoved his mother off him, rising to his feet before he stepped
over to her cold body, ''Nott, is she breathing?''

Theodore stood petrified, ''I don't...know,'' The brunet kneeled down beside her,
his wand traced circles over her chest again. His eyes shut, ''Come on, Amelie.''

Her chest heaved again.

Draco's eyes flickered, hope sparked in the darkened pupils, ''Amelie,'' He

gasped, ''Stay with me, Amelie. Damn it, just stay with me.''

Theodore looked to be grasping for thin air. His hand swayed and danced in the
wind above her, ''I can feel it...'' He mumbled a spell underneath his breath as
verdant shades began to surround them.

His eyes squinted, ''Please, Amelie, let me in... let me help you.'' He whispered,
his fingers arching, ''I can fix you if you just let me.''

''What is happening, Nott? Can you—''

Teddy's head snapped, his eyes peeled wide as he glared at the blond, ''I have an
idea, hold her.''

Draco frowned, sitting on his knees beside her, ''What do you mean, hold her—''
''There's this thing, where she might open up to me if you hold her. If someone
she truly trusts holds her, and she's not opening up to me, Draco...'' Theodore
stared back down at her body, fiddling with his wand.

Malfoy gulped, looking down at his own hands in disbelief. They held red by
both his and her blood, and his eyes flickered. He couldn't watch it. He couldn't
think about her blood on his hands without feeling sick.

He gazed at her and her soft, calm features. She trusts him. Finally, after a year
— she trusts him.

Amelie's unconscious self didn't open up to Teddy. Her body couldn't reveal
itself to her best friend anymore because her heart rested with Malfoy.

She trusted him enough for her heart to start beating and her chest to heave.

Draco's eyes prickled in both stars and tears. His forehead layered in a thin cover
of sweat, pearls of it rolled down, his hairline damp.

''You trust me...'' He breathed, his arms folded around her chest as he slowly,
while Theo followed the movements, dragged her as close as he could. His
Amelie, ''You trust me.''

Theodore's jaws clenched. It hurt to him, knowing that she chose someone else
to trust — that she couldn't open up to him because her faith rested with Malfoy.

He lost her too. He missed her just as much as Draco did. He was on the close
edge of losing the person his heart belonged to.

Amelie was his soulmate, even if she wasn't his.

She'd always be his other half. Somewhere in all of the madness, they never
seemed to be able to get a peace of mind from — he hoped that it was possible to
have more than one soulmate, that perhaps he was hers too.

He loved her so much that it ached. To see her this way, with the knife he once
had to pull out of Pansy's chest, now rested next to Amelie. Theodore wasn't sure
for how much longer he could do this — for how much longer he'd be able to
take all of this.
He'd give his life for hers, which wasn't questionable, but he was drowning in
the constant loss of her. His best friend went missing from his life as well, and
all he could do was to keep the people around him together as she did.

''There you go...'' Theodore hummed, his spells constantly falling off his lips to
keep her insides from bleeding out, ''I think we can move her now. I think we
can save her, Draco. I just—''

Malfoy nodded, looking exhausted by his own wounds, ''Anything, just save
her.'' Draco cut him short, ''What do you need me to do?''

''Is she strong enough to apparate?'' Narcissa rose to her feet, brushing her dress
off before she stormed closer, ''If Draco isn't strong enough to carry her, I can—''

''She makes me weak,'' Draco whispered as his hands closed around her body
and he bent back up, ''She makes me so weak, but I'll be dammed if I don't get to
be the one holding her.''

Malfoy kissed the side of her head, ''She knows that she's safe with me. No one
is taking her away from me again.''

Her arms hung, her head had fallen back, ''She's mine.''

''Hold her steady, Malfoy, one wrong move, and she could—'' Theodore hushed
himself, feeling Narcissa's hand on his shoulder to comfort him, ''Just be gentle.''

Draco's heart dropped because her body shifted colder and colder for every
second in his arms. It was a heartbreaking sight. Malfoy carrying her soulless
body out of the house she'd taken her own life in. He walked, steadily with her,
close to his chest.

His hand gripped hers numb, chilly one, and he kissed her knuckles before
placing it over his heart, ''Feel my heartbeat, Amelie.'' Draco pleaded, ''Feel my
heartbeat, and please let yours beat with mine.''

Theodore spun around as they exited the Pucey residence, keeping an eye out for
other Death Eaters. They weren't safe, not just yet. His eyes snapped to the yard,
watching as a glint of something shiny caught his attention. He looked at where
Narcissa and Malfoy were walking before he bent down, snatching what seemed
to be a piece of jewelry off the ground.
His heart clenched.

It was her bracelet, the plain silver bracelet Draco had given her, with a small
raindrop attached to it. It nearly stung in his hand, and his eyes pooled as the
thought of Adrian even taking that away from her — as if he hadn't robbed her
of everything else, he craved to take that one piece of Draco away from her too.

Theo shoved it down in his pocket before he rushed after Malfoy and his mother,
stopping as they did.

All three of them only looked at her, noticing how light she was breathing.

''Ready?'' Narcissa rose her wand. Malfoy and Theodore nodded.

Amelie's body was ice cold. She was on the far edge of barely being alive as
they apparated themselves back to the Malfoy Manor. Landing safely inside the
foyer.

''Take her upstairs, Draco. My room, your room, her old one — it doesn't matter,
just lay her in a bed, and I'll get my herbs.'' Theodore mumbled before he hurried
off into the kitchen.

Malfoy's jaws clenched as he walked up the stairs with her, through the hallway
before he shoved the door to his room open, and he halted. His eyes flickered as
if something stopped him for a second.

''You're home now.'' He whispered, squinting not to let his tears out, ''You're
home now, Amelie, and you're not going anywhere.''

He walked carefully up to the bed before he laid her down on it as gently as he

could, but he didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to let his arms off her.
Draco felt as if she needed him close to keep those shallow breaths.

He was terrified — more than it that she'd cease breathing if he weren't near.
Malfoy kneeled next to the bed frame, hovering over the mattress as he took her
hand in his. He traced kisses over her skin because he didn't know if she could
hear him being there. Perhaps she could feel him.

Her hand was insensible in the palm of his as he studied it. It never came to his
mind how small her hand was in comparison to his, how Draco's fingers were at
least twice her size. She was so fragile contrasted to the world yet so strong.

He couldn't even reach the thought of her pushing that knife into her own chest
without being in awe of her strength, that she chose to save the world from
Adrian before saving herself.

The world truly rested on the tips of those adorable fingers of hers.

He always knew that. She was remarkable, breathtaking.

Draco slowly let his mouth collide with her knuckles again, still resting on his
knees next to the bed. He kissed her skin, savoring it.

''Here...'' Theodore mumbled as he stepped inside, his arms filled with different
vials and bottles, his wand in his hand as he climbed over the mattress, and he
faltered inches away.

''I'm going to save you—'' He hushed, making eye contact with Draco for a slight
second, ''We are going to save you because we're a team now. That's how much
we love you, Amelie.'' Theo flipped the stopper of a bottle open, ''We love you
so much that we get along now, and I know that you don't want to miss that, so
we are going to save you.''

Draco's sight stayed on her, ''You're going to be okay,'' He leaned closer, pushing
his lips into her head.

Theodore poured what looked to Draco like small, cut-up leaves all over her
chest. He began to hum underneath his breath again, speaking inaudible spells.

''Do you think we are allowed to remove her shirt? Does she have anything
underneath?'' Theo questioned, ''It's hard to make the herbs—''

Draco's jaws ticked. He knew how vulnerable she was with herself and to put her
skin on display. Other than that, they had no idea what was hiding behind that
fabric of her shirt — what torment Adrian had caused her, and they couldn't be
sure.

''Let me—'' Malfoy quieted, his hand as slowly as he could, slipped underneath
the fabric of her shirt, to brush his fingers against her ribs, to feel if she was
wearing something other than her jumper and she was.
The tips of his fingers rubbed against something soft as he bowed his head
towards Theo, ''Have you guys ever...'' Theodore cleared his throat, ''I mean, this
isn't going to be strange, right? You've seen her—''

''Just save her bloody life, Nott. For God's sake.'' Draco grew impatient with his
childish behavior, ''Tell me what you see.'' He began to thread one of her arms
out of the sleeve and then the other.

His blood fumed as Theo's eyes flickered before Draco's hand closed around her
neck, gently lifting her head up to drag the shirt off entirely.

''Oh my—'' Theodore gasped, his eyes pooled, ''Perhaps you should leave,
Malfoy. You can't see this.''

Draco's eyes gazed over her exposed skin. It wasn't human what Adrian had
done to her, and there wasn't a way to explain how it looked like. Her skin was
so ruptured that it looked like burns. Wounds covered her whole chest and
stomach.

''Tell me—''

''Draco... You can't be here right now.'' Theodore whispered, ''She wouldn't have
wished for you to see this—''

''Tell me what you see.'' The blond stated sternly. He looked sick, his skin paled,
and his eyes glinted, ''Tell me about her injuries.''

Theodore rose to hum, his wand shifted over her body, ''Are you sure, it's a lot
—''

''Just fucking tell me.''

''She has...'' Theodore swallowed his own pain. He couldn't focus on himself
right now. He needed to think about Draco and Amelie. He wasn't capable of
showing how much seeing her like this hurt him too.

''She has several broken ribs. It looks like he broke them, healed her only to
break them... again.'' Theodore could feel the lump in his throat as it grew, ''She
has burns over most of her chest, which I'd say indicates that she's been exposed
to heated water. I think he used that torture method—''
''What else?'' Draco snapped, his face completely cold, not one emotion showed,
''Tell me what else.''

More humming, ''No internal injuries except for the knife's damage, but a lot of
broken bones and...''

''I'm sorry—'' Draco growled. He quickly forced himself off the floor, and he ran
out of the room. His hand slammed over his mouth, and he made it out to the
front yard, right before he threw up.

He couldn't help it. Malfoy's insides wrenched, and he couldn't take the pain of
seeing — hearing what Adrian did to her. He leaned against a pillar, leading out
to the entrance of the property as he bent over, wiping his mouth with the ends
of his sleeves.

''Oh god, dear.'' Narcissa called out from behind him, making his spine straight
and eyes shut, ''Draco, what happened, did something go wrong with Amelie? I
thought Theodore said he could save her—''

Her face fell as she watched the mantle of Draco. How ashen his skin had turned
and how he'd been throwing up just seconds before. His body shook
uncontrollably at what he'd witnessed.

''My dear son...'' Narcissa's head tilted as she, without a second thought, strode
closer to her son, wrapping her arms around him, ''She's going to make it Draco,
I promise.''

''You don't—'' Draco heaved for air, feeling as if everything is crashing down
over him, ''Her body, Mother, it's—''

He couldn't say it.

It was too much, everything she'd been put through while being under Adrian's
abuse was too much for him, and he couldn't begin to imagine how much it must
have been for her.

''I know, Draco...'' Her wavy strands of her drifted in the wind slightly as the
warm spring breeze circled them, ''But there isn't a thing we can do to change
that now. He's dead, Draco.''
''She has marks and broken bones and—'' He held back a sob, trying to gather
himself, ''I want vengeance, mother. I want everyone who was loyal to him to
die.''

Narcissa's heart dropped. Her face shifted in a grimace to what her son spoke as
she leaned back from him, ''Is Theodore still up there?'' She asked, comfortingly
as Draco nodded, ''I know that you see this as being defeated, but you're not.
She's still here, Draco, and that's the greatest vengeance you'll ever have. She
made it.''

Malfoy's features held in complete devastation, ''For now, but I swear if she dies
—''

''She won't. She won't die. You saw her body, her bruises, and everything she
had to go through. Amelie is stronger than all of us. She will make it, Draco.''
Narcissa's hand moved up to cup his cheek as he leaned his chin against it, ''You
know that, so don't doubt her. She'll come out of this even stronger than before.''

Draco's breaths still shallow as he peered over his mother's shoulder, looking
inside the foyer, ''What if she doesn't? What if she doesn't make it? How am I
supposed to live with myself if she dies?''

Narcissa huffed, her thumb stroking along his drained skin, ''She will make it,
Draco. It's Amelie. She hasn't fought her whole life for it to end here. She
sacrificed herself so that the world could be safer without... Adrian in it, and that
doesn't tend to go unnoticed.''

He frowned, snapping his head away from hers, ''Three months, mother. She had
to stand that torture for three months. How do I make amends for that? How do I
fix her when I can't look at her without fucking—''

''That's not your choice, and let's not get ahead of ourselves before we know
what Theodore says. I will go up there and look after them. You can stay here—''

''Not a chance,'' Draco breathed, sucking in a harsh breathe before his teeth
gritted, and he walked past his mother, through the doors, ''I'll stay with her.''

Draco understood that it was foolish of him to run downstairs, to leave her at a
time when she needed him the most, but he didn't want to seem weak around her
— not at this time. He wished to stay strong for her sake.
With heavy steps up the stairs, he burst into the room again, noticing how
Theodore had spread more things around her and how a mauve color sparkled
through her chest.

''What are you doing?'' Draco muttered, striding closer to the bed, ''How is she
doing?''

''Well,'' Theo looked exhausted. Not once had he preform this much magic and
the number of spells he did now. It took a lot of him to do what he did for her,
''She's healed, but she's not waking up,''

Draco's heart stopped.

''I think her body needs time to process this. It's as if it shut down to protect her
and now when she's safe—'' Theodore's sight dragged over his best friend as he
tucked the covers around her, ''She needs time.''

Malfoy blinked quickly, not in his right mind to take in the information he just
received, ''But she will wake up?'' He asked, kneeling next to the bed again, ''She
has to wake up, Nott.''

''I think she will when she's ready, but all we can do now... is wait.'' He crawled
off the bed, strolling around it, ''Do you feel anything after the curse? Do you
need me to—''

''Can you give us a minute?'' Draco didn't let his view off her. He needed to see
that little rising and falling her chest did as she breathed, ''I need a minute alone
with her.''

Theodore nodded, gazing over the two before his hand moved to Draco's
shoulder, squeezing it lightly, ''I'll be in my room, cleaning up a bit, and I'll come
back to check on her later, but Malfoy?''

Draco swallowed at the mention of his name.

''We can't do more than giving her time right now,'' Theo said on his way out,
closing the door behind him as he went, leaving Draco and Amelie's unconscious
body alone.

''Damn it, Amelie.'' Draco's forehead tipped against her arm, and he felt as if he
was able to let out his feelings with her around, ''You can't leave me. You can't
leave me like this.''

He felt so at fault. If he just had given her a sign, anything that would have
spoken for him being alive when she believed he wasn't — would've saved her.
He heard as his eyes squinted shut and his veins rushed in torture by Adrian's
magic that she did this for him.

Amelie didn't believe that Draco was alive, so she didn't feel like she'd pull
through without him.

He tried to clasp his teeth together — to not let one single sound out as his tears
burnt in the corner of his eyes, ''I can't live without you, please don't make me do
this without you.''

Draco was crying, holding onto her hand as tightly as he could without hurting
her, ''Don't make me do anything without you. You made me love you and now
—''

Sobs erupted every word he sought to speak. It was impossible for him to stay in
pieces when she was shattered.

''I love you,'' He kissed her arm, ''I love you, so don't you dare leave me,'' His
note broke utterly.

His eyes flickered, and after several moments of catching his breath, he stood
tall, climbing over the mattress to lay next to her. He didn't know if he was
allowed to do that, but he felt as if he needed to.

He needed to have her close and somewhere in her numb state — she needed
him too.

"I'll wait for you," He whispered, "I will always wait for you."

_____

I also decided to try and make this book 100 chapters, and even if it doesn't look
like it right now — I'm so excited to show you what I have planned.
 Sixty-three

This chapter contains violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

''Let him go.''

_____

Four days passed, and Amelie still laid unconscious on Draco's bed. They moved
her from time to time, making sure that her muscles wouldn't solidify.

Malfoy was a complete mess.

He didn't know right from wrong at a time like this one. He honestly didn't know
what to do. He didn't know anything anymore. All he tended to do was being
angry — furious with himself for allowing this to happen.

It didn't matter how much both Narcissa and Theodore ensured him that it wasn't
his fault — he still felt blamable for it. If he only would've said something, done
anything to show her that he indeed was alive when she believed that he wasn't.

Draco stayed close to her, in his room on the armchair in the corner of it. He
refused to let her out of his sight, and it was his lifeline to watch her chest rise
and fall beneath the green sheets of his bed.

Something he loved doing a few times a day was to wet a towel and pat it
against her skin — to somewhat reassure himself that he's taking care of her.
Theodore helped him master a spell that revealed how her body was recovering
and how to read the measurements that showed.

He did that, probably once every hour, to see that she was still with him. It
looked better for every day, and how her figure redeemed itself wasn't the issue
— it was the state she'd be waking up in.
Theodore had told him that there was no way of knowing how damaged her
mind would be, how her head chooses to tackle the horrible fact that her heart
had stopped for minutes. He said it to Draco every day, to truly help him realize
that she might not be the Amelie she was before.

It was a frustrating thing to Theo, watching how Draco slowly killed himself
with the fact that he felt at fault. All of them knew that he wasn't, but the boy
was stubborn as ever to blame himself.

He tried to visit Draco at least once every few hours when the blond let him. At
times, Malfoy didn't let Theodore in the room, and at first, he thought that it was
because he was crying, but he quickly came to the realization that it was because
he was mad — angry at everything and everyone but her.

One thing Theo had caught on to after being near Malfoy for a year is that the
boy tended to lock himself up within the coat of his own skin, and he refused to
let anyone in, except Amelie, but she couldn't help him. She hadn't been able to
do so for months now, which caused Theodore harm because he knew that he
could help him.

He was capable of lessening Draco's worn mind if he'd just let him, but he didn't.
He craved to hurt for what he believed he'd done, and that was something
Theodore allowed him to do. If that was the way Draco wanted to handle his
feelings, he was free to do so.

The house echoed emptily, and not a single sound tore through the enormous
mansion. Everyone failed to speak to each other because no one knew what to
say.

It was a ruinous time for all of them.

''Any news?'' Draco muttered from behind Theodore as he poured yet another
cup of coffee. Both of them missed their sleep. They didn't know how to rest
when Amelie was held in the state she did, ''Have you checked up on her?''

Theo settled the can back at the counter, opening a cabinet to bring Draco a cup
as well, ''No, not since this morning. I was planning to run another test on her
after dinner.'' He grabbed the pot again, filling the empty cup for Draco.

''Can you do one now?'' Draco reached for the porcelain, stretching it up to his
lips, ''I have a thing I need to take care of, and I don't want her to be alone.''

''Of course,'' Theodore sipped on his coffee, ''Do you mind telling me where you
are going?''

''No,'' Draco followed his movements, tasting his hot drink as well, and with that,
a grimace cloaked him. He wasn't much for coffee, but he sure needed it, ''It's
none of your concern.''

Theo rose a brow, nodding slowly, ''But I'll stay with her. Your mother wanted to
sit with her this afternoon as well, so we'll manage.'' He sounded passive,
exhausted almost, ''What if she wakes up?''

''Do you think she will?'' Draco mumbled as his jaws gritted at the thought. It
hurt, thinking of her being awake when none of them knew if that was possible.

''No, highly unlikely.'' Theo sighed, pushing his spine off the counter to walk
upstairs, ''Do you know how long you'll be gone?''

''A few hours, not longer,'' Draco responded stiffly as he placed his cup back at
the wood, ''You better look after her while I'm gone, Nott.'' It was a threat. He
knew that Theo wouldn't leave her side, but he still needed to speak it.

''Don't I always?'' Theodore turned around, facing the blond again, ''Be careful,
whatever you're going. Amelie needs you back in one piece.''

''I know,'' Draco hauled his wand out from his suit pocket. His brows knitted and
his face as emotionless as ever, ''Tell my mother—''

''Tell me what?'' Narcissa snapped, striding into the kitchen from the garden
entrance, ''What would Theodore tell me that you couldn't possibly tell me
yourself?'' Her note severe, her eyes narrowed.

Narcissa placed a bundle of newly picked flowers on the countertop, pulling her
gardening gloves off her hands, and she let the bun held in her hair fall down,
making the fusion of brown and platinum white curls mix together.

Draco's eyes rolled, and he huffed, ''That I'll be back—''

''So you're leaving?'' Her hands settled on her hips, and she glared at her son,
''When Amelie is in this state?''

Draco's fingers curled into fists as he gripped his wand tighter, ''You know
nothing—''

Narcissa's eyes flickered to Theodore's confused ones, ''My son had taken it
upon himself to hunt down and find every last Death Eater that was in contact
with Adrian before he died. He has no respect for—''

''Enough,'' Draco growled, shaking his head dangerously, ''You know nothing of
what I'm doing. I have somewhere to be—''

''Don't leave this way, Malfoy,'' Teddy pleaded, his hand gripped the timber of
the doorway, ''Don't leave here angry, we don't know what can happen.''

Narcissa hummed for herself at that, fiddling with the flowers she had brought
inside. She stepped over to a cabinet, taking out a vase to put the colorful
bouquet in, ''I don't condole to what I know you'll do, Draco,'' She stated, sternly,
''So I'm not staying to watch it. I'll go up and talk to Amelie for a while...''

Theodore nodded, smiling at the flowers she took with her, ''They're beautiful.''

Narcissa's whole self brightened at that. A curve played on her lips as she so
proudly peered down at them, ''I thought I'd bring her something, before... all of
this happened,'' She paused, looking agonizingly at her son, ''Amelie talked all
winter about my garden and how she wished to see it flourishing, so I wanted to
bring her a few of my favorite pieces.''

Draco couldn't possibly stay mad at his mother for that, so he — despite his
furious state, marched over to her and, with an arm crossing her shoulders and
his mouth pushed to her head, he mumbled, ''Thank you. She'll love them.''

Narcissa nodded, still concerned for Draco's well-being and the way he was
doomed to act, ''Be careful, we have had enough loss for a lifetime.'' Her hands
tensed around the flowers at her own realization, and she strolled off.

''So tell me, Malfoy, do I need to come with you for this one?'' Theodore broke
the minutes of silence, studying the blond from across the room as he seemed to
be lost in his thoughts, ''Amelie is safe with your mother, and I don't think it's the
best plan for you to go alone.''
Malfoy swallowed, knowing that he'll bring Theodore into what he believed to
be a trap. He couldn't risk it. He had — without their knowledge as they
searched for Amelie, looked for her mother too.

He didn't wish to tell anyone because he was terrified of letting the girl he loved
so dearly down, but he didn't quit it. He stayed hunting for her mother because,
as his father had asked him months ago — he knew why her mother was chased,
and he knew what the Dark Lord would do to her if he were to find her first.

''I can't bring you—'' Draco rose but was hastily hewed of by Theodore looking
at him spitefully, "I can't bring you, Nott. If I go missing, she'll have no one.
With Pansy dead, Granger is with the bloody Weasley's, and my mother can't do
this alone.''

''Hell, you can't,'' Theo snapped back, raising his voice, ''Then you better bring
me along so that nothing happens to you.''

Long lost minutes of silence suffocated around them before Malfoy, for all
caved into what his friend asked.

''Fine, but you do as I say when I say it, and I don't want any questions, Nott.''
Draco grumbled, scratching the back of his head, ''Am I clear?''

''Yeah, but—''

''Nott,'' He aimed his wand towards the brunet, brows furrowed, ''What did I just
tell you?''

Theodore's eyes rolled, huffing annoyingly as he stalked closer to Malfoy,

''Fine...'' He placed his hand on Draco's arm, as loose as he could before the
blond mumbled some unclear words, shifting his wand in the air.

''What are you doing?'' Theo looked more than clueless, watching the soft light
of white shades filled the room.

''Protecting spells,'' He hushed in between hummings, ''I'm not leaving them

unprotected.''

''Smart move,'' Theodore got ready to apparate, even if he never seemed to get
used to it.
Meanwhile, through Draco's magic, the boys left the Manor behind them to go
on one of his many missions. Narcissa closed the door to Amelie and Draco's
room behind her.

She halted for a mere second, watching the heavily sleeping girl as she laid
perfectly beneath the green sheets. Pillows were tucked around her, the brown
strands of her hair were brushed out, and she could immediately clock that it was
Theodore who'd combed it.

Amelie had mentioned to Narcissa many months ago just how useless Theodore
was with her hair. He never left it sleekly, but she couldn't help but smile to
herself as she placed the vase on the nightstand, grabbing the brush instead.

She hunched down, seating herself on the edge of the bed as she as gently as she
could — began to brush through Amelie's hair, ''There you go,'' She whispered,
''These boys don't know how it's done, do they?''

She placed it smoothly on each side of her head, letting it spill over Amelie's
shoulders, ''I think they both left for a little while, but I'm here to look after you.''
Narcissa huffed as her own shoulders slightly sunk.

''He misses you very much, my son and Theodore too,'' Her fingers stroked over
Amelie's pale cheek, comforting her, ''I miss you, making lunch has been so
lonely since you...''

She paused, settling the brush back at the nightstand as she grasped at the vase
instead, ''I wished you could see these,'' She smiled, bravingly, ''They are
beautiful like I told you before Christmas. I think you'd adore my garden now,
especially during spring.''

Narcissa let the tips of her fingers run along with the petals, ''Draco used to love
my garden, but he hasn't taken the time to go out there for a couple of years,''
She whispered. ''When he was a child, he used to be out there all the time, and if
my husband were in a good state, he would join him, and they picked all kinds of
flowers together.''

It seemed to hurt, a stinging feeling in her chest as she spoke the memory she
cherished. Narcissa missed the old times, where her son wouldn't dream of
hurting anyone and her husband was free of the Dark Lord.
''And now, I hope that you would wake up so that you and I can pick those
flowers instead. I would truly be lying if I said that I didn't imagine you and little
Aimee out there, but life doesn't always live to be what we wish for, does it?''

She put down the container, dropping her arms to her lap, ''But that is something
you need to do, Amelie. You need to wake up. None of us can do this for much
longer without you, especially my son. He has gone...''

She felt a lump in the back of her throat.

''He's not well when you're in this state. He blames himself a lot, and that usually
results in people being hurt and as a mother—''

Tears shredded in the corner of her eyes, ''And as a mother to a child, you know
to be nothing like he's acting, it truly hurts.'' Her finger wiped the tear away
before it had a chance to flee down her skin.

''I don't expect you to understand that now. Hopefully, when you and Draco are
older, you will have kids on your own, and you'll know exactly what I'm talking
about, dear.''

Amelie didn't move a muscle, her breaths still light as Narcissa reached to hold
her hand, ''We miss you, much indeed, so if there is a chance, even a small one,
that you hear me, then please come back to us.''

_____

''What is this place?'' Theodore let go of Malfoy's arm, peering around nervously,
''It looks like one of those safe houses you told me about.''

''That's exactly what it is,'' He spoke back, lowly, not to draw any attention to
them as he stepped forward, gazing at the apartment complex showing behind
the trees across the street, ''And it's crawling with Death Eaters, do you have
your wand?''

Theo flinched, nearly squeaking at the feeling of a tree branch, touching his
shoulder. Draco cocked his head, sending Theodore the evillest of stares, ''What
do you expect me to do?'' Theo whispered harshly, ''It's bloody scary.''

Draco's eyes rolled, shaking his head at the boy, ''Just be quiet,'' He muttered,
taking another step out of the shadows as he watched three masked men standing
across the stairs, leading up to the front door, ''I asked if you have your—''

''Why would I go with you on a suicide mission without my wand?'' Theo

snapped back, yelling in a whisper, "Yes, I have my bloody wand, Malfoy, stop
asking.''

Draco turned around, his skin reddened in fury, ''You better shut the fuck up,
right now, Nott, or I'm throwing you out on the street as bait.''

Teddy gasped, gulping after as he quickly nodded. The glint of ruthlessness in

Malfoy's eyes caused shivers to trail down his spine, ''Yes, sir—''

Draco rose a brow, looking puzzled, ''Did you just?''

''Malfoy, I mean,'' He stuttered on his words, ''Hell, can you just tell me what
we're doing here?''

''You called me sir,'' Draco grinned, mocking Theo as he rushed a hand through
his hair.

''I didn't—''

''Yes, you did,'' Draco nearly let out a chuckle, ''And you're scared of a tree.''

Theodore's shoulder struck his, shoving him to the side, ''Now shut up, or I'll
throw you out on the street as bait.''

''Is that a promise or a threat, Nott?'' Draco seethed, without looking at the boy,
''Because I don't do well with threats.''

Theodore gulped again, shrugging to the comment, ''Alright, so we're here,

outside a house that's filled with Death Eaters, what do we do about it?''

''I don't know,'' Draco huffed, feeling his insides wrenching. Even if it was days
ago, Adrian had knocked him out with a torturous spell, it still wounded within,
''I don't know what to do, just let me think—''

''Can you at least tell me why we're here? I mean, not that I don't enjoy going on
a killing spree with you, mate, but I think I deserve to know why I'm—'' Theo
was cut short by Draco's loud sigh, he shook his head, debating whether he
should tell Teddy or not.

''It can't come back to her.'' Draco stated, lowly, in need to intimidate Theo, ''She
can't know about this, and I know that you two have your little private club of
secrets where I'm not invited, but this is a serious matter, Nott.''

The flicker of devastation tore through Draco's dimmed eyes, and his lips
pressed together to void the hurt brought along the truth he was about to tell.

''I won't tell her,'' Theodore's sight dragged from Malfoy's, ''If it hurts her, you
know that I won't.''

Draco observed his movements for a few seconds as the night-cold breeze
stabbed his skin. He understood that Theodore wouldn't let this near Amelie until
he allowed it. Still, it felt more than wrong to ask him to keep such a restricted
matter from her.

It wasn't a battle of right and wrong — it was a fray of protecting her. He craved
constant reminders of that to keep himself sane.

''I'm looking for her mother,'' Draco exhaled from out of the blue. He needed to
get it out there, fast and shot free. He couldn't stall it because it would change the
blond's mind, ''I have been for months now, and I know for a fact that they kept
her here last week.''

Theodore's mouth hung, his eyes hooded at the sudden confession, ''Pardon?'' He
couldn't believe what Draco told, he couldn't let it slip within the already
overworked mind he possessed, ''You have done what?''

''Her mother,'' Draco's jaws gritted as he took a step up on the sidewalk, not
hiding in the shadows anymore, ''I am trying to find her mother, and I was doing
so when Amelie was...missing, too.''

''And you didn't tell me?'' Theo mimicked his doings, standing tall next to the
blond, ''Hell, Malfoy. Why wouldn't you tell me?'' His voice raspy and low,
''Why would you keep me in the dark like that? I could've helped."

''Like you're helping now?'' He hissed, ''If it weren't for you and your stupid
questions, I'd be home and in bed with her by now, but instead, I have to
babysit.''

''Babysit?'' Theo scoffed, looking over the men on the stairs as they stared right
back at them. They had been noticed, ''Damn it, Malfoy. What do we do now?''

Draco licked his lower lip, turning to Theodore and with a half-whisper — he
mumbled a spell, covering Theodore's face behind a dark mask, ''They know that
it's me, but they don't have to know that you are involved, now, bring out your
wand.''

Theodore stood frozen, unprepared for what was deemed to be happening. He

didn't move a muscle as two of the three men slowly moved towards them,
''Draco, I—''

Malfoy wasn't held in fear as his friend was, and he — without delay — stormed
towards the masked men. Theodore barely had the chance to blink twice before
all of the Death Eaters were dropped to the ground, and Draco stood on the top
of the stairs.

''For Gods—'' Draco groaned, his black suit-jacked hugged his tensed shoulders,
''Nott, get over here now and take your bloody wand out, you are going to need
it.''

Draco booted the door to the complex open, without even looking inside as he
marched through the hallways, searching for the woman who'd brought the love
of his life into this world and then failed her by leaving her to the devils in it.

''Malfoy...'' A man's voice tore through his ears from behind as he turned around,
wand aimed and ready, ''I don't know what you are doing here, boy, but it would
be best if you made your visit a brief one. We already called on the Dark Lord.''

Draco squinted slightly as he recognized the man standing before him. It was an
ally of his father's, but that didn't fool the blond. He trusted no one, ''I'm
searching for someone.''

''I thought you succeeded in finding her,'' The man replied, ''We found Adrian
Pucey's body in his home, and it's to our beliefs that the girl suffered the same
fate as he did.''

''She did,'' Draco was quick to tell, making sure that the Dark Lord and his
servants believed Amelie to be dead, ''That's why I'm here. I'm looking for—''

''Draco...'' A whine came from the front door, causing his eyes to flicker, ''I'm
sorry. I tried—''

''Quiet!'' Another masked man had a rough hold of Theodore's neck, slowly
leading him into the corridor with his wand pushed into Theo's side, ''See,
Malfoy. You don't have the upper hand anymore.''

''I'm sorry—'' Theodore whimpered at the stinging feeling in his rib cage, but the
plea only made the man dig his wand deeper, ''Fine, I'll be quiet, just stop—''

Draco's eyes narrowed, shooting the man holding his friend an evil stare, ''Let
him go,'' He demanded but was greeted by a dark laugh.

"I said...'' Draco edged his wand at the man, ''Let the boy go, right now—''

His head tilted, and an arch curled on his lips, ''Or I will kill every single Death
Eater in this house.''

''Including this one?'' The man grinned, amused by the situation they'd put
Malfoy in. It was to them — pleasing to battle someone so powerful as Draco
seemed to be, ''Let's see to it that you do kill every single one then, shall we?''

Draco felt two men grab his shoulders from behind, and with a kick on the
backside of his knee — he was forced down to the ground. His wand dropped
from his grip, and his face shifted in sorrow right away.

''Let me go, right now—'' Draco seethed dangerously, but a wand was threatened
to the back of his neck, and he didn't dare to move. He needed to be smart about
this.

Theodore cried out as the man holding him tore his sleeve open. He stabbed his
wand down into Theo's arm, ripping his flesh apart as blood slipped the
immediate wound,

''You said every single Death Eater, didn't you?''

_____
 Sixty-four

This chapter contains scenes of violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

''I'm sorry.''

_____

''If you do that, I'll hunt you and everyone you hold dear down.'' Draco
threatened, still being held on his knees in the dimmed hallway, ''I will kill every
single wizard and witch if you—''

''If I do what?'' The Death Eater laughed out, viciously, ''If I give Mr.Nott here,
exactly what he's deemed to have? The mark runs in his blood, Malfoy.''

Draco's eyes flickered, doing everything in his power to wrestle his way out of
the hold the other two men seemed to have on him, but it was in awe. He
couldn't trick them.

''Kill me then,'' Draco growled, ''Take me instead and let him go,''

Tears shredded in Theo's eyes of the brutal touch being ripped into his arm. It
hurt too much to breathe properly. He was just as helpless as Malfoy was —
neither of them could do anything.

''On my count, boy,'' The man seethed, ''One...''

''Nott, look at me,'' Draco begged him, ''Look at me and breathe, just fucking
breathe, and I will fix this. I promise.''

Sobs echoed.

Theodore's eyes dimmed in pain, and his pupils blasted, ''Draco, I can't—''
''Two...''

''Look at me,'' Draco shouted, his hoarse voice shredded throughout the hallway,
nearly making the men holding him flinch. Theo's eyes snapped to his, and it
stung in Malfoy's chest because of it, ''There you go, now close your eyes and
breathe. It will be over before you—''

''Three...''

Theodore screamed. His body wrenched and turned in the Death Eather's hold of
him as he sought to fight it — he did everything possible to fight the ink
spreading across his skin.

Draco's own eyes squeezed shut, and it was plain torture to hear Theodore hurt
so badly. He tried to yank his arms, to force himself out of the position, ''Fucking
stop it!'' He yelled, ''I will kill you, I will fucking kill—''

Theodore's whimpering hewed him off as his teeth gritted. Malfoy was furious at
the sight of Theo's body being dropped to the ground.

''You...'' Draco's voice was dangerous, terrifying at that. His face stoned, ''I have
seen your face, and I will come for you.''

The Death Eater merely laughed again, taunting him to the fullest, ''I thought you
said you'd kill me?''

The veins coating Draco's neck popped out of fury, and his skin flushed in a
feverish color, ''I will, but not now. Not today. I want you to know that I'm
looking for you, and I want you to know that I will find you, and when I do—''
Draco chuckled, darkly, ''You'll regret placing your hands upon him.''

''We'll see about that,'' He stated, booting Theodore in the stomach to increase
the pain he was already drained in, ''But for now, Malfoy... let's play a little
game.''

Draco struggled as the man kneeled in front of him, and with the tip of his wand
pushed underneath Malfoy's chin, he forced his head up.

"You have disobeyed the Dark Lord, boy." He seethed, narrowing the devilish
eyes in Draco's, "And with that comes punishment."
Draco breathed out, a breath filled with angst and anger. His chest heaved
against the floor, "Yeah?" He chuckled out, provoking the Death Eater, "Do your
worst."

The man blinked quickly, surprised with Malfoy's lack of fear, "You have quite
the attitude for someone so helpless..." His hand shoved into his pocket, bringing
out a blade, ''I wouldn't if I were you.''

Draco kept his daring facade as he stared murderously into the man's eyes. His
face voided emotion, banning Theodore's ragged breaths.

''Bring him to his knees.'' The Death Eater commanded as the other two acted on
his demand, forcing Draco up vigorously, ''Not so tough anymore, are we?''

Malfoy's teeth gritted dangerously as he breathed heavily.

The man looked up at his servants, bowing his head down to Draco, ''He's a real
fighter this one, isn't he? And to think that you have slaughtered nearly a
hundred of our men these last few months.''

The men behind Draco, taming his straining body, chuckled at the spoken words,
but Draco didn't budge. He didn't flinch. He didn't react — he simply stared at
him so intensely that it almost stung the man's skin.

''Let's get to it then, shall we?'' He said loudly as the blade rose in his hand, and
without falter, he snatched his wrist, making Draco's face slam to the side and
blood slipped the ashen skin.

He tore the blade across Draco's cheek, leaving a large cut behind him, but
Draco refused to give in. His chest fell and rose roughly as he licked the blood
flooding over his lip, and he grinned at the man.

''Was that your worst?'' Malfoy spoke vibrantly low, and the shocking cloaks
spread across the men's faces. They didn't understand how someone could
remain so calm in a situation similar to this one.

''Pathetic,'' Draco spat, violently forming his words, ''I will still find you, and I
will kill you—''

''Enough!'' The man threatened as he booted back towards Theodore trembling

body. A flicker of fire flashed through Draco's eyes at the sight of it, and blasting
rage coiled through him.

''Don't you fucking—'' Malfoy growled, twisting and pulling in the hold he was
kept in, ''Don't you dare touch him.''

''If hurting you won't work...'' He snickered, peering around slightly in the
dimmed hallway, ''I will hurt him.''

He strode forwards, closer to the blond, and the second he did — Theodore's arm
wrapped around the man's ankle, making him fall, and the two Death Eater's
holding Draco back, flinched at that.

It gave him the perfect opportunity as he, without hesitation, rebelled and stood
flat on his feet. He turned around quickly, reaching for his wand to end the
suffering around them.

Theodore laid in tearing pain on the floor. He didn't own an ounce of strength.
The curse of the dark mark scored through his veins as the ink embedded into his
skin more firmly. He couldn't watch as Draco tore two of the men to pieces.

He didn't want to.

As Draco turned around, ready to make the third one pay for his deeds — he had
already fled the scene, and instead of running after him, Malfoy kneeled beside
Theodore.

His eyes bolted in hurt for the brunet, and his skin shivered.

Draco knew that Theodore wasn't capable of handling the mark. He was too
pure. This was nothing to someone so wicked as himself, but to a boy like the
one, now resting forsaken on the floor — it was a disaster.

''Nott,'' Draco swallowed, hunching next to Theodore's body, ''Get up—''

Theodore remained silent. Not a word fled his hurting throat after minutes of
constant screaming. His breaths shallow, his eyes haunted, ''I don't—''

The ink stung, weighty, into his skin.

''Get the fuck up right now, Nott, before anyone else arrives,'' Malfoy's note held
stern. His brows furrowed as he yanked the boy back with a grip of his collar,
''We need to leave.''

He didn't want to treat Theodore this way, not when he was hurt, but he needed
to — there was no time.

''I know—'' Theo breathed, exhausted to a level that wasn't explainable. His legs
weakened, and the soring agony of what he had to live through caused his face to
twist into a grimace. The otherwise calming pupils heavily shifted in a drained
mantle, ''I'll try—''

''For fuck sakes, Nott.'' Draco dragged Theodore up by his coat, his fingers
clenched tightly around the material, standing on his feet before his wand raised,
and they — through Draco's Magic, ended up back at the Manor.

Malfoy shoved Theodore away from him, looking at the brunet as he stumbled,
''Hell, Nott. What were you thinking?'' He shouted. The foyer shifted dimmed.
Hours had passed since they first left the house, ''I told you to protect yourself,
and you get yourself caught instead? Without your bloody mask on?''

Theodore stretched his spine as straight as he could, and his eyes leveled
Draco's. Tears shredded in the corner of them, ''I'm sorry, I didn't—''

''Sorry?'' Draco scoffed, hissing irritatingly as he rushed both of his hands

through his slightly damp hair, ''You're sorry? What if they killed you, yeah?
What is Amelie supposed to do?'' His hand marked towards the stairs, gesturing
to the girl resting in his room.

''So careless, Nott!'' He yelled, marching over to the drink cart that stood,
covered in dust against one of the walls. Draco's hands closed around a bottle,
blowing the filth of it before he ripped the stopper off with his teeth, and he
poured a glass full of the shimmering alcohol.

It tasted bitter in his throat. He swallowed the biting sense, cocking his head to
stare back at Theodore, who stood startled, scared almost across the room.

''Sorry—'' Draco seethed, rolling his tongue on the inside of his mouth. A thin
layer of sweat collected on his forehead, ''Tell that to your father when they
come for him to seek vengeance. That's why I didn't want them to see your
bloody face, Theodore—''

Draco's voice shifted violently louder. He couldn't keep himself together.

''That's why I cursed that fucking mask over your face so that they wouldn't see
you, but of course, as the brilliant boy you are, you found some fucking way to
mess it all up—'' His eyes flickered,

''What about Amelie, yeah? She can't fucking lose you, Nott. What if she lost
you? What if they did more to you than give you that bloody mark—'' Draco
shouted, his note tore apart as he, without thinking, threw the glass back down at
the drink chart.

Glass, liquid, ice cubes shattered everywhere as Draco placed both of his hands
on the wall above it. Some pieces of the broken material splattered up and cut his
skin. His chest rose and fell so massively, but he couldn't care.

It was a crumbling mess within him. He needed to focus — to try and think
straight.

''I'm sorry!'' Theodore yelled back, his hands gripped the roots of his own hair,
constantly flinching every time Malfoy made a move. He was terrified, ''I am
sorry, Draco. I tried. I tried to do what you taught me, but it was dark, and that
man came out of nowhere—''

Theodore's speech hewed off by a sob, ''I tried—'' He reached his sleeve up to his
cheeks, drying the fallen tears, ''I tried, and I wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry I
never wanted to put my father or Amelie at risk, I'm—''

Before Theodore could even continue his words, Draco stormed closer, halting
only inches away for moments. He just stood, tall in front of him, his face
stoned, and no emotion was shown. Theo's eyes closed, and he couldn't level that
disappointed look Draco held.

''I'm sorry.''

''I'm sorry.''

''I'm sorry.''
He seemed so angry with the brunet before he — without truly thinking himself,
wrapped his arms around Theo's breaking figure.

It hurt him tremendously to hear him blame himself.

Draco understood that this wasn't Theo's fault. He didn't mean to weigh the boy
with it, but he was scared too. Draco was terrified of losing him. He'd grown to
be one of the only people Malfoy could trust — and the thought of him, hurting
or even worse — caused Draco's jaws to clench.

He didn't want to imagine a life without Theodore, and he refused to think about
Amelie's life without her Teddy.

It wasn't imaginable.

But what Draco failed to realize was that Theodore couldn't see a life without
him too. More feelings than he let on, was held for the blond.

Theo's arms clung around Draco as well, sobbing into his shoulder as Malfoy
patted his back, ''I know,'' He mumbled, ''This isn't your fault, Nott. It's mine. I
shouldn't have brought you there, and I shouldn't have yelled at you.''

''No—'' Theo gasped, shaking his head, ''It is my fault, and if I just would've
listened to you...'' His insides crashed, and he felt more than dizzy. It was turning
overwhelming for the boy,

''Nott, damn it,'' Draco muttered at the failing state Theodore found himself in,
keeping him steady on his feet, ''Here—''

_____

Narcissa was seated in the armchair, right next to Amelie, as her eyes flickered
over the pages of her book. She was reading out loud to the unconscious girl.
She believed that it calmed her, even if they weren't set on if she was able to hear
them.

Her book slammed shut as she caught grunting and low words from downstairs.
Her spine stretched, and she sat up properly in her seat, ''Looks like the boys are
home.'' She stood up, bending over Amelie as she placed a kiss on the top of her
head, ''I'm sure that Draco will be up here any minute.''
Narcissa rushed downstairs, her steps hurried, and her breaths hitched as she
watched Draco help his friend to sit down on a chair next to the kitchen island.
Both of them held completely quiet.

''Draco...'' His mother pleaded, but the blond didn't even snap his head. His eyes
glued on Theodore as he strode up to the sink, pouring cold water into a bowl
together with a cloth.

''What happened?'' She asked again, quieter now. In the realization that
something went terribly wrong, ''Did any of you get hurt—''

Her hand slapped over her mouth as she gasped at the sight of Draco, tugging
Theodore's sleeve up, revealing the mark, inked to his skin, ''Oh, dear.''

''Yeah,'' Draco mumbled, dipping the towel in the water before sending
Theodore a slight nod, gesturing for what he was about to do, but Theo couldn't
care — in his world, he'd already lost.

Malfoy swiped the fabric over Theodore's skin, causing the brunet to hiss
through his teeth at the burning feeling, ''It's alright. It will cool down in a few
minutes,'' Draco assured him, still brushing over the wound.

''It hurts a lot the first few days. With the mark, darkness alliances, but you won't
feel it. The cold water usually helps.'' Malfoy talked slowly, not to overwhelm
the boy, ''I got mine a year ago, back in school, and I used to take a lot of cold
showers just to ease the pain, but it will give in, I promise.''

The mark shifted, and the signature in it lingered, ''I just want to see Amelie.''
Theodore whispered, his head hung. His skin paled, ''Can I see her?''

''Of course, dear,'' Narcissa strolled to the other side of him, her hand stroking
his back to provide comfort, and her face fell into a harrowing cloak, ''I was up
there with her for hours, no changes.''

Draco cocked his head, staring intensely at his mother for a short minute, and it
was as if Amelie fled his mind for just a second in all the worrying about her
best friend before it all came crashing down on him again.

''I'll take you upstairs,'' Draco put the towel down, his arm crossed Theodore's
shoulder as he helped him up on his feet again, ''Stay with her for the rest of the
night. She could use your company.''

Theodore nodded, stumbling next to the blond up the stairs, down the hall before
Malfoy shoved the door open, and there she was — the girl, who even in a deep
sleep like this one — stole his breath, right out of his chest.

Draco helped him settle down next to her, tucking them both in between the
sheets before he strode around the bed. He hunched next to her. His nose trailed
along her jawline as he breathed her in.

''I love you, and I'll be back tomorrow.'' Malfoy whispered, placing a kiss on her
forehead, ''We need you, Amelie.''

Theodore looked after Draco as he closed the door behind him, and he huffed.
They laid in utter silence for minutes as the room shifted darker. His eyes got
used to the dimness.

He didn't say anything. The tips of his fingers traced over his mark, and it stung
every now and then, but it wasn't the pain that ached — it was the fact that he
felt beaten. That he'd lost.

Theo turned to his side, facing his best friend in the gloomy room, tucking his
hand underneath the pillow to prop himself up even better. He didn't speak at
first, not because he didn't want to — but he didn't know what to say. He wasn't
clear on how he was supposed to address this.

How could he possibly tell her that he'd failed her?

He felt like that. As if he'd failed her by not being strong enough — not standing
against the mark and the Death Eaters granting him with it.

''Do you remember that night...''Theodore whispered, uncertain and a bit

ashamed to someone hearing him, ''The night Adrian cheated on you with Pansy,
and you came to my room?''

Theo's fingers tensed around hers, ''Do you promise to stay with me forever,
then?'' He reached their hands up in between them, gently planting a kiss on the
spine of hers,

''Forever, Teddy.''
Amelie flinched as he propped himself up on his elbows, rolling over to the side
so that he almost laid on top of her, ''No matter what?''

She smiled at him. The brown strands of hair were a complete mess upon his
head, ''No matter what, Theo.''

His eyes narrowed, his breaths hitched, and she could see that flash of fear
flicker in his eyes — even if he didn't tell her, she knew. She knew how much all
of this frightened him.

Theodore never wanted this. He never wanted the mark or the legacy his friends
craved to get. He wished to live in peace, to do what he dreamed of,

''Promise me you won't let the mark change me, Amelie.'' His head sunk to the
crook of her neck, ''Please don't let it change me.''

''I would never let anything change you. You know that.'' She mumbled into his
hair, scrunching her nose at it tickled it, '' I promise you that.''

''Maybe we should just run away together?'' She whispered. His head arched as
he looked at her confused, and his eyes pooled.

''Would you do that for me?'' He smiled through his pain, ''Would you actually
run away with me?''

Her hands brushed through his hair, ''You know I would do anything for you.''

He faltered for a second as if he was waiting for her to say something back, to
respond and tell him what to do, even if she never asked for it — she usually did
that, state her opinion before he even asked a question.

That was only one of the hundreds of things he adored about her. Another one
was the fact that she used to hum as she read. He loved that. It eased his
overworked mind.

Theodore never showed it, but his thoughts were worn, his mind drained, and it
had been for years, but those soft, silent sounds she made as she flipped through
the pages, stilled it all. Amelie knew that — even if he never told her, she knew,
and that was the sole reason for her to keep doing it.
''You said we should run away together...'' His pulse quickened at the thought of
it, how easier it would have been if they did as they wished, ''You promised to
that it was the two of us, but now I am here, all alone again.''

His eyes dragged across her as he carefully took her hand in his. Amelie didn't
give much reaction to it. Her hand felt heavy in the palm of his as his thumb
traced circles on her skin, ''I remember asking you about the mark, and how I
never wanted you to let it change me,''

Theo swallowed a sob, gently stretching her hand up to his mouth as he placed
soft kisses on the spine of it, ''But I can feel how it's changing me already—''

Tears stung in the corner of his eyes, ''I need you,'' His voice quiet, muffling the
sounds of his cries. He hasn't been this close to her, alone in so long. Draco was
utterly protective of Amelie, but now he was — and he felt as if he could breathe
again.

''I miss you, and I need—'' He gulped on another sob, his lips quivered against
the skin of her hand, ''I need you, so please Amelie, come back to us.''

''I can't do this without you.''

Theodore squinted, doing everything he could to cut the running tears, but it was
in awe. He couldn't stop crying.

''You said—'' He didn't smile through his pain anymore. He was drowning in it,
''You said that we were going to run away together,'' Her hands didn't brush
through his hair, ''You said that you would do anything for me.''

The hot tears rolled down his drained skin, and he wondered if it ever would be a
person out there to dry his suffering. He was always the one to fix everyone else
— and he stayed behind shattered.

Theodore had to go through most of his life, watching as his best friend was
beaten and hurt. He couldn't do anything. God knows he tried, but their lives
were bounded. He lost her twice and watched her fall in love with someone that
could never deserve her, but he changed his mind.

He mastered to love Malfoy too, even if he took her away from him — even if
he lied and locked her up against her will, he put himself and his values aside for
her to be happy.

He stayed with them, protected them, helped them through it all, only for Amelie
to be able to find the peace she so well deserved. He would always be there for
her, to save her from herself every time, and he had been, for years.

It was always going to be her to him — just like it was him to his mother. He
prized friendship, loyalty, honesty. He had the biggest heart, and it had ever been
filled with Amelie, but now — now Draco earned a place in it too.

It felt good in the most heartbreaking time to Theodore. He finally had, after
nearly 18 years on this planet, found his home — his family in both of them.
Perhaps soulmates actually exist. He surely hoped they did.

''I love you,'' Theodore mumbled against her hand, calming his stressed breaths,
''I love you so much, and I need you to come back to us because we need you.''

The tears had finally stopped running, and his eyes gazed over her heaving chest
underneath Draco's covers, ''I'm falling apart without you and Draco he's—''

He faltered, squeezing his eyes shut, ''He's been through a lot these days,
acceptance won't work for him, so he just—''

His entire face twisted in agony, and his veins ached, ''He's not well, none of us
are, and we need you here to make it better. Draco has been doing something
that I can't tell you just yet, but you need to come back.''

Theo's breaths ragged again. His lungs tightened. He missed her so much.

''Just come back, please—'' His head fell to rest on her slightly chilly shoulder,
''Just come back. I don't know how to do this without you.''

The mark inked in his arm stung, and he gasped lightly by the blasting pain,
clocking him out of the heartbreaking thoughts he held of his best friend.

''It will change me...'' He said as he traced a finger over the signature, noticing
how the embedded snake unnoticeably linguried, ''I know it will, and I need you
to be here, to keep me sane, to keep Malfoy and me sane in all of this madness.''

He was whispering, ''I know Malfoy has it, and he's strong enough, but I don't
think I am...'' His locks tickled his forehead as he huffed, ''And I really need you
to cut my hair, so please—''

The ache in his chest was worse than anything — the mark he made sure to
handle, but the missing of her was unbearable.

''Don't leave them, Draco.''

Theodore's head snapped, staring straight at the door as he caught Narcissa's

voice from down the hall. Stumbling steps echoed after severe ones.

''Don't leave them like this. It can wait, at least wait until she wakes up.''

''No, I need to do this now.''

''Draco, listen to me, son. There isn't a thing that's more important than for her
to wake up, and I know you're infuriated, but if she wakes up and you're not here
—''

''I'm going. Nott sleeps next to her tonight, and I'll be back in the morning.''

''Draco, this needs to stop, all this vengeance and all this killing,''

''It stops when I say so, and I don't say so until she's back with me.''

Theodore gulped, holding on tighter to his friend in the darkness as he heard the
yelling.

''She is back with you. She's right here, Draco, but you're not, and if you come
back and it's too late—''

''I'll be home in the morning."

_____
 Sixty-five

_____

''No one saved me until you did.''

_____

Heartbreak kept on drowning around them. Draco was held in a chaotic battle
between wanting to leave the house and stay still with Amelie. He didn't know
what was for the better.

He was sinking so far beneath the surface in the missing of her that he didn't
know if he'd ever make it back up. He was constantly buried in the loss of her.

It was hard to fall asleep, to wake up when he finally found a moment of rest
because he dreamt — and he always dreamed of her. He didn't want to leave that
protected, safe place in his mind.

Draco wanted to be there with her. In his world of imagination, where he was
able to love her freely, unconditionally without ever being questioned. He felt
her next to him, her skin brushing against his at night, but it wasn't the same.

She was here, but she wasn't.

It pained him tremendously — so much that he'd put the warmest temperature on
in his shower, nearly burning his skin just to feel something, but not even that
caused the blond to get in phase with his emotions.

He was a wreck without her.

It wasn't human to feel this way. To have her so close, still with such a distance
between them.

Draco turned around, facing her in the darkness as he watched with the small
flicker of moonlight lightening up the room, how her chest rose and fell. It felt
like it was all he could do, make sure that she was still breathing.

''I miss you,'' He whispered, trailing the tips of his fingers over her arm, ''It's
something I never thought I'd say to anyone, but I do...'' The goosebumps coating
her skin caused a slight arch in the corner of his mouth, ''I do miss you.''

He was breathing lightly, feeling nauseous at the loss of her, ''I have nightmares
again,'' He confessed to her unconscious self. He never spoke about his haunted
dreams.

''I have nightmares again, and I could really need you right now,'' His heart
ached, the pain of it flushed through his veins, ''I need you to ease my pain like
you always said I eased yours.''

He still — somewhere in the constant disbelief that she'd failed to wake up,
hoped that she'd answer him, even if he knew she wouldn't. It was as if a piece of
her, living inside him, kept that wish alive.

''I need you to ease my pain, Amelie. I don't know—''

He didn't want to speak. He didn't know what to say because he didn't want to
bother her, but he felt as if he could be honest with her. As if he could speak his
truth and she'd never judge him.

Amelie never did. She never deemed him for what he was. He never spoke much
about it, he didn't open up to anyone about the dark secrets he carried, but he still
understood that she saw it.

That she was more than well aware of what he'd done and who he was — but she
still cared for him the same. Amelie was wise like that. She didn't convict before
listening and knowing the brutal truth.

She never held him accountable for what he did in her absence and before she
met him. She knew of him, and she carried the reality of him being the boy he
was — but she didn't push him, not once.

She held so much grace for being as haunted as she was. She was an angel living
in everyone else's hell, and Draco could never compare to that, nevertheless
understand it.
He could never grasp just how selfless she was, how much she put everyone else
above herself, no matter how sinful they seemed to be. Her heart was gentle, so
soft that it constantly melted at the caring of people around her.

That always seemed to be her price to pay, everyone in this world, everyone in
her life using her for it.

''I've done things before I took you here before you disappeared after you were
gone, and now...'' It was hurtful, admitting to himself what he was — what he'd
done to other souls in the protection of hers.

''...and now I've done worse.''

It hurt, confessing to what he was about to, ''Something happened to Theodore

and I couldn't—'' Aching pain sored through him, ''—and I couldn't do anything.
It was the first time I've ever felt so helpless. I was just lying there, while he...''

Malfoy couldn't tell her about this without her mind being present. He didn't
know what it could do to her in her sleep.

It was so quiet in the mansion. Not even the birds that would start chirping at the
morning rise did so anymore. Everything was carried in devastation.

''I don't know why—'' Draco swallowed, gently pulling his touch on her arm
away as he tucked his hand underneath his pillow, ''—I don't know why I turned
out this way. Why I became this horrible person but I did. In the beginning, I
was forced into it. You know how my father gets, and you know how your father
was...''

It struck him again as his insides coiled in pain. He had killed her father, even if
he didn't regret it now — even if he truly believed that he did the right thing,
robbing her father of his pathetic excuse of a life, it still hurt because she loved
him all the same.

She was mad, she didn't look at him in the way she used to for days after she
found out, but she let it go — she let her own suffering slide to save Draco from
his.

It was always him to her.

''But after a while,'' He huffed to himself, closing his eyes, and he focused on her
breathing, ''After a while, I faded into what everyone expected me to be. I turned
colorless in a world full of shades, and I just...''

He sighed, reaching for her hand.

''I just let myself cave. I became the monster I was meant to be, and I did all of
the things no one thought I'd do, only because I didn't have anything or anyone.''

His fingers tangled with hers, and he carefully traced them up to his lips.

''No one saved me until you did,''

He kissed her knuckles.

''You saved me when I was meant to take everything away from you, and it
made it all so clear that I don't have to be what everyone else expects of me
because you're not. You had the same fate as I did. The same father, the same
childhood and still...''

Even if he knew the words to speak it, to explain her strength out loud — he
couldn't because when it came down to it, every word failed to compare to her.

''And still, you are you...'' His breaths fanned the spine of her hand, ''My
Amelie.''

He let her arms rest across her chest again, and he propped himself up on his
elbow, gazing over her angelic self.

''I don't know why I'm telling you all of this, but it's just...'' He mumbled, leaning
closer as he kissed her head, ''It's just you.''

Draco didn't speak another word. He laid down on his back again, dragging the
silk over his exposed chest, and he fell asleep to the sound of her breathing. It
was the most soothing thing to him, knowing that she was still alive.

_____

''You're not going alone.'' Theodore yelled out, standing stubbornly in the
doorway, ''How many times am I supposed to tell you? You're not going alone.
That's the end of it.''

Draco's neck snapped, inhaling sharply through his nose, and he did everything
possible not to let all of his emotions out on Theodore, ''Who do you think you
are? My father? Someone in charge? You couldn't even defend yourself, and
now you have that bloody thing on your arm. How am I supposed to explain that
to her?'' Draco's hand gestured towards Amelie, still sleeping on his bed.

''How am I supposed to tell her that I was stupid enough to let you come along?''
His exposed chest heaved as he forced himself off the mattress, ''She's been out
for a week, Nott. One damn week and we managed—''

''We?'' Theodore frowned, crossing his arms, ''What do you mean we? You
mean, you.''

Draco's mouth dropped, holding onto the firm edge of not exploding right there
and then, ''Me?'' He shouted, ''How is you not taking out your bloody wand, my
fault? The only reason you got that mark was because you couldn't defend—''

''Oh no, it's not we anymore, it's me?'' Theodore took a step forward, glaring
evilly at the blond, ''I just don't think it's fair to her that you go out there alone.
What if you get killed? You need help.''

Draco's jaws gritted, his bare muscles clenched. He knew that if he even spared
Theodore as much as a glance right now — he'd kill him too.

''And not to think about you,'' Theodore pointed towards him, ''Keeping the two
of us in the dark about searching for her mother.''

Draco marched up to his closet, violently slamming the doors to it open, and he
dragged out a shirt, threading it over his arms and buttoning it in furious silence.
Every move was rough.

''Are you not going to say anything else? You're just comparing me getting the
mark to you being killed—''

''You need to shut that bloody mouth of yours, right now.'' Draco warned him,
still not meeting his eyes, ''You have no clue about what I have done or not, so I
suggest for you to stay out of it. I managed almost three months without you
putting your nose where it doesn't belong. I think I'm more than fine without
your concern, Nott.''

''What about her?'' Theodore strode up to the bed, making Draco's arms flung out
in the air by the lack of privacy as Theo noticed, ''No, don't do that. She's my
best friend too. I shouldn't have to ask to come in here—''

''No, but it's our room, hers and mine. I certainly don't appreciate you storming
in here in the morning to yell at me,'' Draco stated, marching up to the other side
of the bed, ''You can't just come and go as you please.''

''Hell I can,'' Theodore's face fell into a grimace, nearly a mantle of hurt, ''I am
allowed to see her too, and this isn't even about that—''

''Then why did you make it about that?'' Draco questioned, his tone dangerous, ''I
don't have to answer to you. What I do, and who I choose to look for, isn't any of
your business.''

Theodore's sight dropped, and his heart ached as he looked down at her, ''She
deserved to know. It's always her being kept in the dark Malfoy, how do you
think she'll take this? Knowing that you lied to her even before—''

''Don't,'' Draco snapped, raising a threatening hand in the air to hush the brunet
down, ''Don't you dare speak for me. You don't know what I told her or what I
kept from her.''

''Well, she certainly didn't know about you looking for her mother on your own,
she would've told me,'' Theodore fired back, frustrated that he thinks his own
best friend would lie to him, ''This isn't fair, I'm looking out for her, but you're
only looking out for yourself.''

Draco's hands flew to his hair, desperately tugging it back as his eyes widened,
''Are you out of your mind? I'm protecting her! I've always—''

''Oh, you mean like you protected her when you kidnapped her?'' Theodore
hewed him off, shaking his head disappointingly, ''Or when you lied to her to get
her memories, or when you beat the life out of me, or when you killed her father
—''

''That is fucking enough, Nott. That is more than fucking enough,'' Draco
swallowed his loud voice, talking so calmly that Theo believed him to be mental,
''I'll give you one chance to get out of here right now, one chance.''

''Or what?'' Theodore kept his note severe, ''Are you going to—''

''What on God's earth are the two of you doing?'' Narcissa whispered harshly as
the two boys flinched around to watch her, ''Enlighten me, please.''

Her hands gripped her waist, and her head shook angrily, ''Because if you two
are doing what I think you are, I will lock you both out of this room, and neither
of you will see her.''

Draco gulped, his face shifted in slight fear as Theodore slowly backed away
from the bed.

''This is unacceptable,'' Narcissa strode up to the bed, glaring both of the

Slytherins down so viciously that shivers trailed their spines, ''Where do you two
find the audacity to act like this in front of her? You can fight everywhere in this
house, but you will not—''

Narcissa had to restrain herself from yelling as she stroked a soft, motherly hand
over Amelie's cheek, fixing the covers, so it fell smoothly over her body. She
was so careful with the girl's unconscious self.

She bent back up, wavering her hands in the air for them to walk towards the
door, ''I will not have you fight like animals when she is in this state. I am
ashamed of you, both of you. Now leave this room, and don't come back until
you are ready to apologize to each other and her.''

Draco wasn't used to see his mother like this. He was held in a mess between
doing as he was told and completely disobey her.

''Don't even think about it, Draco.'' Narcissa hissed after him, ''I know what
you're thinking, and you're not going to fight Theodore anymore. You'll listen,
and you'll talk to each other...''

Draco's eyes rolled, marching further down the hallway with Theodore walking
beside him. Both of them stormed down the stairs and didn't stop until they were
standing in the kitchen, staring evilly at each other from across the kitchen
island.
Malfoy cursed underneath his breath, so did Theodore, and it turned so utterly
silent again — so quiet that it almost suffocated them for minutes as they let go
of the hatred they held upstairs.

Theo's head shook slightly as he dragged a chair out, slipping down at it, ''I just
—'' He scratched the back of his neck in theory, a fury between whether he
should admit to being wrong or stand his ground, battled within.

''I just think it's unfair,'' Theodore's sight grounded at his own hands as they
rested on the table, ''I think it's unfair that you get to look out for her and me, but
when I'm doing it, I'm in the wrong?''

Draco's jaws gritted, the muscles in them ticked.

''It's unfair that no one is looking out for you, and I want to help you,'' He sighed,
his elbows crossed the woods as he placed his forehead onto his palms. Theo
didn't have the strength to fight anymore.

''Don't you think it hurts me to see Amelie like this? That I can't do one single
thing to help her? Don't you think I feel useless and helpless and everything in
between too? She's my best friend, Malfoy. She was my best friend long before
you came into the picture, and we have always looked out for each other—''

It was close to tears, prickling in the corner of his eyes, ''Now imagine not being
able to do that anymore, because you are shutting me out. I have always
defended you with her. When she didn't want you in the cabin, when she tried to
convince herself that she wasn't in love with you, when she didn't trust you—''

Draco couldn't do anything but stare at him blankly.

''I have always tried to help her realize her true feelings, but I'm not allowed to
anymore, because you won't let me,'' His voice breathy and his vocals calmed, ''I
am more than happy that she has you because she needs you in her life, but you
need to understand that she needs me too. You can't keep shutting me out.''

Theo's chin rose, settling in the palm of his hand instead, ''She's mine too, and I
would never take her from you, but just as much as you need her — I do too.''

Malfoy was shocked — startled to say at least with Theodore's confession.

He had no clue that the boy felt that way, but he realized that it might be his fault
because he never listened. Theodore was right. Draco was unusually protective
of her — all because he'd lost her so many times.

He was always in the loss of her, but so was Theodore.

It wasn't a struggle about her anymore — it was a battle for her.

Draco nodded, making a few blond strands of hair fall over his forehead. It had
grown longer — his hair since Amelie wasn't there to cut it.

That someone could miss something as simple as a haircut was crazy to him, but
he did. He missed her frowning as she stood on her toes, doing absolutely
everything she could to reach the top of his head, how her tongue slipped out
between her lips as she focused, and the small kisses she left upon him.

It was her touching him that caused the most heartbreak. Amelie had always
feared being touched. Draco remembered at the beginning of them, how she
flinched when he came close, but also how quickly she stopped.

Amelie always expressed her feelings through touch with the ones she loved,
and Malfoy swallowed thickly at the thought of it.

''I know,'' He muttered, breathing heavily, ''I know that I have been...protective
of her, but can you truly sit there and blame me for it?''

Now it was Theodore who held in silence.

''Every time I've had her, she slipped between my fingers, Nott. Every damn time
I was close to finally having her, she disappeared, something always comes in
between and I can't—''

His teeth clasped together, ''And I can't do it anymore. I don't need anything but
her, and I'll be dammed if I don't protect her with everything I have.''

It was far from painless for Draco to speak as honestly as he did.

''I can't lose her again because every time I do—'' He gripped the edges of the
counter, his knuckles paled around it. His skin ashen, ''—every time I do, I lose a
piece of myself, and I can't lose anything else. I'm not trying to take her away
from you, I just— I'm scared—''

''She died for you, Malfoy,'' Theodore whispered, and Draco's eyes flickered to
his, ''She died for you, and she left me. That's how much she loves you, don't
ever question that.''

It was as if a breeze of clarity trapped them both as they looked at each other,
both slowly coming to the realization that they had to stop and think about what
they were doing to the other.

''She loves you too, Theodore,'' Draco broke the moments of quietness, ''I have
never seen anyone love someone as much as she loves you.'' His knuckles eased,
and his breaths calmed.

''Just not enough,'' Theodore's fingers combed through his brown curls, ''But that
only makes me love her more. She's...''

''She really is,'' Draco hushed as he exhaled, and it felt like a weight had been
lifted from his shoulders. The tension that embraced them softened, and they
didn't have to fight each other anymore.

''I'll bring you with me,'' Draco muttered, forcing himself back as he strode
towards the doorway, ''You can come, but you need to—''

''I know,'' Theodore nodded, ''I know.''

''I'll tell mother that we're leaving. Get yourself ready.''

Draco rushed up the stairs, stroking the palms of his hands over his clothed
chest, and he dragged a ring-clad hand through his hair as he pushed the door to
his room open, watching his mother in his armchair.

''So?'' Narcissa mumbled, turning a page of her book, not looking at her son,
''Did the two of you talk it out?''

Malfoy cleared his throat, muttering yes underneath his breath as he yanked his
suit jacket off the desk chair, tugging it over his tensed shoulders before he
stepped up to the bed, kneeling next to it.

He peered over his shoulder, sending his mother a swift look, ''We'll be out for
the rest of the day. We have...'' He quieted at the recollection that Amelie might
hear, ''Matters to deal with.''

''I see, just be home as soon as you can,'' Her note still accusing, not pleased at
all of what she'd walked in on earlier.

''I'll be right back,'' Draco whispered, pushing his lips into the side of her head,
''I'll be right back, and I won't leave for a few days.'' He forced himself up to his
feet again as his sight stayed on her.

Hell, he'd look at her all day if he could.

''Be careful, please.'' Narcissa called out for him as he stalked out of the room,
closing the door behind him, ''And keep an eye on Theodore.''

Narcissa huffed, smiling to herself as her sight dragged over Amelie, ''I suppose
it's just you and me today,'' She felt lonely, but she didn't entirely mind. She
adored sitting with Amelie during the days.

It felt good to her — feeling as if she was put to use.

She stayed there for what felt like hours and what soonly turned into the whole
day. It clocked her mind that the boys had been gone for far more time than
Draco had told, and she couldn't help but feel anxious.

Narcissa never had a problem with resting in stillness, but she did now — the
world was as uncertain as it could be, and with her son out on yet another
mission caused her skin to shiver. She had lost so much already. She couldn't
lose Draco too.

''Perhaps we should get you cleaned up for when the boys come back, should
we?'' Narcissa whispered, bending over the bed to brush some of Amelie's hair
away from her shoulders, ''I'll get the bowl.''

She strode into the bathroom, turning the water on as she picked out the right
towels.

She knew that Draco usually wanted to do this, but she couldn't help it. Narcissa
needed something else to think about. The bowl filled with heated water as she
poured a line of soap into it.
''Here we go, perhaps we can—'' Narcissa's entire face fell as did the bowl, and
the porcelain shattered across the ground.

Water and glass coated the whole floor as her eyes flickered. She couldn't
breathe, and her skin paled.

Narcissa swallowed the shock with tears pooling in her eyes, ''Amelie?''

Her eyes flickered over the bed, watching as the girl who had been asleep for
over a week turned her face towards her,

"Mrs. Malfoy?''

_____
 Sixty-six

This chapter contains violent actions. Please read with caution.

_____

''Teddy?''

_____

They traveled a long way this time. It wasn't just to the far end of London or
some abandoned house hidden in the massive forests.

Draco and Theodore stood in a backyard of a vast mansion. Malfoy knew to

come here after searching for properties belonging to his family. He understood
that his father was more tangled into the darkness than he was known to be, and
this Manor struck Draco's mind.

They spent much time out here when he was a little boy — when life was far
from complicated and when he enjoyed the life he was living.

That seemed to be all gone now, and his father had, during the past year, used
this as a safe house for Death Eaters, far away from the safety of their home.

Theodore peered around, nervously fiddling with the wand in his fist, ''Are you
sure about this? It seems a bit...suspicious, doesn't it?'' His tone low as he looked
back at Draco, ''I mean, why would they keep her mother somewhere your father
might be? He knows about Amelie and your mother and—''

''Shut up,'' Draco warned, frowning as he began to move slowly towards the
house.

''Perhaps I should wait here? I don't want to mess things up again.'' Theodore
stumbled behind him. His feet slightly sunk into the damp grass, and drops of
nature soaked his shoes, ''And it will be safer for you, not worrying about me—''
Draco halted, turning around stiffly to face the feared boy, ''If you want to stay
out here in the dark, then stay out here. I don't care, just keep yourself out of
harm's way.'' His eyes rolled off Theo as he rose to walk closer to the house
again.

Theodore stood in stillness, hearing how the night breeze scored through the
trees around him, and an owl sang into the gloominess. His skin shivered, and
his head snapped back and forth. Fear wavered as he quickly stormed after
Draco.

''Wait!'' He yelled in a whisper but was simply ignored by Malfoy, ''Just—'' He

groaned, hurrying his way after the blond.

''What?'' Draco spun around again, nearly causing Theodore to stumble back by
the swift action, ''What is it now? Too scary to be out here by yourself too?
Make up your mind, Nott.''

Theodore nodded hastily as he breathed out the shaking breath he'd been holding
in, ''I'm coming with you.''

''Then come with me, but stop stalling. I don't have time for this.'' Draco
marched forward, quickly stepping up the stairs to the empty balcony. Lights
flickered from inside, and shadows of moving bodies were shown.

Draco hunched underneath a window, poking his head up to peer through the
glass as Theodore followed the act, doing the exact same thing.

''What is this place?'' He whispered, ''I mean, who owns it? It looks a lot like the
Malfoy—''

''My father,'' Draco hissed, feeling as his veins bolted in anger and his heartbeat
rose to pound in his ears, ''It was something dear to us, many years ago but he—''
Malfoy swallowed the confession, and he stood tall on his feet, ''It doesn't
matter, let's get this over with.''

Theodore nodded, and he noticed how much pain flashed through Draco's
darkened pupils. How he pushed his lips together and how his head slightly
shook to free himself of the haunting thoughts regarding his childhood.

''If I take this side, you can take the other one, and we'll meet in the foyer,''
Draco mumbled, turning to stroll away from the brunet, ''They have their
meetings upstairs, so there shouldn't be a soul down here.''

Theodore gulped as he walked over to his side of the balcony, cracking a

window open. He jumped inside. He squealed as he got trapped in a curtain, his
leg wrapped in the fabric, and he nearly fell over.

''For fucks sake—'' Draco growled, marching over to him, gripping him roughly
by his arm as he got rid of the material holding him back, ''I gave you one thing
to do, one bloody thing, Nott, and you couldn't even—''

Theodore's eyes flickered. His sight grounded, embarrassed to what he'd done
and that he wasn't capable of clearing a task as simple as the one Draco granted
him, ''I'm sorry.''

Malfoy exhaled, his cold mantle softened slightly as he dropped his arm to the
side, ''Just don't— don't do anything. Stay behind me, and be quiet.''

They marched carefully across the main floor, up the spiral stairs to where Draco
believed the Death Eaters to be. He shoved Theodore in front of him, pushing a
finger up to his lips as he signaled for the boy to be quiet.

He strode against the two wooden doors. One held a slight crack for him to see
inside. He didn't falter, and he looked within the enormous room.

Masked men were seated around the table, but he failed to see both Amelie's
mother and the Dark Lord, only meaningless Death Eaters held in silence before
a chair scratched against the floor and a man with a cane and a hefty robe stood
up.

His wand shifted before his face, and in the following seconds — Draco lost the
air in his lungs. It felt as if he'd been robbed of it. He didn't know where to look
or where to focus as the blond hair upon the man fell over his shoulders.

He hadn't seen his father for weeks, nevertheless talked to him the past months.
Not that he regretted that decision. Lucius played an essential role in taking
Amelie away from him, and he toyed with her life — that didn't go unnoticed
with Malfoy.

To Draco — even if his father helped them at last, even if he gave them clues to
find her — to save both of their lives, he was still worthless. Someone not
trustworthy since he failed them so tremendously to begin with.

It hurt, even if his father made his choice and picked his side — it stung in
Draco's chest to see him, to hear his voice, and to come to the understanding that
if it ever came down to it — he had to kill his father too.

That wasn't a choice for him — nothing to be uncertain about. He would, in fact,
slaughter his father as mercilessly as he'd done to others.

He bent back, finding his way back to Theodore, and with a deep breath, the two
decided to stay put, waiting in case there was a way they could follow Lucius
and find her mother through him.

''Do we actually know if they have her?'' Theodore muttered, his knees dragged
up to his chest as he rested on the floor, ''Do you know if she was captured, or if
it was just something they said to make it—''

He gasped, stretching his arm out as the ink embedded in his skin began to
poison. Theodore rubbed in circles over his wound, doing what he could to ease
the pain.

''I don't know that, no,'' Draco stared down at him, jaws gritted at the hurt
Theodore had to go through. He'd been experiencing the same torture when he
was the one with a fresh mark, and it wasn't to play with.

''But I need to know. I can't just sit around and wait for something magical to
happen,'' He continued, attempting to gain Theodore's attention again, to take his
focus off the mark, ''Either they have her, or they don't, but either way, I need to
find her before—''

''Yes. I am well aware, but my son has yet failed to show himself. I don't think he
will be here tonight.''

Draco hunched, keeping his breaths shallow.

''That is truly a shame. The Dark Lord still wants him captured. He's too much of
a risk to everyone right now.''

''That's not an offer I'm willing to take. He may have done things, but he's still
my son, and I am not trading him to please the Dark Lord. My wife would never
agree to such a thing, and neither will I.''

Malfoy's eyes squeezed shut, and it hurt to hear his father talk about him.

''I understand that, Lucius. I'm not as certain that the Dark Lord will.''

''That is nothing I fear. I am staying loyal to him, and that should be more than
enough for our Lord to leave my son alone.''

''You can't disagree that he's been doing questionable things, Lucius.''

''I can, and I will. My son did what he had to do.''

''He murdered—''

''Yes. He did, but we took the girl away from him and not to mention the Dark
Lord, making him the loyal servant he wished for Draco to be.''

''I see. I will inform the Dark Lord that he failed to attend the meeting, and I will
try to talk him out of seeking the vengeance he craves, but Lucius—''

''Yes?''

''He will come for your son one day, and he will come for the girl. All I can give
you is time.''

It was a slight second of hesitation from Lucius.

''That is all I'm asking for.''

It turned silent again as Malfoy caught one set of steps as echoed down the stairs
while the other marched back into the hall. He didn't think clearly. The reality of
his father protecting both him and Amelie was too much for him to handle.

''What does this mean, Malfoy?'' Theodore whispered behind him, ''What does he
mean by that? He has her mother, why can't Voldemort just leave you alone—''

''Leave,'' Draco gritted, standing flat on his feet, ''I need to have a word with my
father, and you need to go back to Amelie.''
Theodore's face shifted into a look of agony. He shook his head, ''Absolutely
not,'' He pushed himself off the floor as well, ''I'm not leaving you here. You said
—''

''I managed before, Nott. Just go home, make sure that Amelie and my mother
are fine, and I'll be right there.''

''Malfoy—''

''Do as I say, Nott.'' Draco yelled out, his arms thrown in the air before he
gripped the ends of his roots, tugging the blond hair back, ''Just for once, do as I
say. This is something I need to do alone.''

Theo knew that he shouldn't. He shouldn't leave Draco, not like this, but he
didn't have a choice.

This seemed to be more than he knew about, and it wasn't his place. Malfoy had
taken on a dozen Death Eaters at one time and made it out in one piece.

With a loud sigh, he nodded, agreeing with the blond. He gripped his wand
firmly, ''Be careful.'' He mumbled as Draco stepped further away.

''Take care of them for me, and I'll be right back.''

Theodore did as asked, and he landed safely on the Malfoy property. He didn't
fear traveling through magic anymore. Draco had taught him how to pull
through without the sickness and the intimidating feeling of being ripped apart.

Draco felt the breeze of Theodore leaving as he shifted around, and he stalked
his way back to the hall. He slid the doors open with the wind stuck in his throat.
He was so nervous.

''Took you long enough,'' Lucius muttered, his palms upon the massive table as
his spine faced his son, ''I knew you'd be here, that this place wouldn't go
unnoticed to you.''

Malfoy's eyes flickered across the room, making it certain to himself that this
wasn't a trap. That his father didn't fool him yet again, but this looked nothing
like it.
This didn't feel like a trap to him.

''I wasn't sure I'd come,'' Draco cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes at his
father. The insecurity flushed within, and the doubt of what to do lingered, ''But I
need something from you.''

''Don't you always?'' Lucius sighed, pushing himself off the timber as he turned
around. The blond, sleek hair fell over his shoulders. His brows furrowed, and
his lips sealed, ''What do you want?''

Draco swallowed the hesitation and his fingers clenched around his wand, ''I
want to know where her mother is,'' His teeth gritted slightly. It was an
infuriating thought — his father, keeping Amelie's mother hidden.

''And how do you know I have her?'' Lucius rose a brow, the cane in his hand
repeatedly struck the floor, ''What if the Dark Lord has her? Or perhaps—''

''Don't lie to me,'' Draco hewed him off, ''Don't you dare lie to me when it comes
to her. You've taken enough from us.''

''So have you, son. Don't you understand what you've done?'' Lucius raised his
voice, slamming the cane to the ground entirely, ''You have put us all at risk,
your mother, yourself, miss Avery, Nott—''

His skin reddened in fury, and the veins on his father's neck popped out, ''The
things you have done embarrassed all of us!''

It flicked within Draco's doubtful mind, and he couldn't hold back his anger
anymore.

''What about you?'' He frowned, ''Why did I have to do the things I did? Did that
ever cross your mind? It's because of you!'' His chest began to heave, ''You took
her away from me. You let Adrian off his leash and now—''

He was divided. Not definite if he had the courage to speak his mind.

''She's alive. I'm well aware.''

Draco's face fell, his brows knitted, ''She's not—''

''Don't lie to me, son. If you ask for honesty, you must give it back.'' His father's
head shook as he turned around to the table yet again, ''I wasn't clear if they
knew about it, but I think they do.''

''How?'' Malfoy breathed, shakingly, ''How can they know? We haven't—''

''Because you don't quit it, Draco,'' His father's words caused him to feel more
than guilty, ''Why would you keep on searching for people? Why would you
bring Theodore to that complex last week? Because she's still alive. You're still
protecting her.''

Draco's mind battled. He couldn't wrap his head around it — he was careful. He
was always wary when it came to her. He made sure never to speak the wrong
terms or to give up any information, but it never scored his mind that him —
searching for her mother after he'd told that she was dead, would risk anything.

It never came clear to him, and it wrenched inside. He put her in harm's way,
once again, without even thinking about it.

''I didn't—'' He mumbled, still in awe within his own skin, ''I never meant—''

''I know, son, but things are changing and the way the Dark Lord...'' Lucius
paused, shutting his eyes closed, ''She's not safe, neither are you or your mother,
and I can't do much more than I already have to end this.''

''I'm not asking you to,'' Draco stated, stretching his spine and ignoring the pain
he felt, ''I never asked you to protect us, especially not after you were the one
taking her from me. All I want to know is where her mother—''

''We don't—'' Lucius yelled back, ''Everything isn't what it looks like, Draco.
Nothing is at it seems, but you need to leave before they come back.''

''I don't—''

''I will help you. You have my word, son, but I can't have you here at this time.
The Dark Lord will return any minute.'' Lucius strode toward his son as he
placed a hand on his back, ''I will contact you soon. Until then, stop this madness
before you make it worse.''

He knew that his father was right, correct to say at least. He couldn't stay here
without being caught. It ached through his veins as he met his father's eyes and
the drowning torture glinting in them.

He didn't look human anymore. His hair tousled, his beard had grown out, and
mauve circles shredded beneath his eyes. The cloak around his body hung. His
jaws held scrawnily.

''I will help you, Draco, but there isn't time—''

Yelling and muffled voices heard from downstairs as fright coated his father's
otherwise careless facade.

''I'll find you, now go.'' He urged, making Draco's breaths stressed. His pulse
quickened before he raised his wand, and he whispered ''apparate'' underneath
his breath.

_____

''Narcissa,'' Theodore called out for her as he walked through the front door after
leaving Draco behind, ''Narcissa, where—''

He hushed as he caught sobs echoing throughout the main floor. His heart began
to pound immediately, ''Narcissa, what are you—''

Theo stepped inside the kitchen. His eyes fell upon the lady sitting bent over the
kitchen island. Her head was buried in her palms. Her body shook violently as
she cried.

He marched over to her without questions asked, ''Narcissa, what—''

It struck him like a storm on a clear sky. Amelie.

He was just about to shift around and rush his way up the stairs when Draco's
mother gripped his arm, and her head rose from the hidden position. Her skin
ashen, stains of tears smudged underneath her eyes.

It felt as if his heart was being clenched in a strong fist, ''Where is she—'' He
choked on his own words, nervously as his eyes pleaded hers, ''Tell me what
happened, where—''
''I can't—'' Narcissa whispered, shaking her head in devastation, ''Where is my
son?'' Her hand flew up to her cheek, wiping the tears as best as she could, ''Why
isn't Draco with you?''

''Your husband...'' Theodore said quietly, ''Lucius was there, and Draco asked me
to come home in the meantime but—'' The waver of uncertainty nearly ached
within, ''Where is Amelie, what happened?''

Narcissa's eyes widened. The hurtful loops circling them blew out in total agony
as her sight lowered. She breathed in, harshly to gather the strength she knew
she'd need for this, ''You have to see it for yourself, but I think we should wait
for my son—''

''What happened?'' Theodore spoke up, louder this time. He didn't have the
patience to wait for Malfoy to return. It was his best friend and his right to know
what was wrong too, ''Tell me what happened, or I'll walk—''

''Follow me,'' Narcissa mumbled, brushing the fabric of her black dress off
before she stood on her heels, walking past Theodore. He followed her up to
Draco's room. Not a word shared on their way up there.

It was a feeling, a weight that held heavy in his chest as she halted right outside
the door, ''I don't know what to do, Theodore.'' Her eyes caught his, and the
desperation increased in them, ''You need to fix this.''

Theodore gulped, nodding hesitantly before her hand closed around the
doorknob, and she shoved the wood wide.

The fist around his heart eased with a breath, and he couldn't believe what he
was looking at.

It was her. Amelie, his best friend and the person he'd always wait for, sitting up
against the headboard in Draco's bed. She smiled bravingly at him, and her eyes
brightened.

''She's awake?'' He breathed out in relief, taking a step inside, ''She's awake—''

''Just wait...'' Narcissa quieted, still standing in the doorway as Theodore ran his
way up to the bed. Tears prickled in his eyes as he, without thinking twice —
threw himself over her.
''Amelie,'' He nearly cried, ''You're awake—''

He didn't waste a second, and for the first time, also an incredibly long time at
that, he didn't cry out of the misery anymore. This was happy tears — his eyelids
filled with the salty liquid.

''You're awake,'' He said again as he dropped his arms from around her and his
hands moved to cup her cheeks, ''You're here,''

''Teddy—'' Amelie squinted at his closeness, feeling as he pushed his lips against
her forehead, ''Teddy, what are you doing here?''

His veins iced.

Theodore felt an instant rush of skepticism as he leaned back from her. His
palms still rested on her jaws, and his eyes matched hers.

Amelie blinked quickly, ''Why are you here too? Did something happen?'' She
said, and it wrenched within to hear her voice. He hadn't heard it for months.

''Where is Adrian?''

Theodore's whole existence faded as if his soul fled his body and only an empty
shell remained.

''Teddy,'' Amelie whispered, slightly peering over at Narcissa, ''Why are we

here? Where is Adrian? I don't—''

His eyes shut. His hands fell off her skin, ''How long?'' He mumbled.

''She woke up two hours ago.'' Narcissa crossed her arms, ''She has been trying to
leave ever since, but I told her to wait for you.''

His eyes flickered to meet hers again, ''How far back?'' He questioned, trying to
keep himself sane.

''At least the past year.''

Theodore nodded slowly, and Amelie frowned, ''What is this? Why all these
questions? I don't—''
''What is the last thing you remember?'' He didn't answer her question. Instead,
he asked them himself.

Her head shook as she dragged her knees up, ''I don't remember—''

''Draco Malfoy.'' Theodore said, studying her every expression and the snatch in
her eyes as the name of him was brought up, ''Who is Draco Malfoy to you?''

''Why would you—'' She swallowed the dry taste in her mouth nervously,
tucking a curl behind her ear, ''Why would you ask me that? Malfoy has nothing
to do—''

Malfoy.

His heartbeat missed him because she called him Malfoy.

Amelie only called him by his last name before they got to know each other. She
referred to him as Malfoy because Adrian did.

''Would you mind if I—?'' He reached for his wand, holding it up between them
as an eased look fell upon her, ''I just want to look at something.''

Amelie nodded, her eyes hooded before she sealed them, allowing Theodore to
do as he wanted. He started mumbling, inaudible spells again, and the azure
strains of light edged off his wand.

He hummed at what he could feel and read before he gently burnt the light out.

''Well?'' Narcissa asked from behind them, ''What do we—''

''I'll be right back, alright, love?'' Theodore arched forward, pushing his lips
against her head again, ''I just have to talk to Mrs. Malfoy for a bit, and then I'll
be right back.''

''Can we go home?'' She replied, her note airy by the lack of speech the past
weeks, ''When you come back, I mean. Can we go home? I miss Adrian and all
of this—''

''I'll come back in a minute, alright?'' He stated again, making her bow her head
before her spine rested against the headboard again.
Theodore nodded for Narcissa to join him outside the room, and he closed the
door behind them. His hand grasped at his mouth, letting out the emotion he
needed to keep in chains before Amelie, but he couldn't hold it in anymore.

He sobbed out, heartbreakingly and Narcissa's eyes widened. Her arms wrapped
around him as she held his trembling body.

''It's—'' He gulped, trying to tame the missing breaths. A hand combed through
his hair in defeat, ''She's—''

''What did you see, Theodore?'' Narcissa whispered, still holding him, ''What did
you see?''

He took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with all that lost oxygen before he bent
back, collecting the pieces of himself.

''It's not magical. It's not something we did, it's her—'' He tried to stand steadily
on his two feet, ''It's her body. Imagine it. She saw Draco die after months of
being abused, and then she killed herself—''

His sleeve tugged over his fingers as he brought it up to his face, drying the
fallen tears, ''Her mind is shutting him out, I believe. She can't handle recovering
from this and remember everything that's happened at the same time, and it's—''

Narcissa nodded, her hair spilled over her shoulders.

''It's up to her. I can't do anything, but I don't think it's a good idea for Draco to
—''

''Mother!''

Both Narcissa and Theodore flinched, staring blankly at each other as they
caught the steps running up the stairs.

''Narcissa, he can't handle—''

''I know,'' She cut him short, forcing a smile as Draco rounded the corner,
marching towards them, ''Hi, dear—''

''What are you doing out here?'' Draco's brows dragged together. The scar across
his cheek still sored red, ''Why aren't you in there with her?''

Narcissa and Theo looked at each other, in a swift movement before they both
walked towards Draco, ''Why don't we go downstairs, and we can talk about
your father—''

Malfoy's hand raised in the air, gesturing for the two to stop what they were
doing, ''What happened?'' He snapped, his eyes crossing both of them. His pupils
darkened at the shortfall of answer.

''I asked, what happened—''

''Nothing,'' Theodore blurted out, his cheeks rosy in shame, ''Nothing happened,
we just have somethings to talk to you about—''

''Teddy?''

Draco's jaws gritted before his entire face fell, his breaths instantly stressed,
''What was that?'' His head shook, ''What—''

"What was that, Nott?"

''Malfoy...'' Theodore took a step closer, ''We need to talk—''

Draco's eyes glinted in tears, '' No,''

''No,''

''No,''

''No,''

He swallowed all the hurt and pain he felt for the past months, ''She's not
awake,'' He whispered to himself, ''She can't be, can she?''

Theodore sucked in a trembling breath, doing everything he could not to break

right there and then. It wasn't human. None of this was.

Draco thought that he finally had her again, that he, after all of this heartbreak,
finally at the end of it all, after everything they went through — got his Amelie
back.
That he'd worked hard and that he'd done everything to earn his way back into
her life, only to be greeted by her, not having one single memory of their time
together.

''Draco—''

''Don't—'' He inhaled, shaking his head quickly before he shoved his way past
them and his fingers squeezed the doorknob.

He had such high hopes.

It was them now, he believed.

He would lastly have the life he wanted, alongside her.

His Amelie.

It wasn't real. Nothing felt faithful to him at this point. His heartbeat hammered
inside the cage of his chest. He felt complete again. Amelie was everything to
him, the reason for it all, and he could finally rest now.

Draco pushed the door open, and he felt tears pooling in his eyes. His body
flushed in warmth by her — she was actually awake.

She was alive.

They had made it.

''Amelie?'' He whispered, in the total loss of any other words. Not a letter, a
vocal, anything, could measure up to her, but that rush of heaven he felt slowly
faded as her smile did.

He slightly frowned at the way she was watching him before he recognized it.

He could concede that flash of fear in her eyes from miles away. It was the way
she'd been looking at him before.

Before she got to know him, before he got to know her, before she fell in love
and dragged him right with her, before she learned her worth and before she
made him human, before he got to kiss her, before his heart beat with hers,
before everything, before them, before she became his Amelie.

His heart didn't fell — it broke.

''Malfoy?'' Amelie whispered, her features held in utter confusion, ''Why are you
calling me Amelie?''

Draco's eyes fell shut, and his whole world shattered.

_____
 Sixty-seven

This chapter contains scenes of emotional trauma. Please read with

caution.

_____

''Fix this.''

_____

Amelie's eyes flickered between the two boys. She didn't understand a thing that
was happening.

Why would Malfoy call her Amelie after not even once mention her by her first
name before? Why would he look at her with that small glint in his eyes? Why
would he stare at her as if he'd seen a ghost?

She couldn't wrap her head around anything. All she wanted was to go home.
She just needed to be back with Adrian. This didn't seem real to her — she
would never be in Malfoy's bed.

''What happened?'' Draco growled, snapping his head to look at Theodore. It was
more of a threat than a question, ''Why did she just call me Malfoy?''

Theodore gulped, but he wasn't fearful of Draco's harsh act. He was miserable,
and not even the blond's attempts to menace him — worked at this time.

''I'll talk to you downstairs, but Amelie needs her rest right now.'' Theo nodded
towards her, meaning for Draco to see how frightened she looked and that they
couldn't do this in front of her.

Draco's eyes caught hers again as she sat, with her spine against the headboard,
her knees hugged to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. She never
rested like that anymore. He knew that because he made her stop.
Amelie only sat in that position when she was still with Adrian, he'd noticed that
she did that thing with her legs and her arms when she needed to make herself
small — invisible, but she didn't have to do that anymore.

Not with Draco.

She stopped when she was with him, but now — now she wasn't anymore.

Her brows knitted slightly at the broken look of the boy standing in his black suit
in front of her. His wand in his fist as his jaws gritted, ''I'll be back,'' He
mumbled before he hastily turned around, shouldering Theo as he stormed out of
the room.

Draco marched all the way down to the kitchen, striding right up to the liquor
cabinet as he pulled out a clear bottle.

He didn't bother pouring it into a glass.

''Draco, dear,'' Narcissa gasped as she strode after him into the kitchen, watching
as her son ripped the stopper off and poured the biting taste of the colorless
liquid down his throat.

He didn't form a grimace. He simply swallowed it all before he threw the bottle
across the kitchen, leaning his back onto the counter behind him.

Theodore stepped through the doorway and nearly flinched by the sound of
shattering glass. He looked straight at him, narrowing green eyes in Draco's grey
ones, ''You're not seeing her again today, not like this, Malfoy.''

Draco scoffed, tilting his head away from them as he peered out the window,
''That's not your choice to—''

''Hell it is,'' Theodore spoke up, much louder, ''She doesn't remember—''

''Don't—'' Draco's jaws held sharp enough to cut through paper, his skin
reddened, ''Don't you dare say it.''

''Say what?'' Theodore fired back, ''The truth? That she can't remember
anything?'' His face was as cold as Draco's, and the daggers shooting between
them stung.
Malfoy hushed, his eyes sealed for a minute before peeling wide open again. He
looked back out the window, and the evening sun glimmered through the glass.

It wasn't raining.

''How?'' He asked, lowly, ''How did this happen?''

Theodore's glacial expression eased at the crackling in Draco's hoarse voice.

He couldn't stay mad.

"She died,'' He whispered, taking a few hesitant steps up to the kitchen island,
his palms against the wood, ''She died because she thought you did. She killed
herself, Malfoy, after being abused for months and when a mind is—''

He paused and took in a shaky breath, ''When a mind is overworked and toyed
with like hers was, it's hard to come back without consequences. All I know is
that it's not magical—"

''I know that Nott,'' Draco's hands settled along the edges of the counter behind
him, his knuckles paled, ''We have talked about it a hundred times, that she
might wake up different, but you said it wasn't magical?''

Theo nodded, understandably, providing Draco with the comfort he knew that he
needed, ''Her heart stopped, and when her heart did that, she stopped breathing
and the oxygen flooding through her lungs and through her blood, heaved, which
leads to damage to the brain. Her brain didn't get any air for minutes and with
that—''

''Comes consequences. So I've been told,'' Draco finished for him, still protesting
to look at the brunet. He sighed, tipping his head back as the alcohol he'd
consumed moments prior rushed through his veins.

''What do we do now?'' He mumbled, his eyes tormented and hodded, ''Do you
know how to—''

''I don't,'' Theodore bent over the island, ''But I will try,'' He sought to comfort
himself. He didn't feel as if anyone else did that for him.

He watched his best friend wake up clueless, too, misremembering everything

she'd worked so hard to master. In reality, losing everything that was her. She
was back on square one, and Theodore couldn't do a thing to fix it.

There wasn't a spell that could overcome nature in that way. There wasn't a trail
of words that could be hummed to reverse what her body was protecting her
from.

Draco's chest rose and fell violently at what he'd been through. He never seemed
to be able to rest. He was constantly in a battle between right and wrong when it
came to her — and now he didn't know what to do anymore.

''Boys,'' Narcissa caught their attention, making both of their necks snap to hers,
''I think it's for the best if we all just call it for tonight. You've been through a lot,
and so has she. We all deserve an early night for once.'' Her fingers grasped at
the ends of her sleeves, hesitant to if her son would agree.

Theodore nodded, his brown messy curls kissed his forehead, ''I'll stay with her
for the night, and we can start planning how to do this tomorrow.'' He pushed
himself back from the furniture, standing tall in the doorway, ''I can take her to
my room, and she can stay there—''

''Just—'' Draco finally looked at him again. His arms folded over his chest, ''Let
her stay wherever she wants. I'll sleep in the living room.''

He didn't want to sleep in their bed without her. He couldn't — only the thought
of doing so ripped his heart into pieces all over again.

''You don't have to—'' Theodore tried speaking, but Malfoy shook his head,
pushing his lips together.

''Let her sleep where she's comfortable. If it's in our—'' He halted on his words,
jaws clenched for a second, ''—our room, or her old one, or yours. It doesn't
matter. Just make sure that she's alright, and we'll talk about it tomorrow.'' He
agreed, truly against his will, but he couldn't put her through more at this point.

''Are you sure?'' Theodore frowned, puzzled as to why his friend contented to it
so quickly, ''We can try—''

''Just—'' He held his trembling breaths, gripping onto the counter tighter to not
let the soaring alcohol get the better of him, ''Fix this. That's all I want.''
Theodore hummed, his sight grounded before he turned around and walked out
of the kitchen. Leaving Draco and his mother in it.

Narcissa didn't speak much — mostly because she didn't know what to say. She
didn't know how to comfort him now. She didn't know how to soothe herself. It
was heartbreaking seeing her son lose Amelie over and over again.

She didn't understand how her son could be so strong in all of this, how he could
still stand properly with all the knives he'd taken to his back.

She truly admired him for that, for still trying.

_____

''Can I come in?'' Theodore knocked on the door, sliding it open to peer inside,
and there she was. Amelie hadn't moved a muscle since he left her up here,
''How are you—''

''What is happening, Teddy?'' She whispered, tilting her head down to watch the
tangled fingers in her lap, ''Why did you leave?''

He closed the door behind him, taking careful steps across the floor, ''I needed to
speak to Draco—''

''Why Malfoy?'' Amelie questioned. Her skin had faded terribly by her weeks in
a coma. Her eyes held blank as her hair fell lifeless, ''Why are we here, and why
did he just—''

A cough scored her throat, hewing her off as she traced the inner side of her
elbow up to her mouth, protecting the surroundings from her rasp.

''Amelie, may I?'' Theodore bowed his head towards the bed, gesturing for
himself to take a seat at the edge of it, next to her. She nodded her reply,
blinking quickly as he slipped down, facing her fully.

''I need to do something, and then I'll explain, is that alright?'' He asked her
softly. He saw that it was hard for her as her body held in a weak state to try and
grasp what was occurring around her.

''Is this more spells?'' She looked worried, clasping her fingers together harder.
She remembered how he used to practice healing upon her, and for Amelie, that
was not long ago — while Theodore recognized it to be years since he did that.

''It is,'' He whispered, shoving himself closer to her as he brushed a strand of hair
off her shoulder, and he mumbled his words, pushing his wand into the skin of
her neck. His eyes sealed all together, and he constantly nodded to himself —
understanding what he saw.

Amelie's features twisted into a slight grimace as she felt his magic rushing
through her. It stung and burned a bit in her chest, and she gasped at the feeling
of it.

''Are you alright?'' He muttered, through spells, ''You need to tell me if it hurts,''
He kept on humming, his lips barely moved as his eyes squeezed tighter.

''I'm okay,'' Amelie whispered, curling her fingers into fists to drag the attention
off the feeling in her neck and the sparking colors around her. The darkened
room lit up all different shades.

''I see,'' He quieted, concerned before he leaned back from her. His eyes
matching hers, ''I understand better now.''

Amelie's hand gripped the side of her neck, stroking over the red mark his wand
left behind, and she gulped. Her own sight flickered, ''What did you see?'' She
whispered, ''Why am I here? Did they do something to me—''

''No...'' Theo was rapid to answer, not wishing to increase the suspicion she held
for the Malfoy's, ''This has nothing to do with Draco and Narcissa. They have
been nothing but kind to us.''

Amelie huffed, her eyes glinted in pure confusion, and her cheeks didn't own a
stain of color. It was frustrating to her, trying to wrap her head around
Theodore's mystic words. Her heartbeat pounded, and her pulse quickened.

''But I need to ask you some questions,'' Theodore's head tilted, smiling shyly
towards her, ''If that's alright with you?''

''Yes, of course,'' Her view caught the room around her, letting its gaze across
the furniture of Draco's four walls, ''Is this really Malfoy's room? It looks
different, from how I imagined it...''
Theodore smiled wider, his gaze moved with hers, ''How did you imagine it?''
He shifted around in his position, crawling over the covers to rest next to her
instead.

Amelie's mouth twitched as her eyes narrowed. She still fiddled with her fingers
in her lap, ''I don't know... Adrian always says he's a bad person and that he's
always competing with him, so perhaps something darker?''

She smiled at the look of a robe hanging over one of the chairs, ''I have one of
those too, back at home,'' She stated before her neck arched and her head
dropped to his shoulder, ''Does Malfoy have a girlfriend now? Why would he
have a robe like that?''

It ached so badly within the cage of Theodore's chest. He knew it was her robe.
He knew that Draco usually slept with it when she'd been missing, all to feel her
scent and her closeness again. She truly didn't remember them.

''Where is Adrian?'' Amelie yawned. Her eyelids felt heavy, ''Is he coming here
soon?''

Theodore inhaled deeply to gather what he needed, but he couldn't — he didn't

know how to form the words he searched before her breaths slowed and her
body, a little bit at the time, gave into his.

She fell asleep on his shoulder, and he had no idea what to do.

_____

''Take place here, dear,'' Narcissa stretched an arm out for her, marking against
the table in the middle of the room, ''We fixed this little room for you, while you
were...'' She paused, her eyes pushed in an agonizing look, and her pupils
darkened.

Her shoulders sunk, ''...asleep,'' Narcissa forced a thin smile, ''Theodore needed
somewhere private to heal your body, and this was the best we could do.''

Amelie's eyes darted back and forth between Narcissa and the blank, metallic
table in the center of the four walls. She nodded quickly as she took tentative
steps up to it — the tips of her fingers traced along with the chilly metal, leaving
a soggy trail behind her.
''What am I supposed to do?'' Amelie looked back at the lady, studying the way
she was standing. Straight, tall, her fingers locked together behind her back as
her black dress fell utterly perfect around her.

''Theodore will be here any minute, and he'll help you,'' Narcissa gave her a
gracious smile, not as tender as the last one, but it still soothed within Amelie as
her sight dragged across the shelves covering the walls.

It surely looked to her as if Teddy would live his dream in here. The counters
filled with bottles of liquid, vials of herbs, and jars of instruments for him to use.
She frowned at the thought of it — why the Malfoy's would do all of this for
Theodore.

They didn't even know them.

''Is she here?''

''Yeah, mother took her inside, but I'll go now. I don't want her to see me.''

''Don't say that, Malfoy.''

Amelie peered over her shoulder, looking at Narcissa, who still stood by the
door and her cheeks feverish by the noise both Theodore and Draco were
making.

''I don't think it's a good idea for her to see me, and I don't want to pressure
her.''

''You need to be here for this. She doesn't remember, but that's for now. When
she gets her memories back, she'll remember how you weren't there for things
like this.''

''Nott, I don't—''

''Just stand in a corner or something, but show her that you're here.''

Amelie quickly turned around again, facing the vials as she caught steps
marching inside the room, and before she could inhale properly — a hand was
placed in her lower back, and she flinched.
Theodore jolted back of her reaction, and his insides wrenched.

He'd forgotten just how sensitive she was with another person's touch — after
meeting Malfoy and being with him in the way she was. She didn't fear human
contact, but she did now.

''I'm sorry, love. I didn't—'' Theodore's eyes snapped across the room, his
muscles ticked at what he'd done as he met Draco's heartbreaking stare.

"I didn't think—"

"No!" Amelie called out, her skin shivered, "I'm sorry, I'm not thinking clearly,"
Her limbs felt weak as she backed away from the shelves, closer to the table
again.

"You can lay on your back, and I'll just—" Theodore mumbled, pickling some of
the jars off the counter, "I'll get what I need."

She hesitated for several seconds. She wasn't used to this, and the fact that she
didn't know what he'd do to her was terrifying. Her hands shook as she settled
them against the icy surface and her body nearly coiled when her back struck it.

Amelie was only wearing one of Theodore's long shirts, and her thighs stung by
the coldness the metal brought, but she tried to keep an undoubtedly face,
holding her emotions inside when all she wanted to do was to cry.

The way both Narcissa and Draco rested against the wall on the other side of the
room caused it all to feel more frightening. In her mind — she didn't know them.

She didn't remember a thing that had passed the last year, but she, at the same
time, wasn't strong enough to ask any questions or speak against them. All she
could do was to obey.

Theodore walked over to the table, smiling comfortably at her as he turned on

the lamp hanging over her.

"What are you doing?" Draco gritted, his arms crossed and his jaws clenched. He
understood that she didn't recollect a thing about their relationship, but he still
felt a sickening waver as it rocked within at the way she laid exposed on that
table.
"Son," Narcissa whispered beside him, "Perhaps we should let Theodore do what
he does best and not ask questions."

She didn't see how Draco nodded. She only heard the quiet groan fleeing his lips.
Amelie gasped at Theo's hand stroking her arm, and her eyes lowered to watch
it.

"I will drag your shirt up a bit if that's alright. I need to see your scar," His head
tipped towards her stomach, and panic struck her every nerve, but she agreed.

Amelie trusted Teddy more than anyone right now.

His fingers grasped at the edge of the shirt she was wearing, and he gently
tugged it up, letting it rest at her ribs. He could clearly see how her breaths
ragged and her chest heaved.

His heart clenched, and so did Draco's. He knew how much she cherished
privacy when it came to her body and the marks on it.

It had taken her nearly a year to expose herself to Draco, and even then, she was
unsure about her wounded skin. He could never pressure her when it came to
that because she trusted him tremendously before all of this.

Amelie's lower lip quivered as Theodore's fingers brushed over her skin, and she
was on the far edge to tears, ''What scar?'' She whimpered, biting the flesh of her
inner cheek just to keep herself from crying.

''You don't remember the scar?'' Theodore's brows shifted upwards in a hastily
act before dragging back together in confusion, ''What is the last thing you
remember, Amelie?'' He spoke softly, providing her with all the calmness he
could.

''I—'' She swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth, ''I don't...'' Her eyes closed at
the warmth of his fingers touching her skin, ''School, right before we went on
summer break, maybe? When I was going home with you.'' She was so doubtful
of herself.

Theodore hummed in response, knowing that it took place three years ago, ''That
would explain it,'' He nodded to himself, attending to the other scar that had
faded into her pale coat — the wound she'd caused herself.
''What?'' Draco's eyes narrowed at the brunet, his shoulders were so tensed that
his suit jacked could rupture, ''What could explain what?''

''He—'' Theodore's sight leveled Draco's raising a brow as he mouthed the name,
Adrian, ''He didn't do that to her until we came back to school the following
year.''

Draco inhaled sharply at the thought of Adrian actually ripping a knife into her
stomach, leaving her injured and hurt behind. His blood fumed, and his breath
hitched in the back of his throat.

''Who did?'' Amelie whispered, ''Who gave me that scar?''

Theo's hurting stare flared up towards Narcissa and Draco again as both of them
shook their head at him.

They didn't want to overwhelm her more than she already was, and bringing
Adrian and his abuse into the question wasn't a thing either of them could handle
at the time.

''We'll talk about that later—''

''Where is Adrian?'' Her eyes sparkled in hope, ''I miss Adrian, he would be here,
and he'd—''

''No, love,'' Theodore gripped her shirt again, slowly drawing it down over her
belly, ''I'm done with the scars, now just let me—''

Amelie felt a rush of electricity through her body as her muscles stoned. The
panic grew with every inch of skin he touched, ''I don't—'' Her figure was
shaking violently, ''Just bring Adrian here, please. He'll know what to do, please
—''

The tears in her eyes failed her as they rolled down, and a sob cleared her throat.
She clutched at her stomach, ''Just bring me Adrian, he should be here—''

''Amelie, love, listen—''

''No!'' Her hand flew to her mouth, muffling the sounds of her sobbing, ''I want
Adrian,''
Draco's jaws gritted, tighter than ever as he watched her terrified self. His spine
arched off the wall, ''I can't do this. She doesn't want me here, and I can't—''

He was so close to tears himself.

She was right here. She was right where she was supposed to be — back with
him. He had her on an arms lengths distance, with no space between, yet she had
never been further away.

Narcissa tried to call after Draco as he stormed out, but he couldn't. He didn't
want to be there. He didn't want her to have to see him when she didn't
remember him.

It was all a neverending, spinning wheel of plain torture to him. Something he'd
never be free of. She was his Amelie. Still, she wasn't, and he could never blame
her for it.

This wasn't her fault.

Just as Theodore had explained it, her body was shielding itself. This had
nothing to do with Draco or the love she once carried for him. This was
everything else. Her heart still belonged to him, it always would, and his heart
was hers to bleed dry.

It would always be her to him, even in this state — even if she were so scared of
him that she couldn't look at him. It was his Amelie, and there wasn't a thing he
wouldn't do to protect her.

Theodore didn't have the chance to finish what he needed to do with her. She
was too upset with the fact of being kept in the utter dark.

They wanted to tell her — to reveal everything to her, but they knew she couldn't
possess it. Not at this time. She was too fragile. Her heart frail. Her mind on the
shaking road to recovery. Draco didn't want anything else than to tell her, to
explain to her who he was.

Who he'd grown to be with her, but he didn't dare to in fear of losing her for
good, and all he could do was wait.

He knew that Theodore slept next to her in the bed they once called theirs while
Draco rested on a couch on the main floor. He didn't want to be too close to her,
and in case he dreamt nightmares again — he did not wish for her to hear them.

Malfoy didn't want to bother her at all. He just needed her back, so he gave her
all the space he could, even if he missed her so much it turned hard to breathe.
He heard her voice all day, but she didn't speak to him.

Every nerve, every vessel in his body blasted in pain because of it.

_____

Amelie couldn't sleep. She listened as Theodore breathed slowly in his own
world of imagination, but she didn't have the strength to close her eyes and do
the same.

It was still unknown to her, being in this house with people she didn't believe she
could trust. She missed Adrian and her father in the total loss of her rightful
mind.

She wasn't strong enough back then — before she met Draco and before she
allowed Teddy to help her. She kindly, without any resistance, take every sinful
act that was brought upon her. Amelie didn't know how to say no, or how to
speak against it.

Her toes curled underneath the covers as she pulled herself up, sitting straight
and stretching her spine before her feet struck the floor. She walked slowly,
careful not to bring any attention to herself as she slipped out into the hallway.

She knew that this was Draco's room that she'd been staying in — Theodore told
her, but she couldn't leave.

It was as if something held her in there.

He'd offered her to sleep in his room, or even a room they claimed to be her old
one, but her body wanted to stay put in that room — Draco's room.

Amelie was still kept in the shadows to what had happened, and ever since she'd
woken up from what they told her had been weeks of heavy sleep — she felt
strange, like an important piece of herself had gone missing.
Like she lost herself, but Teddy reassured her that he'd tell her all about it when
her mind cleared of the gloom she felt, and she trusted that, more than anything.

Her small steps were inaudible down the stairs as she walked into the kitchen,
pouring herself a glass of water, and she stared out through the kitchen window.

Amelie hadn't been outside for a long time — she missed it terribly as she
watched the moonlight glimmer and the trees shrugged against each other.

It was like she imagined that the biting breeze scored around her too, even if she
stood inside, tracing a glass of water up to her lips. She smiled to herself, shyly
by the look of dawn as it rose on the horizon.

Amelie settled her cup back at the counter before she turned around. The cool
wind at the pace she was walking tickled her bare thighs, and just as she gripped
the handle, leading up the stairs again — she caught the fireplace in the corner of
her eyes.

A waver of misgiving shattered in her chest, but she couldn't help it. Her head
clouded as she stepped closer towards the living room in the middle of the night,
and her hands gripped at the frame in the doorway.

She let out a silent gasp at the sight of Malfoy, resting on the couch with nothing
but a pair of pants on. His eyes sealed, and his chest heaved calmly.

He was asleep.

Amelie bit down onto her lower lip — he looked so cold, lying on the sofa with
nothing to cover up with. Her sight caught a blanket hanging over one of the
backrests of an armchair.

She didn't want to. She didn't want to help him because she didn't know if he
wanted her to. Malfoy was asleep, and he didn't seem to mind sleeping without a
cover, but it still stung in her chest as she studied him.

He didn't look as cruel as Adrian explained him to be. He didn't look dangerous.
He looked sad, broken, and before she understood what happened herself — she
stood with the blanket in her hands.

Her head shook, her fingers shaking as she bent down, gently placing the soft
material over his legs, and she began to drag it across his exposed stomach. Her
eyes widened. The doubtful feeling shifted into a heated one.

Scars.

He had scars covering his chest — just like her.

Amelie's eyes constantly flickered up to his, hoping that he wouldn't wake up

and catch her hovering, but she couldn't tear herself away from him.

It felt as if her mind battled her heart — as if he was so familiar, so friendly,

loving, and kind yet a complete stranger.

Amelie couldn't place a finger upon what, but something about Malfoy felt safe.

She studied his scars and the burns in his chest for minutes, almost recognizing
them, and she felt something, a feeling of familiarity, something rocked like
home within her.

Safety.

Her fingers brushed over the scars that were faded into his skin as she dragged
the blanket over his icy surface, stepping away from him to walk back upstairs.

Little did she know that Draco was awake and his heart was being ripped out of
his chest by her closeness. That she touched him, without him being able to
touch her.

It kept her in a loop of doubt because she felt it — even if she didn't understand
what, she felt something right there and then with Malfoy.

Something she didn't think she'd felt for years, and it made her smile, a curve
played on her lips. Still, her veins ached along with her heart.

If she only knew that once, not too long ago, Draco Malfoy made her feel
everything.

_____
 Sixty-eight

This chapter contains emotional trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

''You have scars.''

_____
Draco didn't speak a word of what happened the other night. Three evenings,
exactly as that one — had befallen.

Amelie made it a nightly routine, walking down to the kitchen around three in
the morning, drinking water, and making sure that Draco had the blanket on him.

He felt as if he was dying inside every time she did. He wished that he could
scare her, tell her to stop — or how much it hurt to hear her hum as she dragged
the cover over his skin, tucking him in as she believed him to be asleep.

He loathed it, having her so close, feeling her breaths taste sweet on his lips, and
breathing in her scent when he knew that she didn't remember them.

Amelie didn't recognize one single thing about the life they had together, and
that drowned Draco to a tipping point from the inside.

She didn't speak much to him. Instead, she merely glanced at him when she
found the opportunity to do so. It was as if she was ashamed — as if she knew
that something was wrong, but she didn't say a thing.

That was strange to him, Amelie staying quiet. Even before he learned how
gentle her heart was — she always spoke to him, and now she barely talked to
Theodore.

She followed Theo everywhere he went, and she tried to keep up with the
conversations being held when she was around but not more than that.

Draco was so worried for her, he wanted her to talk to him, to tell him what was
on her mind, and he would help her — but nothing. He didn't fail to notice a
thing about her. He studied her, even in her silent state.

He observed every detail there was to catch onto, how she was terrified of being
touched, how her eyes constantly flickered in uncertainty, and how she hid
behind Theodore at all times.

She made herself small again, tiny, invisible. She didn't want to be noticed, seen.
She just wanted to be. It was the aftermath of her mentally being with Adrian.

Draco understood that. Still, it was torture to watch it. To look at her body
jolting as someone spoke when she wasn't prepared, how she always moved
away for everyone else to pass, but what hurt most of all,

What kept Draco up at night, in a heavy loss of sleep, was that he had no clue
how to fix this. None of them did.

Theodore had tried with and without magic to help her gain her missing
memories, but nothing seemed to be successful.

Amelie was simply lost in her own head.

That was the gravest loss in it all. Not that she didn't remember Draco and the
love they held for one another. He could live with that, with the fact that she was
no longer his Amelie but the forfeiture of herself.

Amelie had, during the year she and Draco were able to spend together, grown
more than anyone ever could. He'd never seen anything like it.

She found herself in the espy of Draco. She was strong-minded, in complete
control of herself after a lifetime of missing. She was cursed, but she was even
more remarkable.

It was her to herself, and to see her lose that piece — to watch as she once again
believed not to be worthy, not to be loved, not to earn her own being — was
worse than any type of torture could ever be.

He could still see small glimpses of her — her eyes as they flashed in excitement
or how she scrunched her nose as she listened. Her humming when she was
focused on something so simple as walking.

Malfoy needed her back, not for himself but for her. He would love her
regardless, at all times, but he craved for her to love herself. They all did.

Amelie sat on the couch, her spine pushed against the armrest, and her legs
settled over Theodore's. He was reading her parts of his favorite quotes as
always. Ever since she'd woken up — they did this at night, before going to bed.

It was soothing in the unknown to the both of them, simply doing something
they once cherished, reading to the other.

Theo was avoiding it — the massive elephant in the room, talking to her about
what happened and what led up to her losing her memories. Not that he didn't
want to, he did, but because he couldn't push her further.

Keeping her in the Malfoy Manor when all she wanted was to go, lived to be
hard enough. He felt guilty for holding her in the dark, but he wouldn't risk her
well-being again. He couldn't, yet he needed to.

It had been days since her eyes peeled open after weeks of rest, and it was time
— time to talk to her — time to tell her.

Amelie's brows furrowed as she caught Theodore quieting down, lowering the
book from his hold and letting it rest on his chest, ''What are you—?''

''I need to talk to you,'' He mumbled, staring blankly at the fireplace in front of
him. The burning flames glinted at his skin, ''I need us to talk about something,
Amelie.''

Her jaws tensed as she felt a lump in the back of her throat. She knew that this
was coming, she wasn't a fool, and the utter fact that Theodore didn't let her
leave this house played in her mind.

Amelie grasped that it was more than just them being here, that something must
have happened since she didn't recognize herself anymore.

She had wounds over her body that she didn't earn the memory of receiving. Her
hair was different since she last stared at her own reflection, and she looked
older. She noticed.

''About?'' She smiled, tilting her head to the side, ''What do you want us to talk
about?'' Her note gentle, caring.

Theodore's neck snapped, and he propped himself up on the furniture, turning

around to face her fully, ''I need to talk about what happened,'' He didn't waste a
second, ''I need to tell you some things, and I don't want you to be scared.''

She frowned. A mantle of confusion coated her, "What do I have to be scared

for?" She asked, startled by his severe looks.

He stilled in silence for a minute or two as her heartbeat rose to pound in her
ears. She was terrified.

"Teddy—"

"I thought we agreed not to tell her," Draco's voice came unexpectedly from
behind, causing them both to wince in the already rich tension.

Theodore cleared his throat nervously as his eyes flickered. Draco stood tall in
the doorway. His shoulder leaned against the wood as his eyes narrowed. He was
looking evilly at the brunet.

''I wasn't—''
''Tell me what?''

Quietness.

Neither of them said a word to her. Their eyes simply snapped between each
other before Draco looked straight at her.

His eyelids battled the heavy feeling. It pained every nerve in his body to look at
her, ''This doesn't concern you,'' Draco mumbled, coldly, ''And if Nott over here
would've kept his mouth shut—''

''Don't blame this on me! We said we would tell her eventually, so why wait if
—'' Theodore hushed at his own words. He couldn't speak like that when she
heard him. It wasn't acceptable.

''Watch it,'' Draco threatened, ''Fucking watch—''

''You're in love with Draco, Amelie.''

Total silence again.

Malfoy breathed in harshly as his head shook, looking at the brunet with flaming
rage. He could strangle him to death. Hell, how Theodore would suffer for doing
this.

''You bloody fool,'' Draco stepped closer to him. His large hands balled into fists
as it took everything of him, not to punch Theodore with force, ''Why would you
say that?''

Theodore blinked slowly, shaking his head, ''How could you not?'' He sounded
angry, betrayed almost, ''She has been awake for days, and we haven't told her
anything. How does that make her feel? That she's forced to stay here with us
when all she really wants is to go home to someone that's—''

''Don't,'' Malfoy gritted. His eyes drilled through Teddy's, ''Don't you dare do this
to her right now,'' His skin fumed.

''Do what? Tell her the truth? She deserves to know. She doesn't remember
anything, Draco! She deserves to know that her mother is alive and that you two
loved—''
''I said, don't,'' Draco's voice shredded through the manor so loudly that it made
Theo flinch. He didn't mean to come off as intimidating, and especially not in
front of her.

''That isn't yours to tell, Nott.''

Theodore breathed heavily. His chest nearly exploded. His head wavered as he
failed to catch the girl sitting on the couch behind him.

Her mouth tasted bone dry.

She sighed, shakingly. One trembling breath was all it took for Draco to snap his
eyes to hers and watch as she dragged her knees up to her chest, her arms folded
around them.

''Amelie—'' He whispered, swallowing all the doubt he felt. Perhaps it was time
to tell her. Maybe this was it. Maybe he should just spit it out, tell her just how
much he loved her and what she did because she loved him back.

The reason they were all fixed in this situation today — all because they loved
each other too much, too deeply. That perhaps the world wasn't ready for them
and all the shared feelings.

He couldn't.

Draco couldn't tell her that she was the reason for everything good in his life,
that after seventeen miserable years on this earth, she managed to make the
eighteenth count.

Amelie caused it all to be worth it because she was.

"Don't listen to him, Amelie. He's trying to get inside your head," Draco lied,
feeling every word as it slipped out tormentingly, "He's lying. We don't—"

He could never finish that sentence. Even if it was for her sake, he could never
say that he didn't love her and that she didn't love him.

"I'm sorry..." Theodore clocked back to reality, realizing what he'd done,
"Amelie, I didn't mean—"
"No," She whispered, "What is that supposed to mean?" Her lips shaking, "Why
would you say that my mother is alive?"

Theodore shut his eyes closed, regretting all the things he'd said. But, there was
no going back from this. Her memories were missing indeed, but she wasn't
stupid.

"And why would you say that I'm in love with Malfoy?" Her fingers knitted
together, "I had this dream..." She spoke, quietly, to herself almost,

"What dream?" Draco's chin rose, gathering what was left of his strength, but
she stayed hushed. Thinking about what it meant — what she imagined in her
week of unconsciousness.

"What dream, Amelie?" He found a slight piece of hope in his own vocals.
Perhaps it all wasn't for nothing, "Tell me about it."

She was scared. Both of them could tell.

"My mother... I had this dream of someone being pregnant and you..." Her eyes
finally flickered to his, and if he could, he'd melt right there and then. She looked
at him with a tiny ounce of familiarity.

She recognized him, but only for a second.

"I missed you..." Her voice breathy, "I think I dreamed that I missed you, but I
can't remember why."

Malfoy had to pull himself together. Stand tall with his spine stretched. He
couldn't show her just how much he'd missed her too.

"I just remember you... and something about your favorite book, but it's
all...blurry and then—" Her head shook, wavy strands of her hair crossed her
shoulders, "It's blank again, but it was a dream, right?"

He had missed her voice. Even if she spoke small words at dinner, as thank you
and goodnight, he hadn't heard her speak full sentences since he found her in
Adrian's house.

"It was a dream," She tried to convince herself, doubting her own memories. Her
mind didn't cave. She was too traumatized.

"It had to be a dream because why would I miss you?" She asked, looking at him
again.

Draco's sight grounded. His heart ached in symphony with the sparkling fire,
"You wouldn't. You would never miss me."

She did. She did miss him. She missed him so much that it caused her own self
to forget about him.

That flash of him — of them, in the back of her head, tore apart in the longing
for him, if only she could reach it.

''Did I miss you, Malfoy?'' The question was unfiltered, and he knew that he'd be
damned for answering it. He didn't want to do that to her. It would leave a gap
— an endless hole of questions he could never answer.

''You did—'' Theodore slipped down on the sofa in front of her again, facing her
fully with the pain of thousands on his features, ''You missed him, Amelie. It
wasn't a dream.''

Amelie's hues widened, and her fingers clenched around each other. She tried to
stay calm, not to let anything but her shallow breathing out. She knew that
something had gone missing from her, but she didn't know what, but this,

This would be impossible. How could she miss someone that Adrian loathed?
How could she do that to the boy she would spend the rest of her life with?

She couldn't.

If only she knew how wrong she was.

''How?'' Her eyes pleaded Theodore's, and his hand gripped hers, ''How could I
—'' Her tone broke, in total confusion, ''I could never do that to Adrian—''

''Amelie—''

''Theodore, don't,'' Draco called out, the tips of his fingers scratching along his
jawline, ''She didn't. She didn't miss me, and she's faithful to Adrian. That's how
it has to be.''

It took all of him to say that, and he couldn't look at her anymore. His sight
snapped to watch the fire burning in the fireplace, and he wished to burn too —
anything would be better than this.

''You didn't—''

''But I did.''

Silence trickled them once more, utterly, completely.

No one knew what to say anymore.

''Why would you call me Amelie? You never called me Amelie before. You
never stayed clear of me, you always hovered to annoy Adrian, and now, here I
am with bruises, scars, and marks, and nothing makes sense anymore—''

Her blows ragged, ''I am supposed to be afraid of you. Adrian always told me to
be scared of you because you could take everything from him, he said that you
were dangerous—'' She paused, letting herself heave, ''Why am I not scared of
you?''

Draco's lips pushed into a firm line. His eyes fluttered.

''I was scared of you, and now I'm not, so there has to be something more.
Something you're not telling me because I can't—'' Her fingers flew to her head,
hauling her hair back, ''I can't remember you, and it's like...''

''Like what?'' The hope within him soared again, ''What is it like, Amelie—''

''You don't call me Amelie!'' She was on the margin to tears, desperate to
understand, ''You have never called me Amelie, only Avery and I—''

Her eyes sealed, holding herself from crying. Her skin shifted ashenly, and her
throat hurt, ''I can feel you, but I can't. I'm just—'' She couldn't keep it in
anymore.

She didn't grasp what was happening.

''I'm not scared of you, and that scares me because I was. I was so scared of you.''

Her hands combed through her hair in defeat, and her skin vibrated. Draco saw
— watched how hurtful this was to her. How he wished he could take it all
away.

Sometimes he wished he'd never looked for her when they fled to the cabin. He
regretted doing so because she would've been fine. She would be safe, with
Theodore and he could never have hurt her as he did now.

He felt so at fault. He destroyed the one good thing he had. The only thing he
had, and he loathed himself for it.

Suppose he'd just let them be. If he wasn't selfish, perhaps she could've been
happy. She would've found peace in the chaos, but she was his lighthouse in his
mightiest storms.

They were so perfect for each other, so fitting into a puzzle of a desolate life.

He should've let her go. He should've saved her from himself and all the
madness he'd brought her. She deserved much more. Still, she didn't want it.

Amelie could've left. She could've stayed away, but all she ever wanted since
that stubborn, mouthful blond boy came into her life, like a cloudburst, pouring
all the love she drained him off, over her — was to be with him.

Amelie's body shook violently as tears flooded across her colorless cheeks. Her
vision became blurry, and she couldn't see anymore.

Not that it mattered to her whether she couldn't watch the two boys in front of
her or not, her mind was drowning, and so was she.

The panic ripping through her with force turned overwhelming. She couldn't
breathe properly. It was all too much — too hurtful.

She didn't understand. Not one bit of what they fought about was clear to her.
The names spilling from their mouths and the information she didn't own a
thought about turned her dizzy.

Her head clouded as she cried. She just wanted to understand. She wanted to
know, but she couldn't. It didn't make sense.

Nothing was true anymore. Adrian would never have hurt her, not in her reality.
She didn't know all the vile things he did and the sinful hands he had placed
upon her body. She didn't remember.

Her eyes started to roll back in need of air as she sobbed. She couldn't speak. She
couldn't ask for help. All she did was cry.

Her hands tugged at the roots of her hair as she caught Theodore's voice. He was
calling her name, his hands yanked at her shoulders, his fingers stroked her
cheeks, but she didn't feel it.

She couldn't feel a thing.

Her eyes squeezed shut, closing the truth out. She didn't remember how to
handle the pain. Everything she learned and mastered during the past year faded
from her mind.

"Amelie, please say something—" Theodore pleaded. He was on the edge of

tears. Seeing her this way, breaking into pieces in front of him, broke him too.

"Nott, she needs to breathe," Draco mumbled, taking strides closer, but he halted
feet away. He didn't want to upset her more than they already had, "Tell her to
breathe. Take her hand and—"

Theodore didn't listen. He tried his own ways. Calling her name and touching
her, but it didn't work. Draco knew that it wouldn't work.

He knew what to do, but he didn't want to push her. He didn't want to betray her
space. It could harm her more.

Her heaving turned shallow, and Draco panicked. He couldn't stand it. He
couldn't see her like this, knowing that he could save her.

"Hell," He breathed, shoving Theodore to the side as he kneeled beside the sofa.
His face close to hers, "Amelie, I am going to touch you now."

He waited, half a second for her to answer him, to give him some sort of
reassurance that he was allowed to do what he needed to do, but she didn't react.
She just cried.

"Draco, what are you—?" Theo was scared, more than it. He didn't mean to
upset her like this.

"Just get out!" Draco growled, wrapping his arms around her trembling body,
and he lifted her close to his chest.

He didn't waste a moment. He walked fast, steadily with Amelie in his arms. He
failed to take a misstep, not a delaying a second as her skin shook.

"Here," He mumbled, shoving his door wide open, but he didn't close it. He
needed her to know that she could leave if she wanted to.

Draco rushed into his bathroom, turning on the shower as he kept her in his
arms. It was cold, the icing steam that poured down onto both of them.

"Breathe," He whispered into her head, feeling as her fingers clawed into his
shoulders, slowly fading back to reality, "The cold water helps, Amelie, do you
feel it?"

Her chin trembled. Her teeth shattered together, but it did ease. Her flushed skin
cooled, and her breathing hushed.

''I do—'' She gulped, holding onto him with all she had, ''I can feel it.''

A gush of peace rolled over them as the stains of frigid water hit the tile floor. It
was just them, silently close to each other, for moments, and it hurt him because
it felt like before.

Before it all went to hell.

Amelie nodded, her forehead against his chest as he let her feet down onto the
ground, not letting go of her right away, fearful that she'd fall over due to her
weak knees. He knew that — because he'd done this before.

''I used to—'' Draco swallowed his shaking breath, ''I did this for you once.''

His eyes blasted in pain as he stared into hers. The corner of his mouth bravingly
arched in a curl. He was smiling shyly.
''You don't remember it anymore, but once—'' He huffed, ''For what feels like a
lifetime ago, I helped you like I am now.''

The flash of confusion glimmering around her wide pupils nearly caused him to
gulp. He didn't know how to tell her — without telling her too much.

He wanted to tell her everything, how he was hers and she was his, but he
couldn't. That would be selfish — she wouldn't be able to handle it. She was so
frail.

Still, all he wished for was to be selfish when it came to her. To steal her from
the world and keep her to himself, to protect her from everything she never knew
she'd need shelter from.

''How?'' She looked up at him, her skin drenched in pearls of the cold water,
''How did you help me?''

His eyes sealed for a second as he sought to handle the stinging pain in his chest.
With a sharp inhale, he stared back at her, and he fell, over and over again.

He'd always fall for her.

''You—'' It was hard speaking about something so close to him. He couldn't

forget that day even if he tried, ''You had a moment, like this one and I—''

He stilled, not saying a word as she studied him. Her hands slowly moved to his
chest, gently placing her palms onto his soaked shirt, ''You have scars,'' She
whispered, her eyes flickering, ''I have scars too.''

''I know you do,'' Draco spoke quietly, ''And I'd do anything to take them away
for you.''

She smiled, gazing over the wet shirt as it smeared onto his skin, ''Did you give
me any scars?''

Her question burnt within him, but he couldn't show it, ''I don't think I did,'' He
felt guilty, ''I hope I didn't.''

Amelie nodded, slowly and her hands stayed on him, feeling how his muscles
flexed against the palms of them, ''I don't think you did,'' She said as he peered
down at her, watching the phase of emotions playing on her features, ''It wouldn't
feel safe here if you hurt me.''

Draco's insides wavered, ''I could never hurt you.''

''I know,'' She kept that courageous smile of hers, ''You feel safe.''

Her neck arched, and her head tipped back to look up at him, meeting the grey
eyes she wished she feared.

She was always told to be afraid of Malfoy, but she wasn't. She could never be
scared of someone that felt so much like home to her.

Amelie shuddered, her body winced slightly as Draco's hand slowly moved up to
her cheek, and he halted, nearly forgetting that she wasn't his to touch anymore.

''It's alright,'' Her fingers gripped his hand, still stretched in the air between them,
and Draco flinched at that. Not once did he look away from her as she led his
hand up to her jaw, ''It doesn't hurt when you touch me.''

Malfoy's blond hair fell messily and damp over his forehead as she noticed.
Amelie couldn't help but smile wider. It looked ridiculous, yet more charming
than she cared to admit, how the strands framed his already handsome face and
how his eyes glistened.

''Tell me what you did for me when I was scared,'' Amelie hummed, suppressing
the chilly stream of liquid pouring over her.

The panic stinging through her veins calmed by the large hand on her skin. Her
chin tilted slightly, resting in his palm, and her eyes fell shut.

She looked peaceful.

''I don't—'' Draco gasped. The water stabbingly cold now, ''I don't know how to
tell you.'' He admitted, disappointed in himself for ruining something so
valuable.

''It's alright. You don't have to—''

''I want to,'' He hewed her off, desperately. He didn't wish to fail her more than
he felt in charge of, ''I want to tell you, but I don't want you to be scared again.''

''Will you stay with me if I am?'' She questioned and her nose scrunched by the
droplets.

Draco nodded, without hesitation, ''Of course I would.'' It wasn't even another
option for him. He'd always stay with her, scared or not.

''Then I'm okay,'' She was so brave, even in the missing of her own memories —
she still held courage like no other.

''I brought you down in the black lake, the one close to school,'' He admitted, a
shred of hurt ripped through his voice, ''The water was cold, and it was raining,''

Amelie blinked quickly. Her skin shivered by the icy water as it flooded over her
in his shower, ''This feels like rain...'' She breathed out in a whisper, her tone
low, ''It's something with rain, isn't it? It's comforting.''

He could shatter into an infinity of pieces right there and then. It hurt.

''It really is something about rain,'' Draco's jaws gritted as her lower lip quivered.

If she only knew just how much it was about rain.

''I just know that I miss you...'' Amelie said, stilly, ''I can't see it, and I can't
remember it, but I just know...''

Malfoy's touch moved over her cheek, holding her head in the palm of his hand,
''I don't care if you don't remember it here—'' He put pressure upon her skull,
nodding comfortably at her, ''As long as you feel it...'' His fingers pathed over
her neck, down her collarbones before halting on her chest, ''Here.''

He let his hand rest on where her heart was beating, ''I don't care if you don't
remember me or anything we have done for each other as long as you feel it, that
your heart beats with mine.''

It was a plea — Draco begging her to come back to him without actually
speaking the words.

Amelie's sight flickered, and her head tipped, looking at the way his hand gently
touched her skin, ''I don't know—''

''Shhh...'' Draco whispered, ''You don't have to say anything. Just know that my
heart beats with yours, and that's enough for me.'' He let his fingers off her,
taking a step back, ''You're alive. That's all I ever wished for.''

Her heart pounded, swelling in her ears, and the tears stung in her eyes as she
watched him leave the shower. Amelie didn't know that this took a toll on him.
She didn't know anything anymore, but she could feel it.

A strange sensation in her chest, and she wasn't scared. He made her feel safe
even when she wasn't. It intrigued her, just like the first time. She was fragile
and worn, but she was curious about everything that didn't seem to harm her.

She turned around, turning off the bitter water as she smiled. Never had the
forgotten been so known.

_____

The art for this chapter is illustrated by @ dar.a_art (on Instagram and Tumblr)
Sixty-nine

_____

''Everything.''

_____
Amelie's hands held in her lap, and she smiled towards Theodore as he poured
water into a cup for her, stretching over the table to place it in front of her plate,
''There you go,'' He mumbled before resting back into his own chair.

Her spine stretched and her shoulders straight as she watched Narcissa slip down
onto her seat, smiling broadly towards the two, ''I like this...'' She said, her eyes
snapping between them, ''I enjoy the little things during these days.'' She meant
the dinners and the times they took to simply be together.

It didn't happen too often. Theodore had begun traveling back and forth to the
Manor, doing something she didn't understand and the same went for Draco. He
was missing during the days before coming home, drained and haunted at the
end of them.

''I do too—'' Theodore mumbled, sighing as he dragged a hand through his hair,
''It almost feels normal.''

''It does...'' Narcissa nodded towards him, brushing a curl off her shoulder, ''And
that feels terribly nice if you ask me.''

Amelie bowed her head, agreeing in silence.

She didn't say much to anyone. Not that she didn't want to, but because she didn't
quite know what to say.

In her head, she felt as if she was being a burden, someone that held all of them
from the happiness they deserved, and she didn't want that.

She wanted them to be happy, joyful, and not devastated due to her and her lack
of memories.

''My son should be back any minute now, and I think it's a good thing to tell him
that you're planning to move out of your—'' Her eyes wide as she gasped at her
own saying. She spared Theodore a swift look of uncertainty, ''—his room.''

Theo's sight slammed into the table not to give in, not to show her just how
much it hurt. He knew how Draco valued their room, he'd seen it in her absence,
and now she didn't want to sleep in it anymore.

''I don't—'' Amelie cleared her throat, her fingers nervously intertwining
underneath the wood, ''I don't want to upset anyone, but he's been sleeping on the
sofa for almost a week, and it's not fair—''

''I don't think he minds,'' Theodore tilted his head back, looking at her with
glimmering hurt, ''I think he wants you to sleep in there, and now that I'm back
in my room—'' He quieted, swallowing the lump in the back of his throat, ''I just
think he wants you to sleep in there.''

''I don't think Adrian would appreciate—''

Narcissa dropped her fork to the table by the mentioned name, making Amelie
flinch back in her chair even if she was looking at the lady — she was still
scared by the unexpected. That was something the deprivation of her recollection
did to her.

She was back onto square one.

''I'm sorry, dear, I didn't—'' Narcissa rose, her eyes pleaded Amelie's, but the girl
merely shook her head, sending her a brave gaze.

''It's alright. I'm just—'' Her brows knitted for a second, ''Easily scared.''

''Here,'' Theodore bent over the table, grabbing a bowl with broccoli as he
reached to place them onto her plate to lose the tension that had built. Amelie's
jaws clenched, and she politely nodded.

She hated broccoli, but she never told Theo.

''She doesn't—'' Draco mumbled startingly from behind, snatching the spoon out
of Theodore's hand, ''She hates broccoli.''

All of them failed to notice that he was back.

Amelie's face fell as her neck snapped to his, and she watched him, wide-eyed.
He didn't look at her. He simply sighed, placing the vegetables onto his own
plate that was prepared for him.

''What?'' Theodore questioned, confused as to why he, during a decade-long

friendship, never once had heard of her hating broccoli, ''Since when? You never
told me—''

''Since she was a child,'' Draco kept going, not clear on that she watched him,
completely shocked by him knowing one of her secrets, ''Her mother mocked her
once, so she doesn't like that the green things get stuck in her teeth.''
Theodore frowned, pouting almost as he rolled his eyes away from them, facing
Narcissa instead, but the lady had caught onto what happened as well, and she
couldn't help but smile. It was adorable to her, seeing Draco, without falter, take
care of the girl.

''I never—'' She slightly swallowed, and Draco cocked his head, looking right at
her before he hunched down to his own chair, ''I never told anyone that.''

''Apparently, you did,'' Theodore shot her a glare, making her lips push into a
firm line not to laugh at the jealousy he was portraying before he dived into a
conversation about the food with Narcissa.

''What else did I tell you?'' Amelie was looking down onto her plate, grabbing a
fork as she pushed her potatoes around.

''That you'd rather eat with a spoon,'' Draco's fingers gripped around the collar of
his shirt, straightening it before he brought his wand out, whispering underneath
his breath and before she even had the possibility to blink, a spoon laid in front
of her, ''Because you don't like the sound of the fork against the plate.''

She nodded slowly. Taking in the fact that she had to be the one to tell him those
things, even if she didn't remember one bit about it.

''Thank you,'' Amelie put her fork down, picking up the spoon instead, ''I can't
stand that sound.''

''I know,'' Draco leaned against the backrest of his chair, studying her
thoughtfully from a distance as she turned quiet again, and she didn't speak a
word for the rest of dinner.

Instead, as soon as she helped Narcissa with the dishes — she snuck out, through
the kitchen doorway, back to the garden she heard the lady talk about constantly.

She had failed to see it for herself, and when everyone inside the Manor seemed
to be busy with their own doings — she took the opportunity.

Amelie adored gardens, especially those with high bushes and flower-covered
trees. The ones that you could walk lost into. She once had her own garden
similar to this one.
It was her mother's, and she loved that lawn, perhaps equally as much as she
cherished her daughter. Amelie remembered it so well — the pink roses, the
blushing peonies, the tiny waterfall she'd installed in the middle of it, just
because she liked the sound of pouring water.

Her heart seeped in ache as her mind traveled to the woman she lost all those
years ago. Even if her friend claimed that she wasn't dead — that her mother was
indeed still alive, it was a brutal thing, letting herself fall into that hole of ruin,
for something she didn't know to be true or false.

Her bare feet soothed over the newly cut grass, and it smelled just like summer.
The hot, evening air scored around her as she let the top she was wearing over
her dress fall to the ground.

What the girl, strolling around all the greenery, failed to notice was that a certain
blond-haired boy noticed her absence and walked out to look for her.

She still scented like flowers, flourishing, freshly cut ones, and he couldn't look
away from her as she stood in the garden, surrounded by roses.

The petals of them shun in the evening sunlight, but not more than her. She
would always be brightest to him.

He took another step forward, making her flinch as she turned around. Fright
clocked her features before she, in a heartbeat — softened by the look of him,
standing in front of her with his white shirt and his black suit pants.

He was always so handsome. That she indeed remembered. How his blond hair
framed his face perfectly and how the contrast of the grey eyes fixed his dark
lashes.

She stared right back at him, blushing slightly as her fingers grasped at the
clean-cut edges of her dress. It was white, with thin straps, and her bruised
shoulders couldn't take the attention away from her in it.

Hell, she was beautiful. Even more for every day that passed. He loved looking
at her, seeing the small changes in her expression as she studied him.

The wind tricked around them, and she breathed it in. Summer was on the
horizon — she could feel it.
''What are you doing out here?'' He asked sternly as his head dived a bit, gazing
at her from beneath his lashes, ''It's late.''

''The sun is still up,'' She smiled back, her eyes flickered to face the dimmed
beams still glowing across the yards ''And it's not that late, Malfoy.''

He huffed at her, suppressing the curve he felt growing on his lips, ''You like the
sunset.'' He confessed, knowing that she did.

''And I hate broccoli,'' Her eyes snapped back to watch him. He'd taken another
step closer, ''You seem to know everything about me.''

''I do,'' He said again, hurtful almost, ''I know most of you.''

Amelie frowned, ''Tell me more,'' She whispered, her sight lowering as she let go
of the ends of her dress, taking a step back from him.

She turned around, walking a bit further down the path surrounded by flowers
and bushes, and the instant she noticed he didn't walk next to her, she shifted,
facing him again.

Her hair spilled heavenly across her shoulders as she looked puzzled at him,
''Are you coming, or are you going to stand there?''

Malfoy's head shook, shaking it leisurely as he tracked behind her, strolling next
to her still with a piece of distance. He didn't want to intrude on her more than he
had.

''I love summer,'' She stated, her breaths airy and her hair blew through the warm
strokes of wind, ''I love when it's warm outside.''

''I know you do,'' He stated right back, shoving his hands into his pockets, ''You
love warm things because everything else in your life is cold.''

Amelie stopped, her eyes wide at how right he was. She did love the heated
weather, everything that was warm and scored comforting around her, even the
temperature.

''You call Teddy warm,'' Draco pushed a bit further, ''And you called me amid.
You said that I'm as frozen as ice on the outside but warmer than the fireplace at
night on the inside.''

She couldn't keep her shocked expression under control anymore. Her entire face
glinted in doubt because this was something she'd say. She knew that and the
thoughts of her, distancing herself from Malfoy, slipped her mind entirely.

''Are you?'' She asked, looking over the garden in front of her as she began
taking steps again, ''Are you warm?''

Draco's jaws tensed, and his eyes flickered, hesitant to what he was supposed to
speak, ''You made me warm.''

She smiled at that, bending her spine to let the tips of her fingers brush against
the flowers she strolled past, ''But I don't anymore?'' Her feet stumbled nervously
as they reached the far end of the property.

''You do,'' He spoke, lowly, feeling a swirl of pain as it flushed through his veins,
''You always made me warm even when you didn't.''

''That doesn't make sense—'' Amelie chuckled, halting on the grass as her feet
slightly sunk, ''But I'm happy I did. You seem like someone who needs a little
warmth.''

A stinging feeling in his chest at her fail of realization of how right she was, but
he didn't need warmth. He needed her.

''What else did I tell you?'' Her dress fluttered in the wind. Curiosity cupped her
face as she turned to him, facing each other in the last strokes of the sun.

''A lot,'' Draco grinned, stopping in front of her, ''You hate my hair when it's
longer, but you just don't dare to say it. You sleep with your whole body
underneath the cover of the bed even if it's so hot that I think you're on fire
because you're still a bit scared of the dark.''

She blinked quickly.

''You don't like pancakes, because your mother used to make them for you and
then your father tried, but it wasn't the same. You always wanted a cat, but
you're allergic. You sleep with your hair in braids because Theodore once read in
a paper that doing so makes your hair healthier.''
Amelie huffed, the corners of her mouth dragged out.

''You don't like socks. You said that you feel like your toes are trapped and that
gives you anxiety. When you can't find paper to write on, you write on napkins.''

His eyes locked in hers. He didn't look away from her once.

''You are afraid of touch, even if it's your way of speaking.''

He hushed after that, seeing the tiny change in her. It struck her a bit more than
the other things — no one had ever said that out loud to her before, and she was
sure that she hadn't either. It had to be Draco, noticing that.

''What about you?'' She said, blankly, out of the blue, ''Did you tell me
anything?''

His eyes squinted and, for the first time in minutes, he looked away from her.
The biting feeling pushed through him again, ''I didn't have to,'' He admitted,
''You saw it without me having to tell you.''

''Saw what?'' She questioned again, prying to know.

''Everything.'' He whispered. His eyes dragged across the horizon in front of

them, and they both quieted, not a word spoken as they stood close, side to side,
next to each other, watching as the sun lowered and the night arose.

She breathed calmly. Her skin shivered by his closeness. Amelie wanted to turn
to him and ask him to tell her everything she'd missed out on, but she couldn't.

It wouldn't be to use, and she didn't want to betray the feelings she believed to
have for Adrian.

Adrian.

There it was again, that haunting sensation of someone watching her again, and
it welled over from the inside — she loathed it.

Feeling as if she couldn't say what she wished and do as she pleased because she
was bounded to someone else, but at the same time — she didn't feel that duty
anymore. That obligation she'd always held for Adrian faded, more and more,
and she didn't know why.

It had never happened before. Perhaps something had passed him as she was
away, or he didn't love her anymore. She couldn't begin to understand what was
happening to her, and it all was more than confusing.

Everything was doubtful, and everything she believed to be true, wasn't.

''I'm sorry, but I—'' Amelie breathed, breaking the tranquil tension, ''I can't be
here.''

''Don't—'' Draco turned around, his hand around her wrist as he so desperately
needed her to stay.

It was the first time in days he felt as if he could breathe properly with her close.
He dragged her in slowly, crossing every wish he had to not overwhelm her.

He needed to be selfish. He needed her back.

Amelie's eyes fell over him, staring softly into the grey eyes she thought to
recognize, ''I can't, Malfoy—'' She whispered, ''I have Adrian.''

The palms of her hands struck his chest as an arm wrapped around her waist. His
skin brushed against the soft material of her dress, and he breathed her in, ''I
know.''

It was a moment of peace between them, where she let him hold her and where
she needed it. Both of them knew that they shouldn't, yet they did it anyway —
as a force of two magnets. Neither could stay away.

His chin settled on the top of her head, and her nose buried into his chest, just
like before. A fist dug into him and ripped his heart right out — that's how it felt
to Draco. Having her this way, the same way he had her every time he comforted
her.

''I know too,'' She mumbled, and her head shook as she — without even looking
at him, shoved herself back, and she walked away.

Leaving him standing in the garden he once loved so dearly, without her.
 _____

Amelie felt bad for leaving Draco out in the yard earlier, but she couldn't bear
the thought of betraying Adrian more than she already had.

She was different, she could feel it, yet she felt terrible. Her mind once again
battled her heart as she tried to sort it out. To understand what could've happened
that caused all of this — that caused her life to shift so abruptly without her
knowing why.

Amelie saw herself as a sane human, someone who grasped the line between
right and wrong but in the state she woke up in, the years of her life that had
gone missing from her mind — she wasn't the same person that she was the
night she sacrificed herself for the good of this world.

The night she dedicated herself to save everyone from Adrian's cruel ruling.

She huffed, turning the page of the book she was reading, and her gaze leveled
the letters, but she couldn't focus at all.

Her head was spinning wildly as one of her hands scratched at her shoulder, and
she squeezed her eyes shut by the stinging pain of one of the mauve bruises
covering her skin.

Her eyes flickered to the bathroom as she stood up from the bed, walking into
the dimmed room, turning the lamp on to see her own reflection. Amelie allowed
the straps of her dress to slip off her shoulders, leaving her chest exposed with
nothing but the lace-covered bra she was wearing.

She gasped at her own skin coated in marks and cuts — she'd seen it before,
many times but not in the way she did now. It was noticeably more brutal. Scars
she'd never come across carved into the soft skin of her chest.

The tips of her fingers trailed over it, the old marks from her father's abuse to the
new ones she owned, no clue to how they got there.

She studied them, how her skin had healed but the rosy wounds still attached to
her. Her head shook as her sight flickered, snapping off herself not to cry.

It was a never-ending nightmare — not remembering how it all got there, how
she could have new scars, burns, marks without knowing.

Perhaps it was like the two boys had told her — maybe Malfoy did save her
from the devils and shielded her with his life, maybe not — but she could tell,
just by the brutality of the ruptures in her skin, that he wasn't responsible for a
single one.

A knock on her door caused her to flinch as she turned around hastily, dragging
her dress back up, ''Amelie, are you in there?'' Theodore called out for her, and
she nodded to herself, swallowing the hurtful thoughts she so courageously
carried.

''I am—'' She mumbled, taking long strides up to the door leading into Draco's
room before she flung it wide open for her best friend, ''What are you—''

''I have something for you,'' He marched past her, turning around in the middle
of the room, ''I don't know how I forgot about this, but I did, and I'm sorry but
—'' He was stuttering the words, not owning an ounce of self-control, ''Here—''

Amelie closed the door, her spine pressed against it as she watched with her
mouth hung open, a bracelet in the mid of his palm. It glinted in her pupils.
Theodore noticed a slight piece of recollection before it burnt out, and she
frowned.

''I don't—'' She held, taking a step forward, ''That's not mine.''

''It is,'' He arched towards her, reaching for her wrist, but she pulled away,
instantly, making the brunet look at her puzzled, ''What are you—''

''I can't do this anymore,'' She whispered, tipping her head back, ''I can't do this
anymore, Teddy. I don't—'' A sigh fled her parted lips, and she stunned in
exhaustion, ''I know that you'll say he gave it to me. That Malfoy gave me that
bracelet when we were in love. Whatever happened between us and I can't—''

She felt like a monster, an even bigger one than Adrian and her father combined.
It was either breaking her heart and cave into Malfoy or break his heart by not
giving in at all.

''I don't know what to do if Adrian catches me—'' She swallowed thickly, and
her arms dropped to her sides helplessly, ''Can I please see him? Can I please see
Adrian? I know he'll tell me what to—''

''Love,'' Theodore muttered, his arms stretched out as he wrapped them around
her crumbling self. It hurt so much to see her trapped in Adrian's manipulation,
''He's not here, Amelie,'' He sighed into her hair, ''He's not here, but we are,
Draco and I, and it will be alright.''

She nodded, quickly with her face against his chest, and his lips marked the top
of her head, ''We're here, and you're not alone. I know it hurts that you can't see
Adrian, but you will see it all soon. It will make sense with time. I promise.''

Her breaths shaking, ''I know, I just—'' She gulped, feeling how her skin
vibrated, ''I don't know what to do anymore...''

Theodore placed yet another kiss on her head, holding her trembling body steady
in his grip, ''I know. I know that it feels hard now, but we'll scan your body again
tomorrow when I come back, and we'll see—''

Her brows knitted against his shirt as she leaned back, ''Where are you going?''

Theodore smiled warmly, ''I can't—''

''Tell me,'' Amelie exhaled, finishing the words for him as the feeling of
disappointment wavered, ''I know.''

Theodore saw as her chin sunk, and her bravery missed her. He settled his hand
underneath her cheek, bringing her face up to meet his caring glance, ''I will tell
you, soon. It all will be explained soon, but I have to go—''

"When..." Amelie felt her lungs tightening, "When will you tell me, Teddy?
When will this be fixed?" Her voice leveled higher.

"Fix what—"

"Me!" She was begging him now, desperately, "When will we fix me? I can't
live with this loss any longer!"

Tears stung in her eyes as he stayed silent, allowing her to let all her emotions
out, "I don't understand a thing, Teddy and it's killing me. I can't remember
Malfoy and all the things he's telling me and I—"
It was so painful to speak, "It's the middle of the night, and I can't sleep, I can't
breathe because of this. All I do is think and think about everything I'm missing
out on, and it's not—" A pause of breathing cleared her throat, "It's been days,
and I'm not even close to remembering him."

"I know, love, but it's not easily fixed. This has nothing to do with magic, and I
can't do much—"

"I know, I'm sorry." She apologized for losing her temper, "I didn't mean to yell
at you."

Theodore nodded, "You're allowed to be angry and confused. You're only

human, Amelie. It's alright to lose it sometimes."

Her arms clung around him fully, breathing the safety of her best friend in, and
Theo wished with everything he had that he didn't have to leave her like this, but
he needed to.

He shot the clock on her nightstand a quick look, ''I need to leave for the night,
but Malfoy is still sleeping downstairs, and Narcissa is down the hall.''

''Please,'' He sought to take her wrist again, ''Keep this on, I believe you'll find it
more comforting than you think.''

He let the silver hug around her skin, beautiful as it always had been. A piece of
grace just for her.

Even Amelie's breath was taken because of it, and her eyes smeared the
glimmering jewelry now sheeting her wrist, ''Thank you,'' She whispered as he,
for the last time, kissed her head, and he marched past her out in the hallway
again.

''I'll be back tomorrow,'' He gave her a thin smile, holding onto that last look of
her before he vanished into the shadows, and she stood a bit more confident
behind.

Theodore had that effect on her, making her more her and less Adrian's. It was
something she'd always wish for, being her own person before ever being
anyone else's, but to her memory — that was still it.
She was still bounded and chained, not free and untied.

Amelie did belong to herself. Her body was hers to carry, but her heart missed
the beat of Draco every time it scored, and she couldn't help but be curious about
him what he was doing downstairs at this hour.

She shouldn't be awake, that was certain — it was far too late again, but she
couldn't fight it.

It was similar to something addicting, a part of her nightly routine now — to go

downstairs as the moonlight shifted into morning and put a blanket over
Malfoy's exposed chest.

Her feet stumbled over the floors, down the stairs as she stopped in the kitchen,
pouring her usual glass of water, and she gazed over the world in front of her. It
was alleviating, knowing that the earth still looked the same, even if she couldn't
feel it.

The cup struck the counter again as the bracelet on her wrist caught her
attention. It truly was beautiful — Amelie wasn't too fond of jewelry, but this —
this she could stand.

It fitted her better than anything ever had, and she couldn't even begin to
understand that Malfoy was the one who'd given it to her.

She walked out of the kitchen again, towards the living room, and just as she did
— she coiled back, in a fusion of fright and surprise.

It was Draco, sitting up, his chest heaved lightly in the glimpse of the fireplace
sparkling, and she froze, entirely. She didn't carry what to do next if she should
leave before he caught her or if she was meant to talk to him.

Amelie felt her head shaking before she began to slowly back away, and the
second she did, ''Amelie,'' Draco mumbled, not turning around to look at her this
time.

She parted with the hallway, stepping inside the living room instead. The warm
light of fire lit everything up softly as she nervously halted at the end of the sofa.
Her eyes danced over the room, not knowing where to look as his bare chest
flexed.
''What are you doing up?'' He yawned, his knuckles scratched against his sealed
eyes, ''I thought you went to bed.''

''I did,'' She slipped down to the sofa, with a longing space between them, ''But I
got lost in this book I found in your room—''

''What book?'' He snapped, flaying his eyelids wide as his pupils widened at the
look of her, still in that dress, sitting next to him, ''It wasn't a dark—''

The silver hugging her wrist trapped his attention, and he did everything he
could not smile at it, but the warmth within rushed through him.

Amelie was wearing the bracelet.

Their bracelet.

''Some love story from your bookshelf,'' Amelie answered, her features in a
confusing shade, ''I didn't mean to—''

''No,'' He breathed with a relieved expression, sinking back further into the
couch, ''What's mine is yours.''

Draco was so tired. He failed to sleep properly for days. All he did was worrying
about her even when he knew that he didn't have to. He couldn't rest for as much
as a second without her sleeping next to him.

It was hell to try and sleep without her when Adrian had taken her away, but to
know that she rested a floor above him, in their bed — and he wasn't permitted
to sleep next to her, ached.

''Why aren't you sleeping?'' She asked. Her gaze dragged across him, watching as
he combed a hand through his hair, scratching his neck after.

''I'm not tired.''

''Lies.''

His eyes widened at that. The crease in his chin trapped her attention. She failed
to notice it until now, the scar ripping through the pale skin.
''Why can't you sleep?'' She questioned again, almost sounding worried, ''If you
want, you can have your old room back—''

''Our,'' He leveled her sight, meeting the eyes he'd never grow tired off. Her
brows knitted, ''Our room.''

Amelie nodded, ''Our room then.''

Malfoy groaned, tilting his head back. He let out a shaky breath, ''It's not the
room, but what's in it, that makes it difficult sleeping without.''

First, she made a face. A bewildered look mounted her as her fingers tangled
together in her lap before she slowly came to the realization of what he meant —
her.

''I'm—'' Amelie lowered, not owning a thought to what she should say, ''I—''

''Just go back to sleep, Amelie,'' He huffed, turning his face away from hers as
his jaws gritted, ''I'm fine, and I'll see—''

''What if I stay here?''

Draco's head snapped back to hers and his mantle held in seriousness. She didn't
look as if she was toying with him. She was as severe as he was — still, doubt
flooded through him.

''Don't—'' Draco's teeth clamped together by the sensitive subject, ''Don't say
things you don't mean.''

Amelie looked bothered by his reaction, ''I mean it. I'll stay if that means you'll
sleep.'' She didn't waste a second before she lifted her feet up from the floor,
shifting around in her seat, and she stretched her legs out over the smooth fabric.

Her head dropped to his lap, and Draco blinked quickly, ''Amelie, you don't have
to—''

''What if I want to?'' She whispered, her eyes meeting his as she thinly smiled.
Draco's tongue rolled on the inside of his cheek as he leaned back against the
armrest, and he placed an arm over her, protectingly.
''Then stay.''

_____

The art for this chapter is illustrated by @ dar.a_art (on Instagram and Tumblr)
 Seventy

This chapter contains emotional trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

''I do need you, all the time, and that's the fucking problem.''

_____
Amelie's eyelids fluttered by the light sun, seeping in between the curtains of the
living room. Her chest felt heavy as she rested on something warm, but at the
early hour — she didn't seem to bother.

Draco groaned from underneath her, feeling as her body moved against his. He
was scared to open his eyes because the instant he did so — he believed that
she'd leave, and he'd do anything to have her like this for a few more minutes.

It felt similar to old times for him, when they slept next to each other every
night, just like this. She on top of him, his chest pressed into hers, her head on
his shoulder, and her breaths upon his skin.

He let his hand move, only an inch or two, feeling that her dress had slipped up
underneath the blanket, and the tips of his fingers danced over the exposed skin
on her back.

God, how he'd missed feeling her soft skin.

Amelie smiled at the sensation of him, writing tiny things on her lower back and
her nose buried deeper into his exposed chest.

This was another time where she knew she shouldn't. She wasn't supposed to do
this. She had Adrian, but she couldn't keep herself away.

It felt so safe here, his chest rising and falling with her on top of him. Never had
anything felt as safe as this — not even with Theodore. Her unconscious mind
still put all her faith in Draco.

''How did you sleep?'' He almost growled, and her heart missed a beat due to the
raspy voice he held this early. She'd never heard it before, but it caused her
stomach to flutter, ''Did you sleep alright?''

She huffed, playfully, ''I did,'' Her fingers stroked over his bare arm, creating
goosebumps on his pale skin. She'd failed to sleep this heavily for a week. Ever
since she woke up from her coma, she hadn't owned a good night's sleep until
now — with Malfoy.

''Did you?''

Draco kept his eyes sealed, pushing his lips together not to smile by her airy
morning voice, along with those sweet, nearly inaudible sounds she made.

He'd missed it terribly, ''I did.''

Her neck arched, settling her chin over his ribcage, and she studied the small
flickers his lashes made, noticing the muscles in his jaws as they ticked—the
blond hair in a complete mess over his head.

She reached her arm out, brushing some of the strands off his forehead and, as
she meant to pull back, sitting up to let him have his morning alone — his large
hand wrapped around hers, and he held it close to his mouth.

Draco kissed her wrist, carefully and slowly.

He dragged out this moment for as long as he could because he wasn't certain
when he'd get another one like this.

''Did we do this, often?'' She whispered, accepting his touch upon her. Amelie
was so eager to know more, ''Sleep like this?''

''Every day,'' He stated, and after minutes, he finally peeled his eyes open,
looking down at her from above.

''Is that why my things were in your room?'' She asked, innocently and she stared
right back at him, savoring the moment, ''Because it was ours?''

''It's still ours,'' He mumbled lowly, ''But yes, that's why.''

Amelie nodded, catching the flame of hope in his eyes, and her heart ached
painfully.

She wasn't sure if she'll ever be able to give him what he wanted. If she'll
accomplish to come back to him, the Amelie he mastered to care for.

''I'm sorry,'' She hushed, slightly pushing herself back, and he let go of her hand,
''I'm sorry that I took all of this away from you. I never meant—''

Draco shook his head. Jaws clenched tightly as he shoved himself back, propped
up on his elbows before his spine leaned onto the armrest of the sofa. His scars
caught her attention for a mere second, her eyes flickering across them.

They were so alike hers.

''Don't say that,'' His tone harsher, his eyes bored into hers, ''I've told you this
before, and I'll keep telling you this, it's not your fault. None of this is your
fault.''

Amelie peered up at him, meeting the pleading look he carried. His toned
muscles flexed against hers, ''I'm sorry—''

''You're apologizing for saying sorry?'' His brows knitted, not to let on that smile
he felt teasing in the corner of his mouth, and he pulled on a severe look instead.

Her cheeks were feverish as she blushed, realizing just how foolish it sounded,
but she couldn't help it, ''I guess so—''

''Good morning!'' Narcissa called out from behind them, strolling up to where the
massive windows were placed, and she dragged the curtains wide — making the
dawn reach them entirely.

Amelie flinched at that, pushing herself off Draco altogether, and landed on the
other end of the couch. She brushed her dress down, and her eyes flickered in
overwhelming embarrassment.

''Good morning,'' She barely choked out, her skin fumed in a scarlet color, ''I'm
sorry, I didn't realize you were up.''

Narcissa spun around, her hands on her hips as her eyes snapped between both
Amelie and Draco. She smiled widely, ''I'm glad you didn't. It seemed to go well
in here. I'll make some breakfast.''

She strode away just as fast, leaving the two alone again, and Amelie felt too
ashamed to look at him.

She pushed herself off the furniture, quickly walking towards the doors, but just
as she did — she turned around, meeting the grey eyes once more.

''I have to shower, but I'll be down in a bit,'' Her eyes gazed across him. She felt
the warmth as it flushed within her.

He was truly hard not to look at.

He noticed, smirking towards her. A ring-clad hand combed through his blond
hair as the muscles in his arms angled perfectly.

She didn't think her cheeks could glow more brightly, but they did, ''I'll just—''
She almost walked right into the doorway, ''I'm sorry, I'll—'' She muttered,
slipping out on the hallway completely as he snickered after her.

Even in the loss of everything about them — she was still the most adorable
person he'd ever laid his eyes on.

Amelie battled the thought of not going down to breakfast at all after the shame
she'd put herself through. She didn't want to face Draco after a moment like that
one. It cringed in her whole body simply to spare it a thought.

She quickly realized that if she wouldn't come downstairs, he'd most likely walk
up to get her, so she gathered the remaining pieces of her bravery and joined
Malfoy and his mother for breakfast.

Amelie stood in the doorway to the kitchen, watching as Draco stood bent over a
counter with a cup in his hand, talking lowly to his mother.

''So...'' Narcissa smiled, ''It's going well between you, I see.''

Draco's eyes rolled, shaking his head before his sight dropped, staring right
down into his cup, ''Yeah?'' He huffed, nearly disappointingly, ''I don't know
about that, she still mentioned Adrian yesterday.''

His mother let go of the dishes she was putting away, her arms hanging on each
side as she walked up to her son. She stroked a comforting hand over his back.

''She'll come back to you.'' Narcissa soothed him, ''You just need to give her
time, but from what I walked in on this morning—''

A smile erupted her talking, ''It looked like it was going great.'' She took a step
away again, ''So, what do you want in your tea, Draco—''

''Sugar.''

Both of their head snapped to the doorway, gawking at Amelie, who stood in yet
another dress, her fingers tangled together in front of her, a bit awkwardly.

''He likes sugar in his tea,'' She breathed, her eyes locked with his.

Malfoy raised his brows, surprised that she knew that before he slowly nodded,
''I do like sugar in my tea.''

Amelie smiled softly as she shyly strode closer to him, stopping right next to
Draco and her arms placed on the counter just like his.

''I don't,'' She peered up at him, ''But you probably know that already, don't you?''

He bit his lower lip, looking away from her for a split second, ''I do know that,''
But it didn't take long until his sight was glued at her again, and he saw as her
eyes flickered, and her skin blushed.

Narcissa observed them from a distance, thinking the world of the two who
stood so close to the other, their arms brushed against each other, and the way
her son was looking at Amelie made her more than happy.

She had such high hopes for them, and in all the misery it brought — she still
did.

''Why don't you—'' Narcissa raised her voice, earning their attention, ''Why don't
you two take your breakfast outside? I have more dishes to clean, and I need to
have a little chat with Theodore when he arrives.''

''Of course,'' Amelie stepped away from the counter, away from Malfoy to bring
her cup along with her plate outside, and only that tiny detail, her not standing as
close to him anymore, made his heart wrench.

The sun glimmered across the massive yard, and she, with Draco walking near,
made their way to the little spot where she'd left him yesterday.

Amelie still wanted to apologize for that — for how she acted, even if it wasn't
meant to be a mean thing.

She wished to say sorry.

This wasn't easy for her, not at all, to live with him in the loss of her memories,
but she realized that it must be even worse for Draco — he had to live with her,
still with his memories of them intact.

Her legs crossed before she slipped down onto the grass, feeling how the heated
beams struck her skin warmly and the morning breeze tousled her hair. Draco
felt an arch in the corner of his lip by the look of her.

He took place next to her, his cup of tea in his hands as he looked out over the
surroundings. It was peaceful, calming out here.

She took a bite of the sandwich Narcissa prepared for her as she huffed out,
''Your mother cooks the best food.''
Draco scoffed, tasting his tea, ''I know she does,'' His head tilted, watching her
tenderly, ''She loves to cook.''

''My mom did too,'' Amelie hushed down. Her skin sparkled as the beams
shimmered over her, ''But she stopped because my father didn't think it was
appropriate for her to do those things anymore.''

Draco's eyes grew wider, nodding in silence to what she spoke. She had failed to
talk about her family before all of this. She said she'd do so when she's ready,
but they ran out of time.

It hurt to feel as if they had everything in this world, good and bad, everything
but time.

''I had this...'' She paused, taking another bite of her breakfast before she let the
rest of her meal down onto her plate, and she pushed it away from her, ''Dream
of my mom, and I can't stop thinking about it.''

''What was it?'' He asked, concerned for her and the memories she held onto in
her sleep. He was terrified that she'd remember something about him being
ruthless to other people without owning the whole context.

''It was something about a baby, I think,'' She sounded truly unsure, her hands
grasped at her dress as she shoved herself away on the grass, facing the blond
instead.

Draco fell back, propping himself up on his elbows as his legs held long in front
of him, ''I see...'' He mumbled, almost as if he knew what she was talking about,
''It wasn't Pansy?''

Amelie frowned, her nose scrunched, ''Why would Pansy—''

''Nothing,'' He hewed her off, ashamed that he didn't think of that himself. She
couldn't remember him. How was she supposed to have a single memory of
Pansy's pregnancy?

She gave him a suspicious glare, a mantle of doubt mounted her as her head
shook and strands of her hair fell messily over her shoulders. He'd missed the
scent of her newly washed hair. That rich, sugary sent it brought.
Even if Amelie always stole his shampoo — the one that smelled similar to clean
cotton and freshly picked apples, she didn't remember that now.

They rested in quietness for moments, long minutes — only looking at each
other from time to time. It wasn't a silence of need.

It was a painful one, almost as if they both knew what to say, but they didn't dare
to.

So they didn't speak a word instead.

His chest rose and fell, heavily underneath the white suit shirt he was wearing,
and Amelie clocked it immediately, noticing the slight hitches in his breathing as
his jaws gritted.

He held so much hatred for himself. It was almost unbearable.

''Malfoy,'' She smiled at him, trying to ease his tensed body, but it didn't help.

Her calling him Malfoy enhanced the torture of it even more, another reminder
that she wasn't his anymore.

''Tell me about this,'' Her wrist stretched between them, making his eyes flicker
to watch the silver bracelet around it, ''I guess you gave it to me since we talked
about rain the other day and I don't—''

''I did,'' He looked away. It hurt.

''Then tell me about it,'' She tried again, but he was shutting her out completely.
He didn't spare her a glance, and he didn't speak a word.

Amelie's face fell into a veil of pain as she scanned him, seeing how much this
caused him to suffer. She never wanted this for him. She never wished to hurt
him, not one bit — but she couldn't remember.

''I'm sorry—'' She whispered, pushing her hands into the grass, standing up on
her feet to earn her way closer to him, ''I don't know if it's alright for me to do
this, but...''

She kneeled, beside him and without warning, her small palms cupped his jaws.
She could feel the muscles in them tick, and she pulled him closer, all the way
in, so that his nose brushed against her hair.

''I wish I could fix this for you...'' Her note kept low, ''I wish I could fix me, so
you don't have to hurt like this.'' Her fingers moved over his neck, and she
intertwined them behind his head.

''No one deserves to hurt like this.''

Amelie hugged him so close, slowly moving her legs over his so that she'd be
straddling him, and she did — she clung onto him with everything she had.
Trying to let him drain her of every ounce of comfort she could give him.

Draco didn't move a muscle. He didn't budge or cave in. He stayed frozen. His
whole facade held cold and still.

He didn't know if he dared to hug her back, to let himself drown in the memories
of her again — in case she'd never come back to him. Malfoy wasn't sure that
he'd survive from it.

''I know I'm not—'' She swallowed the guilt and the failure she felt rising within,
''I'm not the person you're used to having, and I understand if you want me to
leave you alone.''

Amelie didn't feel his arms around her body. He didn't hug her back.

Her eyes closed as she nodded against his hair, ''I'll be here if you need me.'' She
whispered before leisurely dragging away, giving him one last look before her
arms dropped from his shoulders and she meant to stand back up.

''That's the fucking problem—'' Draco mumbled, snatching her wrist to pull her
closer again. She was so near now, so close that her heart missed a beat.

His nose brushed against hers, ''I do need you, all the time, and that's the fucking
problem.''

Amelie blinked quickly. A shaky breath passed her parted lips.

Draco tilted his head back, his lips divided as he swallowed her trembling
breaths, ''But you don't need me anymore.''
Her heart ached in bearing with his, and she pulled away a bit, terrified to hurt
him more than she'd done already.

Malfoy wasn't anything as they described to her. He wasn't cruel. He wasn't

ruthless. He was shattered in the missing of her, and she realized that as his
hands fell from her body.

He couldn't touch her anymore. It was too painful for both of them.

Amelie wanted to argue back. To tell him that she wished she could need him —
that she indeed needed him as much as he needed her, but she couldn't because
she didn't know how to.

She had no way of describing their love for each other, as he did, and to keep
asking would only hurt the blond more.

She didn't want that for him.

He'd been nothing but kind to her since she woke up, and she'd never crave for
any torment to befall him.

Her eyes stung in tears as her lashes battled the liquid. It pained her to see him
like this — this taken by everything he missed so badly that he didn't even want
to touch her.

He must have truly loved Amelie to be this respectful about her.

''I didn't mean for this to happen. I never wanted to hurt—'' She said. His teeth
gritted, and he still refused to look at her.

''I'm sorry—'' Amelie whimpered before she pushed herself off him altogether,
and she walked away.

His face held in stone as he did everything not to blink — if he did, the tears
would fall, and he couldn't have that. He loathed himself tremendously, more
than to even let himself cry.

He felt as if he wasn't worthy of his own tears.

Amelie rushed inside, stumbling through the empty kitchen, and the second she
did — she marched into someone, and her senses instantly filled with the smell
of honey.

Theodore always scented like honey.

''Wait—'' Teddy's arms wrapped around her, dragging her straight into him,
''What's wrong?'' His face shifted in a despairing look, ''Amelie, what—''

Her head shook as she buried it into his shirt, the soft material soaking up her
tears. She didn't want anyone to see her cry, and he understood that in a
heartbeat.

Her breaths stressed, and her pulse quickened. She felt as if she was panicking
again, holding onto Teddy for dear life as he walked with her, close to him, out
in the hallway.

''Tell me about it,'' He said, half-whispering, ''Tell me what happened.''

Amelie's lips parted in need to explain it — to tell him just how worthless she
felt and how much she wished for it all to go back to the way it was. That she
didn't want to hurt Draco and that she didn't cherish any of it.

How she felt as if she knew him — but she didn't. How she felt so safe around
him, yet so disclosed from the world. It wasn't explainable to her.

''I—'' Amelie heaved for air, slightly as she leaned back, ''I just need help. I need
it all to go back, Teddy—''

She swallowed another sob.

Her hand gestured towards the garden, ''He's dying without me. He can't even
look at me—''

''I know,'' Theodore pulled her in again, his hands kept her head steady as he felt
her heaving pants on his shoulder, ''I know...''

''I need you to fix me,'' She was desperate, her vocals shredded in pain, ''I need
you to fix me, and I need you to bring me back to him.''

Theodore nodded, his chin on her head as he squeezed her body in his grip,
''Then let's try.''

_____

Her spine was chilly against the metal, and this time — this time her body was
on full display. Theodore asked her to undress to a level where she only was
coated with her bra and underwear.

He said that it was better for the herbs to be in immediate contact with her skin,
and she trusted him fully. At least that's what she believed. That Theo was still
the one person she could place all her faith in.

Amelie didn't know that changed. She didn't know that Draco was the one she
trusted.

''Are you okay?'' Theodore asked upsettingly. He didn't find a piece of pleasure
in this. He despised what he had to do to her, ''We can do this another day or—''

''I'm fine,'' Amelie muttered, holding her breath as she prepared for the pain of
him searching her body, finding the exact reason why she couldn't remember
Draco, ''Let's just get it—''

Amelie gasped, her back arched off the table as her chest poked out in the air.
Shivers stabbed every inch of her bare skin. Her fingers gripped the edges off the
table. She couldn't breathe.

Theodore's magic tore her apart from the inside as the metal she was placed on
rattled against the floor. She tried so hard not to scream — to be strong, but it
was impossible.

All the pain came crashing down over her at once as she crumbled — constant
whines fled her throat, over and over. She didn't know how to control it.

Swirls of bright colors crossed her skin. She was shaking. Every part of her body
violently shook out of pain fused with exhaustion.

''I'm sorry—'' Teddy whimpered, placing a hand on her head as her eyes
squeezed shut, ''It's almost over, I'm sorry.''

He hummed, different words — attacking different places within her.

''Come on, Amelie, let me see—''

Amelie always thought she'd felt torture before, explored every letter and
meaning of that word. She was, after all, bounded to Adrian, and nothing was
worse than that — but this.

This measured up to it. Her head yanked, her body wrenched and strained
against it but to no use. It was swallowing her, drowning her to a level where
she'd be unconscious if it went on any longer.

''Nott, are you—'' A loud slam was heard before urgent steps echoed in path with
her hurtful noises, ''What the hell are you doing to her?'' Draco yelled, kneeling
next to the table, his eyes plastered on her.

''Stop it, right now—'' Malfoy pushed, his hand moved to her jaw as he cupped
it, ''Amelie, look at me.''

Her eyelids fluttered as another strike on her insides welled over and her back
arched. Her toes curled, ''I—''

''Nott, stop this madness, right now. She can't—'' Malfoy's eyes snapped to her,
seeing how exposed she laid and how vulnerable she looked, ''Stop this, now.''

''I can't, we're so close—'' Theodore muttered. Draco's jaws sharpened. He didn't
know what to do — he craved for her to go back to her usual self as much as
they did, but seeing her like this, wasn't an option.

''For fucks sake, Theodore!'' Draco wasted no time. He couldn't let her hurt. It
was painful without her, indeed but nothing compared to her being tortured.

His arms wrapped around her, lifting her from the table. Theodore's magic
ripped apart as he took her away. Malfoy stormed out of the room, holding onto
her tightly before he booted the door to his own room open, and he hunched
down onto the edge of their bed.

''It's alright,'' He mumbled, ''It's alright, Amelie. You're safe here.''

Draco caught her shallow breaths as he tried to focus on them, ''There you go,
just breathe...''
Amelie's eyes peeled open slowly as she met his grey ones. She didn't seem to
bother. Her skin paled, and the way her muscles continually clenched against his
was heartbreaking.

She was so fragile as her unclothed body rested in his arms, ''I'm sorry—'' She
whispered, bravingly, ''I tried—''

Draco pushed a finger up to her lips, raising his chin so that she'd be able to tuck
her head into that safe space where his collarbone connected with his throat. Her
forehead fell to his shoulder, and tears rolled down her cheeks, staining his shirt.

''I'm—'' Amelie felt so weak, it did take the last of her to do what she did, to
allow herself to be torn apart from the inside in order to fix the blond boy who
held her — even when she didn't know him, that was something she'd do.

It astonished him, every time — her strength and her goodness to other people.

''Shhhh...'' He hushed her, feeling her warm skin on his, ''It's alright.''

Amelie was on the horizon to calm down and to gather herself when she finally
recognized the hands around her body.

It didn't feel strange or uncommon to her to have his fingers digging into her
skin as she wore nothing more than her underwear. It was the gravest feeling of
familiarity that soothed her.

To feel as if his hands belonged upon her body.

They did. No touch had ever fitted her more perfectly than his.

''I want to show you something when you're ready,'' Malfoy leaned back, his arm
crossing her spine, tensed. He needed to hold her steadily.

''I am ready,'' She smiled, bitterly and his head shook.

''You're not—''

''I am.''

He huffed, studying the courageous girl in front of him as her hands tickled his
arms, gently stroking them, ''I am ready.''

Draco hesitated for a minute. Debating what it could mean in his head, before he
— without thinking twice, let his forehead lean against hers, their eyes matching,

''Come here then.''

 _____

The art for this chapter is illustrated by @ dar.a_art (on Instagram and Tumblr)
 Seventy-one

_____

''You love me?''

_____

Amelie groaned out a sigh as she stumbled after the blond through the woods,
her feet tripping across tiny rocks and roots fixed in the soil. The sun trickled
between the massive boles, wind scored lively around them.

She didn't quite understand why he dragged her all the way out in the forest to
show her something — a secret he claimed to have kept from her.

Malfoy didn't seem to be a secretive person when it came to Amelie, but now he
was, and it earned her curiosity in a heartbeat. Even if she held no memory of the
two of them together, she was still her.

Tubers and branches caused her to nearly fall over repeatedly, but Draco always
seemed to turn around at the right time, and with a hand upon her body, gripping
her shoulder and snatching her arm, he kept her steady.

That was something he seemed to have a talent for, keeping her balanced.

''God,'' He mumbled, dragging her close from yet another chance of her falling
over. His voice laced with frustration as he sought to hide it, ''I'm glad to see that
you didn't lose those clumsy feet of yours.''

Parting her lips dismally at what he told, she pouted, ''Well, you didn't need to
bring me all the way out here for a secret you'll most likely keep to yourself
anyway.''

Her sight lowered onto the black leather book he was holding. It never clocked
her mind until the second she owned to study it from afar, that it could be the
thing he thirsted to show her.
Huffing out a sigh at his amused expression, she knitted her brows and tangled
her fingers in front of her, ''What is it? The book? Is it something you want to
read for me—''

Draco rolled his eyes away from her, getting comfortable with the way their
dynamics changed, ''Patience, Amelie,'' He grinned as he began walking ahead of
her again, and she muttered behind him.

Draco couldn't help but let a full smile stretch across his lips as he remembered
the last time they were walking in the woods — and how he was the one
complaining back then.

He wished he'd be able to take her to the cabin, where she'd mastered to rethink
her ways with him last time they were split apart, but he couldn't. He wasn't
capable of doing that to her when she was raveled within her mind already.

He held the arch on his lips at the image of that tiny house. It was where their
journey began — he indeed felt a lot for her while still being in the Manor before
he convinced her to leave, but it felt as if it all changed for them in the cabin.

Where it all became real in a way, he'd failed to see before.

''I just don't understand—'' Amelie hushed, folding her arms across her chest and
kept stumbling, ''I don't understand why we have to walk so far, not that I don't
like walking in the woods, but I don't see why you want me to wait—''

''We're almost there. Hang on for a few more minutes,'' Draco shrugged, peering
over his shoulder to check up on her, and he could sense his heart as it
hammered roughly within his chest.

Her shoulders were still bruised, the mauve shades had faded into fair ones, yet it
still caught his attention every time.

Amelie exhaled, louder this time as she floundered. Her sight still floored, and
Malfoy merely chuckled at her lack of patience. He heard every little noise of
her moody behavior.

It took a toll on her, and a massive one at that — for Theodore to invade her
body as he did. It made her temperamental, unstable nearly. Not consciously.
She wouldn't act this way in her right mind, but something shifted within the
coat of her skin — he could tell.

A spark of his Amelie showed.

They continued walking for a few more minutes until he halted, turning around
to fully face her in the dimmed forest. Sparkles of sun crackled through the tree
trunks.

Draco hesitated at first, not knowing if this was truly the time to do this. Show
her the one thing he'd carried along with himself for all the months she'd been
missing.

It was sensitive to him, more than it.

He exposed to loving her in that diary. Not that she hadn't figured it out on her
own already, but it was sore.

He indeed poured his soul and heart into that book, but the very instant his mind
reached those thoughts — he stopped. He couldn't be thinking like that.

This was for her. This was about him, having his Amelie again, and there wasn't
a thing he wouldn't do to have her back.

His hand stretched out, almost shakingly handing her the book he'd been
carrying.

Amelie's brows knitted, puzzlingly as to why he waited all this time to give it to
her. They had been walking for more than thirty minutes, only to falter in a
glade. She gazed around, curious about where he'd taken her.

She didn't complain about the tiny opening in the deep forest. It was adorable.
Plain grass coated the ground with boles standing thickly around them.

Her eyes fell upon the leather material of the book again, doubtfully allowing her
palm to stroke along the bounded spine, and she could feel Draco as his intense
stare ignited her skin. As soon as her fingers grasped at the material — it stung
vividly in her chest.

A swirl of emotion stormed through her, spiritedly as she gasped at the tickling
feeling it brought. It felt similar to a bond, something mysterious.
Her hues flickered, shooting up to watch the blond boy still leveled in front of
her as the wind seeped around them. They sparkled, her eyes and a flush of hope
pushed through her nerves, Draco could tell.

''What is this?'' She whispered curiously as he drew his hand away, taking a
gaping breath, ''I mean, where did you get this? What does it have to do with me
—''

''You bought it for me,'' He cleared his throat, getting rid of the lump he felt
annoyingly increasing in the back of it, ''And I wrote a few things when you
were...''

His hand balled into fists at his sides, and his heartbeat swelled in his ears. He
couldn't tell her why they weren't with each other at the time. He promised
Theodore not to do so, to keep her out of it as much as possible, ''When you were
away.''

Amelie could still feel that slight, tingling sensation within as she held the diary.

Draco quieted his talks, looking straight at her, ''I'd like for you to read it.''

Squinting as she nodded, agreeing. If it made him feel better, she'd do it without
a second thought — even if a share of her did it for her own sake.

Draco stepped to the side, parting from standing close, and he gestured for her to
walk past him, to keep going through the woods.

Her eyes snapped across the pages of the diary, reading it carefully as she
struggled not to fall across the small path they were walking on.

Draco's pulse stressed every time she took a misstep and every time it looked to
him as if she was tripping, but he tried to remain calm, not to put more pressure
upon her than he was already.

Regretting his own decision to let her read it. He was on edge to ask her to give
it back and forget that any of this even took place, to begin with.

It wouldn't change anything to her, he believed. She'd read it, and he'd even so
be missing from her memories.
It wasn't all bad, he thought as she turned another page over, and he knew that
she was getting close to the parts where he'd been welling his heart out.

Amelie tenderly smiled to herself, cheekily almost as she flipped through the
sheets of paper, learning what he thought of her.

Reading as she blushed, seeing how much he'd missed her and how intensely he
was longing for her. Amelie couldn't quite grasp just how much the blond boy,
nervously walking behind her, prepared to catch her if she'd fall over — cared
for her.

Everyone except Theodore had failed to do so. No one cared, not one single
human being did, but now — now Malfoy did too.

Draco's palms layered in a thin coat of sweat as he tried to peek over her
shoulder, reading what side she was on, but he couldn't see, and that caused him
to feel more and more unsure for every minute that passed.

He was marching after her, clouded in his own head, weighing the possibilities
of right and wrong, damned that he'd let her read it in the first place, yet thankful
for the courage he held to do so.

Amelie halted abruptly in front of him, nearly causing him to stride right into
her.

Her spine straightened as she gasped unheedingly.

''What?'' Draco choked out, his brows dragged together as the crease in his
forehead grew, ''Did you hurt yourself?''

He tried to look if a branch had caught her or if she'd taking a misstep and
sprained her ankle, but nothing.

''What is this...'' Amelie whispered, pearls of tears formed in her eyes, making a
heavy feeling lingering her, ''Malfoy—''

''What?'' He snapped again, concerned to an unlimited point with her spine still
facing him. He couldn't understand why she sounded so upset, ''What happened
—''
Amelie turned around slowly as he met her glinting eyes, and his heart dropped
to the pit of his stomach at the look of it.

That fragile cloak she carried. Her rosy cheeks and her teary eyes could easily be
the death of him, ''Amelie, what happened? Was it something I wrote—''

''You love me?''

Draco's eyes widened. His breaths shifted, none existent.

A seep of silence hovered. For long moments Amelie stood, with her lips parted,
her hands shaking, looking at him as if someone had ripped her heart right out of
her chest.

He didn't look any different.

It was worse than being hit by a train, suffering underneath the spells of torture,
torn apart from the inside — hearing her ask it as if it was a question.

It would never be a question to him.

It would never be something he'd ever doubt. Not an inner conflict. Not a battle
between his heart and mind. Nothing grey in black and white, not colorless and
not filled with shades.

It wasn't like that for Draco.

It was so clear, so obvious.

"You love me?"

He did.

He still does.

Not a day passed that he didn't.

Amelie swallowed the urging feeling to cry, the blooming shade on her skin
faded, ''You—'' A shaky breath passed her quivering lips, ''You love me?''

She already knew it. She did. She had figured it out days ago that he indeed
loved her, not only that she loved him but that he held so much affection for her.

Draco's jaws gritted, shutting his eyes closed for a second to regain himself from
drowning within. It hurt so much to have to justify that he loved her.

Malfoy looked back at her, ''I do.''

Her face fell into grief, mourning something she never knew she had, and it
pained her tremendously to know what she lost him without feeling it.

All she felt was his loss, his suffering in her, and it drained her. It overwhelmed
her to look at him as he looked ghastly. He didn't look human to her, he
portrayed as someone who'd strayed everything he lived for, and in ways — he
did.

As he stood there, his hands in his pockets, the vivid summer wind tousling his
hair as her danced in the strokes of it, looking back at him with blown pupils.

They knew, both of them, even if they didn't.

The excited feeling she held inside shifted into a heartbreaking one, and she
could hear his breaths as they heaved. His face cooly and his shoulders tense.

Amelie didn't know what to do — she caught onto her question, being a terrible
one. That it upset him, and she didn't mean for it to happen, but to see it for
herself — to see his handwriting in that book, writing that he loved her over and
over.

It felt strange, not confusing, more known.

''I'm sorry,'' She whispered, lowering the book entirely, and she looked at him,
''I'm sorry I hurt you. I never meant to do that.''

''I know you didn't,'' He answered, blankly while tearing his stare from the
trapped hold she kept him in, glaring out over the crowd of trees around them, ''It
was never about you hurting me—''

''Did you hurt people when you tried to find me?'' Amelie blurted out
unexpectedly, but it felt as if she knew the answer already — as if she asked
only to see if she was right. The loss in her head didn't feel as heavy anymore.
Draco looked at her, a razor-sharp dash in his pained eyes, ''I'd tear this whole
world apart for you.''

It was a promise. He didn't speak with doubt. It fell off his lips with honesty.

Amelie swallowed the suspicion she felt, and she bowed her head slowly,
''Would I have done the same for you?'' She asked shyly, more uncertain this
time.

Draco's jaws sharpened tightly, ''You did, but worse,'' He admitted, causing a
frown to mount her unsettled features, ''You hurt yourself because of me.''

She nodded as the birds chirping around them caught her attention for a brief
moment, and she looked back at him, seeing all the blasting pain he kept inside,
''I don't think that's your fault—''

''Don't—'' He cut her short, snapping his head to the side, rolling his shoulders to
ease his own tension, ''It's not your job to make me feel better.''

Malfoy sighed worryingly. He felt horrible for bemusing her, for being the
reason she felt more trapped than before.

''You might not be mine anymore,'' It was a slight, hurtful pause in his talking.
His heart ached in the missing of her, ''But I belong to you, always.''

Fuming inside her as she caught those words, ''Don't—'' She nearly snapped at
him, ''Don't say that. I don't want you to wait for me. What if I can't remember
you? What if I can't get any of it back?''

She crackled, wounded by her loss of realization, ''You don't have to do this—''

''Then I'll show you.'' He talked so calmly, reassuring her that he meant every
word as he took a stride closer, his palm soothed against her jaw, ''You think it's
missing, all the strength and power you learned to master this past year but—''

Gazing over him, watching the flicker of pain in his soft stare as she let her head
rest against his touch. He tried to suppress it, to deny that this hurt, but he
couldn't, she noticed without falter.

''It's right...'' His hand slid down her arm. Goosebumps caressed her skin as his
touch went further down, grabbing her hand gently before tracing it back up
between them. He placed their tangled fingers on his chest, ''Here.''

''Our hearts...'' She breathed, her nerves coming back together, calming down
from almost losing her tamed mind, ''You say it all the time.''

Tightening his fingers around hers as she shivered by the icing feeling his hand
brought, ''I do,'' Draco whispered, peering down at her. He was so tall in
comparison to her height, ''So did you.''

She felt the heat of his body radiating off on her, and she still couldn't wrap her
head around it. How she was supposed to love someone that had hurt as many
people as he did — someone so uncaring and dangerous, but he wasn't with her.

He cared for that brown-haired girl more than he'd ever admitted to. He
confessed to loving her, several times but it was still an understatement. Not a
word was viable to explain how he felt about her. It wasn't something that could
be put into speaking.

It was something that had to be shown, and to show that to a girl who was
terrified by touch wasn't easy. Still, Draco's touch never bothered her. Not back
then and not now. It never troubled the frail soul she carried because he'd never
hurt her.

He did once, and he learned from it. He'd never do it again.

''I must have loved you a lot,'' She spoke up after moments in silence. Her tone
shaky and uncertain, ''Not to be scared of you.''

Draco felt an arch on his lips as he smiled, not a natural smile, not a fraud one
either but a smile of hope in the most desperate times, ''I hope you did. I like to
believe that you did.''

''Did it hurt?'' She asked, her hand still on his chest. She wished to drag away, to
take a step back and distance herself, but she couldn't. It wasn't possible, ''Losing
me, I mean.''

Draco's eyes flickered, landing on the bracelet, hugging her wrist, and it burnt
his soul seeing it, ''More than you know.''
They stayed like that. Close to each other for moments until they walked their
way back to the Manor.

He didn't push her further today. He let her take in the missing pieces of her
mind at her best capabilities, and he let it go.

He knew that they'd try it again, another day, but for this one — it was enough.
Amelie deserved to rest now.

Draco watched as she stepped up the stairs, with his diary still close to her, and
disappeared into their room again.

A loud sigh fell off his lips as he hunched down onto the couch in the living
room. Not realizing that Theodore had been waiting for them to return.

Malfoy's arms spread out over the backrest of the sofa as he allowed his head to
tip back.

He was exhausted.

''Mate,'' Theodore called out for him in the doorway, standing with his shoulder
pressed to the wood, ''I need a word—''

''Yeah?'' Draco scoffed, shaking his head and with a twitch of his wand, resting
next to him — he let the fireplace on fire, ''It's been a long day, Nott. What do
you want?''

There was a delay in Theodore's answer as his forehead was trimly covered in
lather. He was timid to speak about this, to say at least — still, he needed to do
so.

He'd been doing something unforgivable behind Draco's back, when he wasn't
looking and when he was mourning the believed loss of Amelie. Theodore could
never speak of this out loud. He understood that, and it was his price to pay.

He'd pay for this one day. He'd be held responsible for what he agreed to do,
even if he'd done so to save the two people closest to him.

''I'm leaving,'' Theodore kept his tone on the lower side, not for Amelie to hear if
she'd by any chance, walk down the stairs, ''I'll be back in the morning—''
''Again?'' Draco's voice filled with anger, ''Where do you possibly have to be at
this hour, every damn night—''

''That's none of your concern, and even if it was. I wouldn't tell you,'' Theodore
fired back.

Malfoy's eyes widened, still staring into the fireplace, and his fingers dug into
the backrest of the couch his arms rested against. It maddened him exceedingly
that his friend was keeping secrets from him.

That he wasn't entitled to know what Theodore knew.

''Then don't tell me,'' Draco gritted, his chin rose in the air, ''Don't tell me and
don't tell her.''

Theodore's arms fell to his sides, feeling beaten, ''I don't know why you have to
bring her into every conversation we have. This has nothing to do with her, and
if you continue to use her against me—''

''Because it's not just you and me anymore!'' Draco turned around, his eyes
glared in pure evil, ''It's not us looking for her, it's us being with her, and that is a
bit hard when you're not here anymore.''

Draco had no clue that Theodore was, in reality, saving their lives by vanishing
in the late hours.

''I know, but she has you.'' It hurt Theo to admit that, to speak it loudly and not
hear the whispers in his head, ''She has you now and that's all she'll ever—''

''Oh, for fucks sake!'' Draco growled, forcing himself off the furniture, ''Don't
start that, she loves you more than me shit again—''

''I'm not!'' Theodore yelled, but he wasn't upset with the blond. Theo was tired.
He was just so tired.

He'd been bending himself inside out, draining every last piece of morality he
kept inside to try and help his best friend, and now — now he was tired.

''I'm not, but I can't tell you about it, just like you didn't tell me how you found
out about that Death Eater meeting and you don't see me accusing you of lying,''
He made a fair point, even Draco believed that, ''I'm doing this for her, trust me.''

Draco felt his chest as it tightened, and he looked away.

''I'm not doing anything to piss you off, but this is something I have to do, and I
need to know that you'll stay here with her,'' His talk discontinued for a brief
moment, scared of what he was implying himself, ''You leave too, sometimes but
you can't do that when I'm not here. You need to look after her.''

''I am—'' Draco still glanced away, ''I won't leave her.''

It eased the strained feeling within Theodore, hearing Malfoy saying it out loud.
He wouldn't leave her, and if anything ever would happen to Theodore, she'd
always have him.

''You better not,'' He said severely, ''I have to go, but tell her goodnight for me,
would you?''

Malfoy nodded, letting his sight drag over Theodore as he walked out of the
room. He wanted to shout and scream and take all that build-up rage he kept
deep inside out on the brunet, but it wouldn't be fair.

Theodore had to learn too. He had to master the lines of right and wrong on his
own. There was something special about learning from your own mistakes. To
heal, take it in, and move on.

Never did Theo have anyone similar to that in his life, someone that would let
him fail but still support him — but Amelie, and now — now Draco was that
person too.

Malfoy slipped down onto the couch again. Too tired to keep his eyes open but
too exhausted to sleep. It felt to him as if he lost consciousness.

Amelie's body jolted violently.

She felt trapped in her own sheets as her legs kicked them off of her. Her breaths
were heavy, and her skin damp. Her nightdress smeared to her body.

She flinched again, hearing the screams and whimpers from downstairs.
Ripping through her like daggers, shredding her apart from the inside as she —
without thinking twice about it, pushed herself off her bed. Her bare feet struck
the floor cooly.

It was dark throughout the Manor. Every corner held even dimmer than the
prior, but she stumbled her way down the corridor, and she was out of breath.
Both panic and agony bolted within.

Amelie shivered by the chilly air stroking her skin as she nearly ran down the
stairs. Her nightdress fluttered in the wind.

Halting, right in the doorway to the living room, she watched as his pale body
twisted and turned by the agonizing thoughts he was dreaming.

Amelie's fingers twitched against the palms of her hands, and she shook her head
slightly.

She recognized this — as if she'd seen it before, a tempest of deja vu poured

over her, and her lower lip quivered.

Another whimper passed him, and she tripped over, closing in on him, hurrying
around the sofa to kneel right where his head was. She slipped onto the frigid
floor, her hands grasping at his tense jaws.

''Malfoy,'' Amelie whispered closely. Her fingers brushed over the blond strands
of his hair, ''Malfoy... I'm here.''

Gasping the very instant, she watched his eyes peel open and his body coiled. He
looked scared, his eyes crowded in tears as his head shook, ''Amelie, what are
you—''

Draco tried to sound solid. He didn't want to give in to what he knew had taken
place, to the reason she'd found her way down here in the middle of the night.

He fell asleep without her, and this always happened to him when he did. Draco
cursed to himself within the flesh of his mouth as he watched the heavy-eyed girl
resting on her knees beside him.

She looked terrified.

''Amelie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you,'' He started to prop himself up, his
feet against the floor, and the blanket fell off his chest, leaving his skin on
display for her, ''Go back to sleep, I didn't—''

Amelie didn't speak one single word to him as she stood up in front of him
before she dropped down onto his lap. He blinked quickly at her arms around his
neck, and she could feel how his muscles flexed against hers.

Draco waited a minute to wrap his arms across her back. He didn't dare to at first
— he was certain that she'd change her mind. That she'd wake up from her
doziness and that she would realize what she was doing, but she didn't.

She didn't let go of him.

Amelie didn't budge.

She held onto him tightly as the silk of her nightdress rubbed over his bare skin.

''I'm here—'' She breathed, inching near, ''I'm sorry that I didn't sleep next to you
today, but I'm here now...''

She was, yet she wasn't.

With a thick swallow, he let go of the fear of her rejecting him, and he allowed
his arms to wrap around her lower back. His hands closed around her skin, and
he buried his head in her hair.

Simply holding each other.

He loved doing that, drowning himself in every piece of her.

Amelie's head tipped to the side, slackening a bit in his hold. She let her cheek
rest against his chin. Draco didn't even think about it as he pushed his lips into
her hair.

He didn't kiss her, but he held in stillness for minutes, feeling how her steady
breaths calmed his and his teeth clamped. Draco understood that he'd have to let
go of her eventually. He couldn't sit there, in the middle of the night, with her on
his lap — no matter how much he wanted to.
It didn't take long until Amelie's own breaths slowed, and she felt heavy upon
him. Malfoy recognized the feeling instantly. She'd fallen asleep on top of him
so many times before.

Draco smiled — a curl on his lips, reservedly. She came down here to comfort
him, to check up on him as he shouted in his sleeping state, but instead, she was
the one falling asleep. It usually turned out like that, not that he minded — not
one single bit.

He adored it. He'd have her sleeping on his lap every night if he could.

Draco groaned lightly as he stood tall on his feet with her body clinging onto
him. He walked upstairs, back to the room they once shared before he gently laid
her down in between the pearly sheets.

He bent back, loosening the hold of her spine when she gripped his upper arm in
a swift move. Her lashes battled, falling close again.

''Don't—'' She whispered. Her note airy, and her skin felt so warm upon his,
''Please, don't go.''

His breaths ragged, frowning at her in the darkness of midnight.

''Don't—'' Amelie started to pull him closer to her again, nearly dragging him
down onto the bed entirely, ''Don't go. You can't sleep without me and I—''

She swallowed tiredly as she looked at him. The moonlight brushed his skin so
beautifully.

''And I don't want to sleep without you.''

Draco could feel her panting breaths on his lips as one of her hands stroked over
his hair. She was irresistible. He had no idea how he would ever stand against
her,

''Don't go.''

It was a thickening feeling in his throat. One of his hands settled next to her head
as she kept pulling him down. He wanted to lie beside her, more than anything.
''Amelie, I don't want you to do this because of me. I'm alright—''
He watched as the strap of her dress slipped down, revealing her exposed
shoulder, and he could explode right there and then if he lacked self-control. Her
beauty and her soft skin were captivating to him.

''I'm not,'' Her eyes flayed open again, meeting his grey ones in a heartbeat. He
was leaning over her fully, still with one foot on the ground, ''I don't want to
sleep alone. It's just so lonely.''

His gaze slipped over her. His jaws clenched.

God, how he missed her.

''I don't want you to regret it...'' His thumb brushed her cheek, locking his eyes
with hers and her fist tightened in his hair, ''I'll wait for you. You know I will.''

''I'm not—'' She let out a sigh, feeling her heart as it pounded in her ears and her
skin smoothly moved along the silky sheets, ''I'm not going to regret it, Malfoy. I
asked you to stay, so just stay.''

Malfoy still hesitated. He didn't want her to feel bothered or even regretful when
she woke up — but the ticking feeling within him nagged as he watched her
body make room for his, shoving herself back so that he'd be able to nestle in
next to her.

He caved.

He'd always cave for her.

''Amelie—''

''You don't have to. You can go downstairs and sleep on the sofa again if that
suits you better,'' A forced, drowsy smile climbed upon her, and her head held
heavy on her pillow, ''Just know that I want you here.''

She felt her fingers graze over his back, lingering for a brief moment, causing his
muscles to tense before her arm dropped to her side, and she let go of him.

Even that loss of her stung.

''I want to be here,'' He breathed, his knee sunk into the mattress as he placed
himself next to her. Nothing had completed him more, ever.

Amelie smiled, shifting around in her position so that she'd face him in the
darkness. She was so tired, her eyes falling shut.

Draco didn't dare to touch her more than he already had. He studied her, noticing
the tiny smile she carried as it faded in her way to sleep.

He fell asleep next to her like they'd done so many times before, but this was
different. This was special. This was her — letting him in again. Signing a piece
of herself and her faith over to him, all over.

Amelie squinted. Her eyelids held heavy as she felt pounding pain scorning
through her head. A twinkle of hurt she'd failed to notice before as she peeled
her eyes wide.

She huffed out, shifting a bit in her position as her sight adjusted to the bright
light of morning sun seeping through the windows.

Draco's room always looked so cold to her, but not today — this morning, it
looked warm, soothingly.

She reached her arms up, stretching her whole body as a squeal fled her throat,
and the gesture earned the boy sleeping next to her to groan in his sleep.

Draco.

Her eyes flickered as she pushed her palms into the mattress, propping herself up
against the headboard, frighteningly, creating space between them.

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. The air in her lungs missed her as she saw his
pale skin, his scars, and his toned muscles.

Drops of tears.

Her hues shredded in tears, and her breathing held so shallow as she watched the
blond boy, with his hair long and messily over his forehead, his arms tucked
around her.

She didn't even notice that he was holding her.

Amelie gasped silently, slamming her hand over her mouth to muffle her own
sounds. Her skin shivered, goosebumps trickled every inch of her in between the
sheets. She couldn't believe it.

This wasn't true.

He wasn't here. He couldn't be.

''Draco?'' She whispered, her own words broke in despair. It hurt to speak his
name, knowing what he'd done the last time she saw him, but she couldn't hold it
back. It wasn't real to her.

She watched him die. She was there.

Amelie saw him die, and now — now he was heavily asleep by her side. In their
bed.

Shaking her head as she let a finger trace carefully over his arm. She needed to
be sure that this wasn't a dream, her head playing tricks on her.

Her skin brushed against his. She cried out. Her body shaking.

''Draco—'' She whimpered, earning her way past his sleep as he jolted up, his
eyes snapped to hers instantly in a fusion of fear and shock.

''Amelie, what are you—'' He paused, quickly. Draco's eyes widened at the look
of tears rolling down her drained cheeks. Her skin ashenly and her eyes haunted,
''What did you just—''

He gulped, pushing his lips together and his sight studied hers, ''What did you
just call me—''

Amelie's gaze of worry faded unknowingly into the loving look she always
carried for him. The way she always looked at him. He recognized it without
falter as she recognized him.

She was here.

''What did you just call me, Amelie?'' Draco shook his head, quirking a brow. A
shade of confusion mantled him. He didn't understand. His chest felt heavy as it
heaved beneath the bed-linen, ''Amelie, what did you just—''

He couldn't believe what he heard. He couldn't believe what he saw.

It was her.

She was here. She was back.

His Amelie. Always his Amelie.

''Draco...'' Amelie smiled tenderly, her lashes battled the glinting eyes, ''Draco,''

It sounded so familiar yet so unknown to both of them.

Malfoy reached his hand out, the tips of his fingers barely scratched against her
chin. He just needed to feel her, to sense how she reacted to his touch, and she
didn't. Instead, she melted into it.

Her jaw tipped into his palm as she closed her eyes, ''I called you Draco.''

_____
 Seventy-two

This chapter contains mentions of death and emotional trauma. Please read
with caution.

_____

''I love you. I love you. I love you.''

_____

Amelie gaped unheedingly. Not a string of emotion played on her startled

features as she stared at him, noticing how he'd propped himself up on one
elbow, the other arm rested across the toned muscles smeared into this torso.

Draco reached a hand towards her, but she pulled away vacantly. Her
movements restrained.

''Amelie—'' Malfoy breathed, faintly shaking his head, ''Amelie, what—''

He couldn't think properly. It was all a faded mess to him — watching as her
head cleared after weeks in sleep.

''No,'' The girl managed to choke out, tugging the covers over her body to
conceal herself. Her nightdress wrapped around her along with the pearly sheets
of the bed, ''You died...''

Her knuckles paled as she gripped the fabric of the bed linen. Her sight was
mangled with his. She couldn't look away, even if the fusion of tears and
exhaustion stung in her eyes. Amelie sought to shake her head, to flee back to
reality.

Draco wasn't here. He couldn't be.

''You—'' Her eyelids fluttered. Her words left in stutters, ''I saw you die — you
died.''
One of her hands moved up to grasp at her own throat, easing the slumping
feeling she seemed to be stuck in. Her bones caved, ''You're not here. I held you,
I saw you—''

Amelie's teeth clamped together tightly as she tried not to break down, not to
take her eyes off him, ''You're not here.''

The parched palms of her hands pushed against her ears as her hues shut. She
was banning the world, closing off every detail around her, to find her own voice
in her head.

''You're not here.''

There was no natural way for this to be valid. This couldn't happen. Nature didn't
work this way. Teddy had taught her that no matter which type of magic there is,
coming back from the dead is as rare as anything. There wasn't a way —not a
harmless one, at least.

''You're not here.''

All she saw was darkness against the thin flesh of her eyelids, but she didn't dare
to open her eyes. What if he was gone again? What if she'd lost the person she
sacrificed herself for?

Her heartbeat dwelled on, roughly within her chest as her breaths turned heavy.

''You're not here.''

Amelie craved to persuade herself that it wasn't real. That the truth didn't rest in
him laying beside her. She had watched Draco exhale his last breath. She had
felt his body as it cooled in her arms. She has seen the blood draining him of life.

He died.

''You can't be—''

Amelie flinched back, peeling her solidly squeezed eyes open at the touch he'd
brought her. The warm, healing feeling of his hand as it closed around her wrist,
and he lowered one of her arms from her ear.
Draco looked at her. Not through her, not away, nothing in between. He stared
right at her.

Her head shook at a leisurely pace as she studied him. The crease in his cheek
that she'd failed to notice before, the blond hair that had grown inches longer
since she last paid attention to it, the grey eyes that consumed her whole being.

Amelie didn't dare to give in. To cave into what she thought she was watching
— to see that boy, her boy, sitting in front of her, the muscles of his chest
heaving as the veins in his neck popped out.

He died. This couldn't be real.

''Amelie...'' Draco's hand slipped down her arm, tracing goosebumps along her
soft skin, moving tenderly to cup her gritted jaws, ''I am here.''

Malfoy's voice was so soft that she believed herself to be floating on feathers. It
was a symphony to her ears, a line of heaven as she heard his tone.

''No—'' Amelie's head tilted to match the palm of his hand, leaning the whole
weight of her head into it, ''You can't be here. I saw you die and then—''

Her eyes flickered as her lips parted.

It hit her.

Amelie died too.

She shoved herself back over the mattress as her fingers trailed over her dress,
grasping at her own body, feeling her arms, her neck, her legs, her chest, her
stomach. She could feel her whole self, yet it felt so foreign to her.

Unfamiliar in ways she couldn't rise to educate.

Her skin had healed, only dimmed shapes of bruises and scars covered her
frame, everything had faded, slowly, unnoticeably into her body.

''How am I—'' Her voice held superficially thin, inaudible almost as her tragic
scan fell to watch her shaking hands. All Amelie could remember was how they
once, not too long ago, were drenched in Draco's blood, mixed with her own.
Her palms rammed over her figure, heaving for air as she tugged her shirt up,
and there it was. The immense, lightly flushed scar from the blade she'd forced
into her own chest. It was healed, unexplainably. Her fingers brushed past it, and
it didn't hurt anymore.

''No—'' Amelie sighed, breathy as her pants left her throat in seeps. She tried to
bring herself justice, but she couldn't comply. Nothing was sensible when it
crossed this.

Amelie died.

She couldn't be here. There was no logical explanation for her to wake up in
Draco's bed again. There was no reasonable clarification as to how this
happened.

Amelie's eyes flickered to face him as he sat up against the headboard of their
bed, his chest exposed between the sheets, and her doings faltered. All she could
do was look at him.

Look at that breathtaking boy who once stole her heart and turned all the evil
things in her life for the better. He saved her, every time — even from herself.

Malfoy would always save her.

''Is this—'' She swallowed the cry she felt in the back of her throat, along with
the stinging sensation in her chest. It hurt so much to be held in all of that denial,
''Am I dead? Is it what this is? I'm dead?''

"Is this some wicked game? Did I die? Am I dead?"

Draco looked at her softly as he gently shook his head. He didn't know how to
do this, how to not tell her everything at once, but he couldn't push her — he was
terrified to do so, in case he lost her all over again,

''You did, but you're not anymore.''

It took all of him not to throw himself at her right there and then. Not to lock his
arms around her and never let her go again. It robbed him of the last piece of
patience he held when it came to her.
He had fought, more than he'd ever done before, and here she was — sitting in
front of him, lucid. Her eyes sparkled in the early morning sun, and her hair held
messier than it had ever been, but he didn't care.

Hell, nothing could ever compare to that messy morning hair of hers.

"I'm here," He inhaled. A silent moment slipped him as he stared at her, savoring
every last piece of her beautiful self, "I want to show you something."

His hand reached out towards her across the mattress, landing right where she
was seated. The mark inked in his arm showed clearly, and she caught onto it,
even if she'd seen it so many times before.

The veins embedded into his ashen skin were put on full display for her as she
remembered how she used to stroke along with them in his sleep.

Amelie hesitated for several long moments. She paused her breathing just to
gaze over his arms. She adored them. They always folded so protectively around
her body when she needed it the most, and that frightened her to the fullest.

That this wasn't real. That her head was taunting her and that he wasn't truly
here. She wanted to believe it. She tried so hard to do so, but it still ached a
pushing storm of pain throughout her.

Her palm, slowly, touched his as he let his fingers grip around her hand, gently
dragging her closer.

Amelie crawled on her knees towards him, not letting the stare of his hand
around hers go. She was terrified that if she did — he would fade away from her,
all over again.

Draco stopped, loosening the grip he had of her as he angled her hand in his, and
he placed it right where his heart was beating. Giving her a minute to adjust,
allowing her fingertips to stroke along his skin before her eyes finally flickered
to his.

"I'm right here," It was a plea, a begging for her to understand that he was alive,
next to her. He wasn't going anywhere, "I promise you that I'm right here."

Her eyes squinted slightly as her sight dropped to his chest, watching it heave.
Falling and rising in path with hers.

Her knees smoothly inched closer, and a shaking breath filled her restricted
lungs. Her lower lip quivering as she met his grey hues again.

"You're really here?" Her tone was so low, breathy as she felt her heartbeat
soften and the swelling of it in her ears faded, "Are you really here, Draco?"

His veins soared in warmth by her, yet again, speaking his name. It was
something about the way she said it, so effortlessly — soothing all of the hurt he
felt.

Malfoy studied that look in her eyes, that small glimmering of her in them. He'd
seen it all along, every day since she woke up from her weeks in a heavy sleep,
but this was different.

This was really her.

The girl who learned to master her worth, the girl who knew how loved and
cared for she was. The girl who lost everything, including herself and the girl
who fought, with every last piece of bravery left inside that fragile cage of her
chest, to get it back.

He was amazed by her, even when she sat in front of him, with the bright beams
of dawn in her nightdress. She'd never stop astonishing him.

Draco was so proud of her as he let his gaze drag across her. She battled. Her
whole life was a never-ending fight with all the demons that claimed to love her
— yet she did it so gracefully.

The most considerable thing in all of it wasn't that he got her back but that she
owned herself again.

His Amelie.

"I am," He breathed, stroking his thumb along the spine of her shaking hand,
"I'm right here, and I'm never letting you go ever again."

Amelie smiled a heartbreaking, courageous smile and how he'd missed it. That
beautiful smile of hers, how her eyes lit up as her lips arched.
She could feel how her throat caved in on her. The skin coating her body
vibrated as her bones crumbled, ''It's real?'' Her note was airy.

Her eyes hooded as they pleaded his, ''Tell me it's real. Please...'' She begged,
''Just tell me it's real and I'll—''

Draco's head tilted slightly. His unveiled chest flexed as he gifted her with a
warm look. A mantle that was so unfamiliar to her, she hadn't seen it in months.

''This is real,'' He promised. The honesty dripping off his tongue caused a jolt of
electricity to push through her vessels. It was as if it became clear to her as if
she'd finally woken up.

Amelie didn't spare another second before she drew her hand out of his hold. She
tossed herself over him. Her knees on each side of his hips as her hands sheeted
around his neck, straddling him.

She always did that. It was her way of having him as close as she possibly could.

The tips of her fingers tangled into the blond strands, and he groaned at the
feeling. Draco loved when she did that.

Malfoy wrapped his arms around her body entirely as he buried his head into
that tiny space in-between her collarbone and the brim of her neck. His favorite
place to be. It felt peaceful, sensing the little flares of her pulse-pounding.

Amelie's chest arched closely to his, granting him all access to her body as she,
without doubt, pushed her lips into his head. Tears rolled down her skin as she
whimpered, ''You're alive,'' Her fingers clawed at his shoulders, holding onto
him with every last piece of herself.

Her hands explored his skin, feeling it thoughtfully, every last inch of it, ''You're
alive,'' She whispered to herself, ''You're here—''

It was a cracking in her voice as she leaned back, and she could feel his breaths
mixed with hers again, ''You're here, Draco.''

Malfoy huffed out. His jaws gritted as his large hands traveled over her spine,
feeling the silky material of her dress. He couldn't possibly have enough of her.
Amelie felt herself as she calmed down. Her nerves eased out of the panic that
had befallen her earlier. Her breathing slowed in bearing with his.

She mildly let her hands sweep across his chest, feeling every outlined thew in
his skin, over his shaped collarbones until she reached his jaw. Now it was her,
taking his face in her hands like he always did to her.

The coldness of the silver hugging her wrist stained his cheek as she stroked his
skin.

Her head shook. She smiled a genuine, honest, frail smile. He could tell by that
glint in her eyes, the one that gone missing but still remained all along.

Draco wrapped his arms around her, dragging her as close as he could. Her
knees soothed against the sheets as he sealed the longing space between them
entirely. His forehead tipped to Amelie's, and he let his nose brush along the
spine of hers.

God, how he'd missed her.

He felt her thumbs trembling as they skimmed over his lips, past his cheeks, and
down to his jaws. In no reality could she possibly stop looking at him. Even if
she tried, she could never be able to peer away.

Amelie's breath slightly ragged as she, without warning, leaned even closer, ''I
love you,'' She blurted out, quietly, unconsciously almost, but she didn't mind.

She meant it.

Draco's chin rose, his eyes hooked with hers. His whole body heated. All that
coldness of her missing — went away the very instant he'd caught her saying his
name.

He felt a smile as it curved onto his lips, and without another second wasted,
Amelie pushed her lips against his, ''I love you.''

She kissed him again.

''I love you.''

Again.

''I love you.''

Again.

Draco held her so close, tasting the flavor of her every time their lips collided,
and he smiled into the constant path of kisses. He couldn't suppress that arch on
his mouth any longer.

''My Amelie,'' Draco mumbled, ripping their lips apart as he gripped her cheeks,
slightly bending her head back to caress her throat, ''I love you.''

He kissed her skin, her bruises, and her scars softly as he moved down to her
collarbones, stroking his nose past the brim of her shoulder, ''I love you.''

Draco repeated it, letting one of his hands sneak its way down her side before
safety landing on her hip, and his fingers tensed as he felt her bare skin beneath
the hunched-up nightdress.

The straps of it had fallen off her arms, and he breathed the scent of her in,
burying his features into her soft skin. He couldn't get enough.

''Draco...'' Amelie whimpered, her hands slipped through his hair, pulling him as
close as she could, whispering into his head, ''I missed you. I missed you. I
missed you so—''

''Say it again,'' Malfoy groaned against her, leaning back against the headboard
again, creating a modest space between them, ''Say it—''

''Draco,'' She smiled, ''Draco, Draco, Draco.'' Her head tilted as the strands of her
hair followed the movement. She gave in to his arms ultimately and brushed her
nose against his, ''My Draco.''

His hand flicked across the shell of her ear as he tucked a wavy strand behind it,
without once taking his eyes off her.

They rested there for several moments — simply holding, touching each other
with everything they had, and once again, not a word could be shared between
them that spoke louder than their acts did.
Silence hovered as she took him in, memorized every single element upon him
so that she would never misremember him again. So that he was glued to her
mind and burned to her soul. So that he could never lose her.

''So...'' Amelie rose a brow, ''Draco is it—''

She squealed, being hewed off by his loud huff and his arms as they flipped
them around, nailing her body into the mattress, ''What was that?'' He gritted, his
eyes snapping, ''Was that you... taunting me?''

Amelie's cheeks blushed, a rosy color spread across her skin as he smirked,
''Perhaps...'' Her lower lip sucked in between her teeth before her neck arched,
and she connected their lips all over again.

He groaned into her mouth, kissing her back in a heartbeat.

''I think—'' He muttered, melting into her from above, his body so tightly pressed
against hers that he could feel her heart as it beat, ''I think we should stay here
the whole—''

''I want to see Teddy,'' Amelie heaved back, her fingers trailing over his exposed
spine, ''I want to see Teddy, and then I'll lay here all day with you.''

Draco pushed his palms into the bed, looking down at her, ''If you think for a
second that I'll let you leave this bed today, you're wrong.''

Amelie's eyes rolled, lifting a brow as well as the tension, ''If you think you can
keep me from seeing Teddy, you're—''

''He's not here.''

Her brows knitted, the smile spread on her lips fell, ''What? Where is he?'' She
questioned, propping herself up on her elbows underneath him, ''What do you
mean not here? Where would he go—''

''He didn't tell me,'' Draco sighed, feeling more than discouraged with himself for
letting both Teddy and Amelie down, ''He refused to tell me and now—''

Malfoy ignored the burning sensation of regret in his chest, ''He left, late last
night.''
It was a stinging pain, blasting through her nerves at what he'd told. That Teddy
had left her in the middle of the night without telling her where he was going.

He never did that — not once had he done so, until now.

''Can we find out—''

''Amelie, dear?''

Both Amelie and Draco's eyes grew broad by the knock on their door, and before
he had the chance to roll off her, not to be lying on top of Amelie in between the
sheets — Narcissa strode through the door.

''Oh my—'' Narcissa turned around quickly, shaking her head at them, ''My
apologies—''

Draco was quick to free Amelie from the hold he had of her, shifting to his back
instead, ''Mother...'' He awkwardly greeted her, peering over his shoulder to see
Amelie pushing herself off the bed.

''Narcissa—'' Amelie breathed out, taking slow, hesitant steps over the floor as
she watched how the lady's spine straightened, chills traced down her skin by
that little shift in Amelie's voice.

Narcissa turned around. Her dark eyes scanning the girl in front of her for a mere
minute before she cracked and took long strides up to her. Her arms folded over
Amelie's shoulders, pulling her into a warm hug.

''How is it possible...'' Narcissa whispered into her head, her hand wiping over
Amelie's clothed back before she gripped her arm and stepped away to look at
her properly, ''Are you—''

Her eyes flickered to Draco's. The haunted eyes that known nothing else but
misery during the past years pleaded her son's, ''Is she—''

''I am,'' Amelie said, silently, and Narcissa's head snapped back to hers, colorful
curls spilled over the lady's shoulders, ''This morning, only an hour ago. I woke
up, and it was all there again.''

Narcissa's eyes prickled. She pulled her in again, closely, ''Nothing ever made
me happier,'' She kissed the top of Amelie's head.

Draco looked at them, smiling to himself, and for the first time — in what felt
like a long time, he believed it all to be alright.

''I love you,'' Amelie whispered into the soft fabric of Narcissa's dress, ''Thank
you for keeping them together when I couldn't.''

She felt Narcissa's arms as they tensed around her, ''Thank you for coming back
to us, dear. That's the thing that kept us all going.''

Draco shoved himself up on his feet, slowly striding up to the two women his
heart rested with, and his hand settled on Amelie's back as Narcissa backed
away.

Amelie's hands snaked around his torso, hugging his bare skin as he pushed his
lips into her head.

''Well, perhaps some breakfast when you're dressed and ready?'' His mother
smiled, clapping her hands together before intertwining her fingers, ''Theodore is
going to be back any minute—''

''Is he?'' Draco questioned, his chin resting against Amelie's head, ''What did he
tell you?''

A cloak of doubt scored Narcissa's dolled features. She shook her head,
''Nothing, dear,'' She lied, ''He simply said he'd be back in the morning.''

Malfoy frowned, suspicious with his mother for being so unlettered with the
asked matter, but he didn't say more. He did not wish to ruin this moment for the
girl holding him — he nodded, clearly towards Narcissa.

''I'll get the breakfast ready, and you can come down as soon as you're done,''
She bowed her head, marching out of the room.

Amelie turned to him fully, feeling how his limbs wrapped around her entirely.
Her nose buried into his chest as she huffed, ''I missed this,'' She whispered, her
heated breaths fanned his skin, ''I missed you.''

Draco smiled, placing his chin on the top of her head, ''I missed you more.''
She leaned back, still clinging onto him as she met the grey eyes, ''But I really
want to see Teddy, so perhaps we could—''

Draco's head threw back, groaning loudly as his eyes rolled, ''Fine, but for a
while,'' He couldn't resist that adorable smile, filled with the hope, ''Then I want
you all to myself again.''

He bent over her, sneaking his nose close to her ear as she chuckled, trying to
pry him off at the tickling feeling it brought, but he kept her steady, ''I haven't
had you for months, and I just—''

It was a slight pause, nearly as if he had to collect himself to believe that she
truly was here, with him again, ''I want you to myself.''

Amelie caved into his arms once more, letting him hold her as she grazed her
fingers over his shoulders, ''I'm yours... but I want to—''

''I know,'' He settled, nodding, ''I think he should take a look at your body to
make sure everything is alright with your memories.''

''Smart and handsome...'' She smirked at him, and that slight shift in color across
his cheeks caused her heart to feel more than full.

''Perfect, aren't I?'' He taunted, making her step back from him. She strode up to
the closet, flinging the doors open to study the clothes hanging inside.

Her eyes dragged over the pieces of dresses she'd yet failed to notice as she felt
Draco's arms slipping around her waist from behind. He couldn't keep his hands
off her.

''Is this—''

''Mother bought them for you...'' He mumbled, hiding his face into her messy
strands, ''She didn't think you had enough dresses, so she went out and bought
some more. It was something she did when you were...''

He held her tighter.

She was here.

She was here.

She was here, and she wasn't going anywhere.

''Gone—'' He cleared his throat, ''I think she did it for herself, mostly. She found
comfort in buying you things when you were away... and Amelie—''

She turned in his arms, looking up at him from her lashes, ''I think we need to
talk about that too. You being—'' His lips firmly pushed together, ''Away from
me.''

Amelie's head shook, tearing her sight from his as she shifted back around, ''We
will. I just—'' She swallowed a feeling of hesitancy, ''I just want to be here, with
you and not think about that for a moment... can we do that? Just be us, without
all of that?''

She didn't want to shut him out, but she was at the very same time — terrified to
talk about what she'd done and what she'd been through the months they spent
apart. She just wished to get back up on her feet and be with them before she
dived back into that hole of misery.

''Of course, anything you need,'' Draco reassured her, calmly and he backed
away, watching as she picked out a dress for the day — got dressed and even
took the bravery to choose a shirt for him.

He'd missed her. The Amelie that was taken from him — the Amelie that had a
torch and spark of fire and strength within.

She was funny, courageous, caring, loving, kind. Everything he'd ever believed
was too much to be filled within the frame of one human she was.

He even enjoyed listening to her as she spoke about how excited she was to see
Teddy, to tell him about everything and that she was back — that she remembers
them all in the precise way she'd left them.

Malfoy's arm shielded her shoulders as they walked down the stairs, and she
recollected how the other day — failed to even hug her back.

Amelie peered up at him with a slight grin on her mouth, ''So now you can hold
me back?'' Her voice playful, mocking him as he rolled his eyes, gritting his
teeth, ''What? I'm just saying—''

''So you remember that, yeah?'' He muttered, frustratingly as his heart dropped.
He regretted how he'd treated her that day, but he didn't know what else to do at
the time.

He was more than puzzled within his own mind.

''I do,'' Her smirk shifted into a smile, ''It felt strange at first, like a dream?
Maybe? But then I kept thinking about that dream I had about my mother and
how she was carrying a child, and I just—''

Draco let go of her shoulders, letting his arm fall to his side as she kept talking,
''I don't know. I could tell the difference, I suppose? But the morning yesterday
was quite eventful... wasn't it?''

Amelie's hand snatched his wrist while he was about to take the last step off the
stairs, turning him around to level her. Even if he was standing flat on the
ground and she stood two steps up — it was still a height difference between
them.

''Are you alright?'' Amelie asked, worryingly, ''Was it something I said—''

She flinched, nearly jumping into Draco's arms by the sound of the front door
being ripped open, and Theodore stumbled inside.

His clothes were stained in blood, and his skin had paled.

''Teddy—'' Amelie gasped, pushing her way past Draco in a heartbeat and just as
she meant to grab him, to keep his weak knees balanced,

He fell to the ground.

_____
 Seventy-three

_____

''Thank you for saving me...again.''

_____

''Nott, what are you—'' Draco frowned, feeling as the panic rose within him and
his hand immediately snatched Amelie by the arm to stop her from taking
another step forward, not to let her fall as helplessly to the floor as Theodore had
done.

''Draco,'' She gasped, staring vacantly at the hold he kept of her wrist, but he
didn't loosen it. He refused to as his fingers tightly held on to her, ''Draco, let me
go—''

Even if he felt Amelie's constant yanks to free herself from the grip he kept her
in, he disallowed it. Malfoy couldn't know if this was a trap. Suppose someone
used Theodore to bring Amelie close to him — to trick her from stepping away
from him.

Upsetting the girl more than she'd like to admit, but Draco refused to a leap in
the dark when it came to her, and he declined to ever so put her on a harmful
display again.

Sighing out loudly, Draco growled, ''Certainly not, I'm not going to—'' He kept
her steady next to him, shooting Theodore's unconscious body a swift look, ''I'm
not going to let you run into some sort of—''

''What on God's earth is going on here?'' Narcissa stormed out of the kitchen,
gasping the very moment her sigh lowered onto Theodore. Her curls bounced off
her shoulders, and she halted in her heels, ''Oh dear.''

Her dark eyes lingered where Theodore was lying, noticing the blood pooling
around the boy and his clothes stained in the crimson color. Eventually snapping
her hues to stare emptily at her son, who merely nodded towards the front door,
signaling for his mom to close it.

She did exactly that — catching onto his movements quickly.

Amelie's brows knitted. Her pulse stressed beyond explanation as her breaths
began to rag. Looking up in skepticism as she met the grey eyes, and her limbs
instantly softened, letting him hold her back from leaving.

She understood that this has nothing to do with Teddy to him.

This was her, and the fact that he'd lost her more times than either of them were
capable of counting. She knew him to be scared — not wishing anything to
happen to her best friend either.

''It's alright, Draco,'' Her voice thin, pleadingly as she let her hand brush over the
spine of his, comforting him and his haunted mind, ''I'm right here, I just want to
look at him and see—''

''No one is here,'' Narcissa bowed her head, closing the door with a slam, and she
stepped away, ''He came alone.''

The very second Narcissa spoke those words, Draco's hand slipped off her arm,
making her veins ache with the loss of his touch. She'd just gotten him back too,
and never was she anywhere ready for him to let her go as he just did.

Narrowing his eyes in hers and an iced look climbed him. He muttered, ''He
needs you.''

Amelie fell to her knees next to her best friend. Her bones crushed against the
hard tile floor, but she didn't feel any pain. She didn't budge. Not once did she
make a tiny change in her expression.

She stayed impassive. Her hands fiddling with his shirt, ''Teddy,'' She breathed
as the side of her head tilted, pushing into his slightly exposed chest.

Amelie listened with her ear, allowing her whole body to follow, just as Teddy
had told her.

This is how you do it.

Her fingers moved over his skin, adding pressure upon his neck to find his
beating pulse and the flushing blood through his veins.

Pinching her eyes shut, focusing on his breathing. He was breathing, she could
sense that tiny rising and falling of his chest as his lungs filled with air, and she
bent back.

Her hands grasped at his jaws, tipping his head back to clear his airway. It didn't
sound good. It heard as if his breaths held too shallow, not massive, powerful as
he'd taught her to listen for.

It wasn't a good sign. He'd helped her master that.

''What happened?'' She caught Narcissa speak, their voices kept low not to
disturb her, ''What is she—?''

''Let her do what she's doing,'' Draco mumbled back, folding his arms over his
chest as he studied her act. His eyes snapping to what she was doing, catching
every inaudible noise she sought to make, ''He taught her well.''

Looking around, her neck moved, and the panic bolting through her nerves
ached. She tried so hard not to let this affect her. To do what Theodore had told
her — showed her when someone seemed to be in need.

She simply never believed it to be him.

Amelie and Theodore had practiced this — numerous times, day in and day out,
she'd been sweating, crying, bleeding from learning how to do all this, for
mastering the power of healing along with him.

Not once did she think she'd do it without him.

Amelie shifted down, tucking her hands around his unconscious body as she
peered over the floor. Her fingers grasping, sensing their way across his numb
self.

''His wand...'' Her note on a bare cracking, sounding desperate, ''I need his—''

''Here,'' Draco called out as he strode up to her, seeing the blood-drenched wand
on the far edge of the floor. It had rolled away when Theodore fell, ''What do
you need?''

Amelie didn't answer. She took his wand in between her fingers, pinching her
eyes shut, and she began humming. Establishing small, inaudible sounds.

Draco recognized them in a heartbeat — it was the same humming Theodore had
done for her.

This was the hardest part for her.

The part she wasn't sure about.

She hadn't practiced her own magic in the ways she used to for over a year. She
was timid, to say at least.

Amelie searched his wand in the loss of her own.

He always made her do that back in school, to learn how to recognize spells she
was too frail to rule yet — he performed them and let her cast around the magic.

It did great things for her, learning in that way. Theodore always seemed to
know what was best for her, how to help her and make her feel a part of things,
even when she wasn't.

He taught her the world, and now it was her turn to use all the strength and
power to fix him.

''No, Teddy. I can't do that yet. You know that.'' Amelie shook her head, staring
blankly at the wand in her hand as if she feared it, almost, ''I'll curse things, you
know I will—''

''Amelie,'' Theodore strode forward over the wooden floor in her room at
Hogwarts, halting feet away, ''You didn't even try.''

''I don't—'' Her fingers shook, and her eyes flickered in doubt, ''I don't want to
mess this up.''

''Love...'' He closed in on her, placing his hands on each one of her shoulders,
''You're in Ravenclaw for a reason, and that's not because you can't perform a
spell.''
She still resisted, fighting the true capabilities of her mind. Amelie truly didn't
believe herself to be strong enough to handle magic as simple as this one.

It wasn't her fault. She couldn't do a thing to help this.

Amelie was so deeply buried underneath the manipulation of Adrian that she
didn't believe she'd be capable of magic, and nothing could free her from that.

''I know, and that's why I can't do this anymore!'' Her voice crackled in hurt as
she threw her wand across the room, ''I can't do this. All I hear is how worthless
I am with this—''

Theodore gawked, wide-eyed as she stumbled back with the wind in her lungs
stuck in her throat.

''Amelie...'' He mumbled softly as she slipped down the wall, hugging herself on
the ground, ''Don't say that.''

She frowned, doing the most she could to suppress the tears stinging in her eyes,
''Why? Everyone else keeps saying it.''

It hurt. A loop of blasting ache tore through his chest as he sat down next to her,
his arm crossed her shoulders, and he tugged her as close as he could.

''Here—'' Theodore pushed his mouth against her head. Her skin tickled by the
thick locks of his hair. He hummed, a melody of words before the edge of his
wand brightened in a sharp, icing light.

His Patronus.

She'd seen it before, but now — it was more sparkling. The tension his magic
brought earned the air around them to breeze, and her hair danced along with it.

Amelie let out a small huff, tilting her head to his shoulder as they watched the
light of a dolphin swirl around them.

It was a beautiful animal. The same his mother had carried, and she always
hoped for Teddy to earn the same one.

Trust. Loyalty. Spirit of friendship.

It was all Teddy to her.

''Now...'' Theodore's fingers stroke over her arm, ''Now it's your turn to do it.''

''No...'' Amelie looked up at Draco from below, still resting on her knees, ''Why
would he do this? Did you get hurt?''

Malfoy let out a huff. He didn't sympathize with what she asked, ''What? No, not
now, not in weeks—''

''Then why?'' Her jaws gritted. Her mind clouded, ''The blood isn't his, and he's
been...'' She paused, swallowing the doubt she felt as it crossed her talking, ''He's
been healing someone, a lot.''

''Is he alright?'' Draco hunched next to her, his hand grabbed her thigh, and her
eyes flickered to watch it, the veins popping out caught her attention again,

''Perhaps it's from when he—''

''He will be,'' Amelie whispered, hewing Draco off before he had the chance to
speak about that night again, ''It's recent, and he's been draining himself in a lot
of darkness, but he'll be okay.''

Amelie didn't speak more. She helped Draco as he carried Theodore up to his
room, and she stayed with him for hours. Her head on his chest to hear him
breathing.

It hurt her tremendously that Theo had failed to be honest with her — that he
didn't give her a chance to understand before he kept her in the dark. He could've
told her. He could've said what he was up to, and she wouldn't have pushed him.

That was what they did. No matter what happened, they were always honest with
one another until he wasn't.

He shut her out, and she didn't know what to do to help him. Teddy was usually
the one with the bright answers and the reasonable arguments. He took care of
her, always, and now she didn't know how to return the favor.

Her neck arched, staring over him for a slight minute. She'd missed him a lot.
The messy curls over his forehead and the dimples embedded in his cheeks took
all her pain away every time.

Her fingers tensed around his wand, and she traced it up over them as she
whispered silently and flicked it. The tip of it illuminated with the cooly light,
and the tiny birds started chirping.

Amelie smiled to herself.

''Like that, exactly,'' Theodore held her hands in the larger palms of his, ''Now,
close your eyes and focus on it.''

She nodded, allowing her lashes to flutter before she felt Theodore's touch
slowly drag away. Her mind sought to stay on that.

On Theodore.

Even if her wand finally let out that soft, pearly light she'd been trying so hard to
manage — he'd always shine brightest in her life.

''Yes!'' Theodore yelled out, making her take a step back, ''Finally, oh my god,
Amelie!''

He clapped his hands, nearly jumping up and down as she hesitantly peeled her
eyes open.

There it was.

Her own Patronus.

She'd been living with Theodore's for so long, but here it was out the purity of
her strength, her very own.

Perhaps she was worthy of it after all.

''They are beautiful...'' She whispered to herself, studying the six small birds that
flew around her, chirping smoothly.

Theodore walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her fully as he lifted her
out of the joy. She did it after years of trying. She did it, and he always knew she
would.
It was only five birds now, and she felt a string of doubt as she thought about it.

Watching as the five birds swirled around them, making the air slightly breeze as
his wand lingered, slowly shifting it in the air, ''These are for you, Teddy.'' She
whispered as she placed her head on his chest again.

''I heard what you said,'' Her voice ceased of misgiving, and it thinly sounded
through the room, ''I heard everything all of you said when I was...asleep.''

Amelie's head was heavy upon his lightly breathing chest as she folded her arm
over his torso, bringing herself closer, ''I heard what you said. I heard what
Draco said, and Narcissa and I want you to know that I see you, Teddy.''

It pained her, knowing that he thought he was alone when he was far from it.
She'd been occupied with Malfoy indeed, but she never stopped being with
Theodore.

She would always see him, always notice how he was doing even when he didn't
show it.

''I love you for what you've done. I know I don't say it enough, but I do see you,
and you're never alone with me,'' She was speaking out of honesty. A tear of hurt
shredded in her chest.

It had always been them. Amelie and Teddy, but now it was Draco too. She
never cleared that it could make Theodore feel out of place, that he wasn't as
important as anyone, because he was.

He was so worthy to her, he'd always been, and she couldn't help but resist
herself a bit for making him feel as if he wasn't.

''It's you and me, Teddy,'' She mumbled, tucking her face into the side of his
chest.

It was there again, that scent of honey.

He always scented like honey.

''I'm back now because you saved me, so let me save you. Let me help you with
what you've been doing.''
Amelie couldn't begin to imagine what he was up to, what he'd been doing
behind her back to cause him to be this exhausted. She understood that healing
took a lot of a person to constantly drain yourself of magic to pull another
together.

He talked about it a lot — that it was much for someone to learn and master as
much as he did, but he also made it certain that he could handle it. That he wasn't
a fragile soul and that he was made for this.

She believed it. He truly was one of the most forceful people she knew — he had
brought her back to life from nothing.

He had for weeks, watched and healed her body when there was barely a thing to
save, and here she was, back.

Amelie was here. She was okay because of him.

''Thank you,'' She whispered, propping herself up on her elbow to settle a kiss on
his nose, ''Thank you for saving me...again,'' She smiled, a curve played on her
face at the thought of it.

''And thank you for saving Draco. I don't know what he'd do without you.''

Adorable was how she'd describe it. How their relationship had blossomed in the
lack of her, how they found shelter in one another, and how they protected their
friendship.

They truly cared for each other, and that made Amelie believe that it all could
turn out more than okay after all, even if her life were far from harmless.

The dreams she'd imagined in her rest haunted her.

She tried to play it off, to not seem grave about it to Draco, but it was, and she
knew exactly what it meant. Amelie had seen her mother a lot when she was
sleeping, different scenarios of the same scene, over and over.

One thing, in particular, caught her attention, and that was the child she saw. A
little boy, someone who looked just like her. Someone she believed to recognize
even when she didn't.
Perhaps it was her head, and the truth of her going through more than a person
should do in a lifetime at the bare age of nineteen, toying with her. Still, it felt so
real, so true in ways she couldn't explain — she simply felt it.

Narcissa had joined Amelie in the loneliness of waiting for her friend to wake
up, convincing the girl to go downstairs and to eat something while she'd watch
over his resting body.

Unwillingly, Amelie agreed.

On her way downstairs, she couldn't help but peer around more than she'd done
these past days. She didn't want to be nosey when she was held in a loss of her
memories, but this — in her current mind, had turned out to be her home.

She'd spent more time here during the last year than she'd done in her own home,
back when her father was still alive, and now — now her childhood home stood
empty.

It was time to go back there, to clear it of everything, and to let that part of her
life go, but it was hard for her to do so. Even if her father had been nothing but a
monster, he left her everything.

Every last piece of everything he owned, he left her.

Amelie felt responsible for that, for taking it upon herself and let his soul rest in
peace even if that was the last thing he granted her.

She still wanted to show Draco where she grew up, where she and her mother
had the most precious of times, and where she lost it all when her mother
decided to falsify her death and leave Amelie in this cruel excuse of a world.

Amelie leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, tilting her head as she
watched the blond stand bent over a counter. His fingers bored into the wood as
his head had sunken down.

Draco didn't hear her come in, and he flinched the very instant she wrapped her
arms around him from behind, ''Hi you,'' She mumbled into the fabric of his
shirt.

Malfoy felt a smile as it climbed over him. He could get used to his.
''Hi, you.'' He muttered back, folding his arms over hers as they rested around
him, ''Did he wake up?''

Her head shook, ''Not yet, but soon, I think.'' Her forehead tilted against his
spine, ''He's strong, so he'll pull through this, but we need to keep an eye on
him... he's lonely, Draco.''

Malfoy nodded, turning around in her arms. His back felt heavy on the counter,
''I know. I've tried, but it's—''

Amelie noticed how upset it made him. He'd been trying hard to be there for
Theodore even when his own world was crumbling around him, in his own
ways.

Draco wasn't a loving person — he wasn't warm like them, he wasn't kind and
caring. He was raised to be cold and fair, not to let the power of emotion get the
better of him. He was taught to be smart, clever and not to allow other human
beings to use his strength.

He was different now.

They, Amelie and Theodore, had turned him into someone that cared, someone
that listened while they were talking and tried to understand the meaning behind
their words.

He tried.

He truly did, but it wasn't always easy for him — managing to stay in touch with
his feelings when the gravest source to them was constantly ripped from him.

''I know, Draco,'' Her hands brushed over his back as she let her head rest against
his chest, ''I know you're trying, and I love you for that. For taking care of him
when I couldn't.''

It rocked within, receiving the confirmation he wasn't prepared for. No one ever
did that for him, thanked him.

''He's been a real—''

''Draco,'' Amelie's eyes flickered to his, smiling shyly at his mockery, ''Don't
taunt him.''

He only groaned at her words, holding her tighter, ''Fine,'' He muttered,

displeasingly, ''I won't.''

''Thank you,'' Her mind battled the thought of going back to her own house
again. She didn't know if it was wise — a rightful place to be at this time, ''I
want to ask you something.''

He leaned back, looking curiously at her, ''What?'' His sight studied hers.

''I'd like for you to...'' She hesitated again, sucking her bottom lip in between her
teeth, and her eyes squeezed shut against his shirt, ''I want to go home, to my
father's house, and I'd like for you to go with me.''

Draco froze. His breaths hitched for a moment, ''What—''

Amelie's head shook as she pushed herself off him, ''You don't have to, it's
stupid, I know—'' She blurted, aiming to turn around, ''I'm sorry, forget that I
asked—''

''Stop,'' Draco growled, sighing loudly, ''I didn't say no.''

She stared at him from a distance now.

''I didn't say no. I just don't understand why you want to go back there after
everything he did to you,'' Draco's jaws gritted at the thought, how her own
father had carved marks into her fragile skin.

''If this is about the house, I can send help to clear it for you—''

''I don't—'' Amelie quieted, her sight grounded as her cheeks drained of its rosy
color, ''I want to do it myself. I want to get some of my mother's things, and then
I have to look for another house—''

''What?'' Draco snapped, cutting her sentence short, ''What did you say?''

Amelie gulped, standing in the middle of the kitchen as his spine still rested
against the counter, ''That I have to look for a new house—''
''And why would you say that?'' His voice grew impatient, disappointed of what
she was speaking, ''Why would you even think about getting another house?''

A shy curl on her lips as her head tipped to the side. Her eyes matched his, ''You
and Narcissa have been kind enough to us, but I feel like it's—''

''Not an option.''

''Draco—''

''No.''

His hands gripped the edges of the wood. His knuckles paled of how hard he was
grasping at it. Everything not to lose his tamed temper, ''You live here.''

Amelie gasped, blinking rapidly, ''I don't want to be a burden for you, and it's not
a problem, Draco. I am fully capable of—''

Draco's head threw back as he cursed underneath his breath, ''Are you
completely out of your damn mind?'' He yelled out, not looking at her anymore,
''Did you lose your fucking mind again?''

He knew it was harsh. A truly mean thing to say, but he couldn't believe what
she was implying — that after everything, she'd suggest that they move out.

Amelie's face fell. Her eyes shredded in tears by his shouting, ''Draco—'' She
exhaled in disbelief, agony tore right through her, ''Don't say that—''

''Why?'' He seethed, ''Why shouldn't I say that? I just got you back, and for what?
If you're leaving me again? What is it all for, when you're constantly—''

''Draco!'' Amelie cut right through his darkened embrace, his eyes flickered to
hers, ''Don't say that. I didn't mean—''

''You didn't mean what? To leave me again? To get yourself fucking kidnapped
and hurt for months? Or to kill yourself?''

His words shattered her.

Malfoy didn't think of what he was saying, in the total awe of being without her
again — he couldn't control himself.

He'd slaughtered to find her. He had ripped the magical world apart, risking
every life he held dear, including hers, all to find her again. All to have her here,
with him, and to never be apart from her again.

''I just got you back, today and you want to fucking leave?'' He hissed, out of
control, ''Then leave. Fucking leave, Amelie. It would be so much easier if you
just took all of your shit and fucking left.''

Her lips parted.

He needed to get it all out there. He'd been keeping it in for so long.

''Don't say that—'' Amelie choked out and that soft whimper, falling off her lips,
shot right through him.

Draco clocked back to reality.

Her voice broke, and he could see, as she was standing in front of him in that
beautiful dress of hers, on the edge of tears, how much he'd hurt her by speaking
the terms he did.

It broke his heart. His pupils suffered all the dark thoughts he'd held.

''Damn it, Amelie,'' He mumbled, pushing himself off the table, ''I didn't mean
that.''

She was shaking violently as she stepped back, not wishing for him to touch her.

''Amelie—''

''No.'' Her lower lip trembled as he noticed.

''I didn't mean that.''

It turned silent, a suffocating quietness mounted them as they emptily stared at

each other.

''I didn't—'' Draco pleaded. His eyes in total agony, ''I didn't think—'' He closed
in on her as her head shook, ''I'm sorry, Amelie. I didn't mean it.''
She knew he didn't.

She knew that Draco wouldn't say those things to her in despise. He'd never hurt
her. She knew that — yet, he did.

''I didn't—'' He sighed, so loud that it tore through her ears, ''You're not leaving
me, not again. You live here now. You live with me because you're mine.''

Amelie refused to look at him.

''You're mine, Amelie. Mine, mine, and only mine. Don't ever think of leaving
me. If you want another house, then we'll get another house, but we'll do it,"

He was standing near, ''It's you and me now, and you're not getting rid of me
when I have done all of this — to get you back.''

She stopped. She didn't back away anymore.

''I love you, and you're mine.''

She nodded, slowly and she could feel his breaths on her skin again. He didn't
hesitate as he let his hands cup her cheeks, bending her head back so that he
could see her clearly, ''I didn't mean that.''

Amelie's eyelids fluttered, and she finally looked back at him, painfully by the
hurt bolting through him, ''I know,'' She whispered, ''I know you didn't.''

Malfoy swallowed thickly. His thumbs brushed over her skin as he gazed over
her, ''You are mine, Amelie, and I'm never letting you go again.''

She couldn't do anything else but melt into him. She had missed him too much.

''I know,'' Her voice breathy, ''I'm sorry. I wasn't planning to leave you, I just—''
Amelie blinked the tears away, ''I don't know. I'm sorry.''

Draco let his nose graze along with hers. He connected their lips, holding her
jaws steady as he kissed her, ''No,'' He spoke, gently against her lips, ''I'm sorry.''

She smiled bravingly before kissing him back, her hands upon his.

''My apologies—'' Narcissa cleared her throat behind them, making Amelie turn
around, shakingly to face the lady. Her cheeks burning red.

''For fucks sake. What can it possibly be now?" Draco muttered, annoyed never
to have a moment in peace with the girl standing in front of him, "Yes mother?"

''I don't want to interrupt this very special moment, but—'' Narcissa's hands
tangled together behind her back, ''But someone would like to see you.''

_____
Seventy-four

_____

''Come here.''

_____
''Teddy—'' Amelie gasped. Her eyes prickled in tears as she rushed her way up
to his bed. She slipped down, right next to him, and he grunted out, noisily in
pain.

''Careful,'' He mumbled painfully, yet a smile coated his lips as he let her nestle
closer, ''It—''

Amelie propped herself up on her elbow, gazing over her friend as she frowned,
''Don't you dare scare me like that again!'' Her head shook, letting go of all the
fear she held for him, ''I promise you, Teddy, if you ever—''

''I won't,'' Theodore made a face, nearly a mocking grimace, ''I won't scare you
like this again. I promise.''

Amelie's nerves eased. Her eyes flickered across her best friend. Perhaps he'd be
alright after all, but even if he were — it still nagged her that he'd been doing
things without telling her.

She did have a grave deal of matters to sort out herself. It wasn't a rare thing, but
Teddy, hiding this from her even if she did — that was more than unusual.

Theodore's sight dragged across Amelie, studying that tiny crease in her
forehead and the haunted eyes as they soothed calmly, ''Wait—''

A hushed pause trapped them, ''Amelie...'' Theo's eyes narrowed, looking

dubiously at the girl, tucked into his side with her fingers dancing across his
chest, ''No—''

Amelie's lips arched, her nose brushed against the thin fabric of his shirt, ''No,
what?'' She couldn't suppress that growing smile of hers — it was unworkable.

She didn't want to tell him, yet she couldn't wait to do so — to simply spill that
she was here again. That her mind had eventually loosened the excruciating hold
it had of her heart. That she lived freely within the coat of herself again.

''It's not possible...'' He exhaled, his shoulders sunk slightly, ''When? This
morning?'' The note in his voice rose louder as the excitement of his friend,
finally being here, in her right mind — sparkled.
Her head tipped gently as her forehead struck his arm and the corner of his lips
twitched. Theodore —without notice, allowed the arm he had nestled around her,
drag her up until she was practically laying on top of him.

''Amelie...'' He whispered, folding his arms around her as her chin buried into his
chest. She blinked quickly, staring up at him from below, through her lashes,
''What happened—''

''Where were you?'' Amelie strikes back, tilting her head a bit as the soft strands
of her hair followed. He adored that look of her — the kind yet worried grimace
she held, ''I woke up, and you were just gone.''

Theodore nodded, his head against his pillow as he stared down at her. His veins
ached slightly out of the exhaustion he'd felt, but he didn't mind her lying on top
of him. He loved it. Theo had failed to feel her for months.

When she finally came back to him — she wasn't the Amelie he'd lost, and now,
even if she didn't know how to admit it, how to say that it's her again — he knew
it.

This Amelie — this pure yet strong-minded form of her wasn't anything to
compare. She was remarkable, and she was more than everything seemed to be.
This wasn't the girl he'd left in her bed yesterday.

This wasn't the girl whose head had been toyed with, and her feelings steered.
This was Amelie — the human who overcame every single demon in her life.
The girl who took every sinful act that was forced upon her and shifted it into
strength.

She didn't have to tell him, to speak it out loud for him to notice it. He'd known
her for as long as he could remember, and he spotted each detail he didn't think
was possible to see.

''I know...'' Theodore huffed with a solid loop of treachery in his voice, ''I didn't
think you'd notice, I hoped to be back before you woke up—''

Her neck arched, her eyes narrowed in his, ''Why were you covered in blood?''

Theodore gulped. His jaws clenched and unclenched for a brief moment as he
tried to defuse the startling question.
He didn't know that Amelie searched his wand as he was unconscious, but that
tiny glint of valor in her stare caused him to believe that she knew more than she
was letting on.

''I wasn't—''

''Don't lie to me,'' Amelie hewed him off, rising more above him until she was
completely straddling him, ''I know you, and we don't lie to each other.''

Amelie's brows knitted at the missing of truth. If this were about anything else
— he'd come clean already. He'd never hide anything he didn't seem fitting, yet
he did so now.

''Theodore, please—''

The green eyes snapped from hers as his head shook slowly, pushing himself up
a bit against the headboard with her still glued onto him, and she followed the
act.

''I can't—'' He paused, feeling as the guilt trapped him. He loathed lying to her.
He felt more than disgusted for doing so, but there wasn't a way he'd think of
that could bring out the truth in this.

He had to lie.

''I can't tell you—'' He watched as her sight dragged off him and her body
slackened from where she was seated, but he was quick to stop her from shoving
off him, ''Amelie, please...''

He caught her jaws in his hands, gently tilting her head back to face him,
''Don't.''

Theodore's thumbs brushed over her cheeks soothingly as she sighed loudly.
Amelie didn't want to give in to this, but as her eyes matched hers and the panic
mixed with desperation hooked her attention — she couldn't keep it going.

He'd never lie to her if he didn't have the most valid reason to do so, and she had
to trust him — she knew that, and she did.

There wasn't a person — except the blond boy who constantly robbed her of her
breath — that she trusted as she had faith in Theo.

''I know, alright? I know this is hard for you, but I need you to trust me with
this,'' He spoke lowly, staring straight at her, ''I would never do anything to hurt
you.''

Her sight dropped to his chest, revealing the soft skin underneath his buttoned
shirt. It was wounded. His coat ruptured in tears and cuts, but he'd never admit to
it.

Amelie felt as her heartbeat swelled in her ears, and she nodded leisurely. She
tried so hard not to look at it, the scars he'd been given, but it was nearly
impossible.

''I know,'' Amelie breathed, still bowing her head tenderly, ''I know you
wouldn't.''

Theodore's fingers moved up to her ear, tucking her hair behind the shell of it as
he let a curl arch on his lips, and simply as he began to draw away,

''What—'' Amelie snapped. Her hand snatching his as she bent his forearm up in
between them, ''No—''

Her eyes prickled in tears.

''No, Teddy, don't—'' She stuttered, shaking her head, ''Please tell me you didn't.
Please, please—''

She was hyperventilating, breathing so fast as the ink in Theo's arm rolled over
his skin, moving in strange ways. Amelie had seen the dark mark many times —
it wasn't new to her, but the rawness it brought, the sense of shade wavered her.

Reminding her of her father and each vicious act he'd caused upon her as she
meant to calm down. Theodore stared at her, shocked at what he'd done. He held
the truth of the mark from her for weeks — all because he didn't wish for her to
suffer.

Theo noticed as the sleeve of his shirt had slipped up, revealing the skull and the
snake nestling on his innocence. It fed off him, drained him of every ounce of
happiness he'd ever felt.
''Theo—''

''Amelie,'' Theodore tensed his grip of her jaws, holding her steady as he bent
forward, yet with her in his lap — he let her head tip to his shoulder, burying her
in all the safety he brought, ''It's alright, love.''

Shivering skin as the tiny goosebumps stung her senses. Her hard breaths sogged
the fabric of his shirt, and he wrapped his arms around her fully.

''Don't cry please,'' It was half a plea. He begged her not to take on any more
pain — she carried enough of her own.

''I'm not—'' Amelie sobbed out, letting her own hands travel across his shoulder
before locking behind his neck, ''I'm just—''

She was shaking, and he could feel it, every strain of vibration moving through
her — Teddy felt.

''Shhh...'' His hand cupped the back of her head, putting pressure upon it as she
cried. Her fingers clawing at his neck, ''It's alright, Amelie. I promise, just don't
cry, please.''

Feeling as her chest heaved close to his. Her body pressed against Teddy's, ''I'm
sorry—'' Amelie leaned back, her hair spilling all over as his hands dropped to
her waist,

''I'm sorry I left you. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when you needed me—''

Amelie seized a deep breath. Her eyes flickered to his as she let her arms fall off
his shoulders, dropping to her lap between them, ''I wasn't here... I wasn't here
when you needed me, and I'm sorry—''

Theo watched the tears as they rolled down her skin, pooling in her eyelids, and
her cheeks paled, ''You had to—'' She sobbed out again, ''You had to do this all
alone, and I never wished this for you.''

''I wasn't—'' Theodore sought to smile, tilting his head as he hooked their eye
contact, ''I wasn't alone, and you never have to apologize to me for what
happened. This wasn't your fault.''
Amelie swallowed, tracing her knuckles up to her eyes to wipe the streaming
tears away.

He sighed, loudly as he let his forehead rest against hers, ''I love you, and this
isn't your fault, it's not mine, and it's not Draco's — this needed to happen, this
was something they needed to do.''

Amelie felt a chilly wave within her as the Death Eaters was being mentioned,
''They did this to me, not you.''

''But I—'' She gasped, feeling his thick curls as they tickled her nose, ''I wasn't
here—''

''That's not your fault, Amelie,'' Theo stated again. His hands on her back tensed,
''It will never be your fault, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that
you're to blame — you're not. This will never be your fault.''

His words struck her — her heart racing as he let her nose brush along the spine
of hers before his lips pushed into her forehead, ''I love you, Amelie, and this
isn't your fault.'' Theo's chin settled on the top of her head, holding her tightly as
she let herself cave into his touch.

''I missed you,'' Amelie whispered, closing her eyes and hugging him back, ''I
missed you so much it hurt.''

Theodore smiled, sealing his eyes too at the feeling of her body clinging onto
his. He'd missed her more than she'd ever come to understand, ''I missed you
more.''

Teddy held her softly in his arms even if he was exhausted. He'd choose her
healing over his own every time. It was almost as if she fell asleep there — her
knees on each side of him, the side of her head against his chest as he held her.

Draco caught from down the hall — the sound of her crying, and he, without
truly thinking another thought, looked into the room they were in. His head
hammered, and warmth flushed within him as she watched the girl he'd sacrifice
it all for in the arms of her best friend.

He watched them for minutes, leaning against the doorway with his arms folded
across his chest. Draco couldn't disturb them — not now. She was finally back
with him, indeed, but she needed someone that wasn't him, and her best friend
craved her.

With an airy sigh and a nod tipping off his head. A curve shyly climbed his lips,
and he walked out.

This was all he could ever wish for, her having the two people who made her
complete, back, and solid in her life.

Amelie stayed with Teddy that entire night — not once did she leave his
vulnerable side. She slept in between the small talks they had, so did he. Both of
them were exhausted from what they'd been through.

A well-needed moment of peace.

_____

''Are you alright?'' Draco crossed his arm over her shoulders, inching her closer
as he spoke into her hair, ''We don't have to do this today. We can go home and
come back another—''

''No—'' Amelie breathed. Her eyes flickered across the massive house in front of
them before her neck arched, bending her head back to look at Malfoy, ''I need to
do this, I can't put it off any longer.''

He caught how grave she was when it came to this, to collect what she needed
from her childhood home and leave it behind — never to look back on it again.

''Or you can tell me what you need, and I'll get it for you—''

''Draco,'' Amelie said, turning in her steps to face him. She stretched up on her
toes, placing a soft kiss on his cheek, ''I'm alright. I promise.''

He melted right into her touch, stroking her back gently — yet he frowned,
looking severely at her from a foot away, ''Amelie—''

''Draco,'' She fired back, knitting her brows and standing plain on her feet again,
''I'm fine, but if you want to wait outside, then you can wait—''

''Like hell I am,'' Draco sighed, shaking his head at her. Showing the disapproval
he felt for what she wanted to do. It was already in the hour of gloom —
darkness spread around them as she stepped away from him, walking up to the
main entrance.

Amelie stilled. She didn't move a muscle as her eyes dragged across the name on
the door, and she couldn't help but feel a soring loop of pain as it bolted through
her.

''Avery...'' She whispered to herself, smiling before her palms pushed into the
wood, shoving the door wide open. It took her a few minutes to alter the home
she fled.

Nothing looked the same since she last saw it — it was clean, properly looked
after by the maids her father had left behind. Everything held in total order, yet it
didn't.

''So...'' Draco mumbled, standing behind her in the doorway, ''This is your house,
yeah?''

He almost sounded shocked — surprised that she grew up in a household similar

to his. He'd been here, once, but never could he imagine what was happening
behind the closed doors. Never could he believe that her father tortured her and
hurt her in the ways he did.

They didn't seem like a broken family back then — they seemed normal. Simply
as any other Death Eater family would, but they were far from it — he'd learned
that now.

''It was... at least,'' Amelie whispered, crossing the doorstep, ''It hasn't been for
years.''

The foyer was the same, massive as the black tile floor flashy shun by the
dimmed lights. The furniture coating the walls held majestically, and the statues
polished as ever.

Amelie unsurely walked inside, her eyes snapping in all directions as she caught
Draco closing the door behind them.

''It's beautiful,'' He stated, looking around curiously, ''I don't think I've seen more
than in here.''
Amelie nodded, her fingers grasped at the ends of her dress, nervously to be
back to the place she'd worked so hard to escape — but it wasn't all bad. Not
every memory she held for this house was haunted.

''It really is beautiful...'' She mumbled, taking a few strides past the hallway into
the kitchen, and she stopped, watching the dark-colored marble fit together with
the black painted cabinet doors.

It used to be a bright color. She could recognize how she and her mother painted
this whole kitchen yellow when she was a child — but her father loathed it and
punished them with shading the whole room dark.

Her steps up to a cabinet echoed as her fingers slipped around the handle,
opening it as she smiled. It was still there — her father had forgotten to paint the
inside of one single door, and it was yellow, lightly so.

''What are you smiling about?'' Draco's shoulder rested against the doorway, his
eyes glued on her as he folded his arms, ''What is so special about that cabinet?''

Keeping her smile as she shook her head, ''Nothing...'' Amelie hushed, tracing
her fingers over the color. She closed it again, walking back to where he stood,
and she allowed her hands to brush over his chest before she slipped out in the
hallway again.

Amelie walked through the corridor, avoided looking at the family pictures
hanging on the walls — but Draco didn't. He stopped ahead of every single
portrait, studying them thoughtfully.

He'd never seen her as a child before.

He remembered meeting her at a young age, but he couldn't recall how she
looked. She was indeed adorable.

Amelie walked into the dining hall, peering around before she caught the
massive windows, spreading from the ground all the way up to the ceiling. The
tips of her fingers sogged the glass as she stared out.

It was the most breathtaking view — the whole lake they lived near was on
display from here.
Her mother was treated just as badly as Amelie was, and she always told her
child how she loved this house — because of all the windows and how open it
felt here. Her mother never had that within herself — she was trapped and
chained to Amelie's father, so all she could do was to have a house that wasn't
hidden.

Her head tilted back as Draco's hands snaked around her waist and her spine
pushed into his chest, kissing her head. He let his lips linger, breathing both her
and the view in for a mere second.

''Are you still alright?'' Draco muttered as her arms folded over her chest,
tangling her fingers with his, ''We can leave whenever you want—''

''It's so late, Draco...'' Amelie huffed a sigh, ''Perhaps we should stay here
tonight.''

Malfoy nodded, his chin placed on the top of her head, ''If that's what you want,
we'll stay.''

She smiled again, melting right into the boy holding her. He was never this
caring nor gentle with anyone but her.

''But...'' His fingers gripped her waist tighter, arching his spine to whisper in her
ear, ''I want to see your room.''

Amelie scoffed quietly as her eyes rolled, ''Well...'' She mocked him, taking a
stride forwards before turning around to face him, ''Then you have to find it.''

She bit down her lower lip, earning a hiss to fall of Draco's lips by the look of
her. He tore his sight away, gazing over the room before he aimed around,
walking his way out, and she followed.

Amelie strolled behind him, chuckling to herself almost as he searched through

every single room in the house — it was a lot of them, and it all caused him to
feel frustrated. It wasn't until he reached the third floor he felt as if he was
getting closer.

''Wait—'' Draco groaned, stumbling across the floor in a hallway as his eyes
caught a yellow-painted door. He pointed towards it, raising a brow, ''Is this it?''
She didn't say a word, only looking at him as he pushed the door open and he
marched inside. Amelie lingered for a slight minute — she didn't feel ready to
take this step yet. To walk inside the room, she'd been hurt in so many times.

Catching as Draco mumbled to himself, she couldn't hold it. She was curious
about what he was saying, and she walked to the doorway.

''So...'' Draco smirked, spinning around to survey every detail of her pearly
painted room, ''This is your room, I see.''

Amelie hummed in response. Her shoulder angled against the wood of the hall.

''It's...'' He rose, tracing his fingers along with the books that held utterly perfect
in her bookshelf. Not a novel out of place.

''What?'' Amelie whispered nervously, her fingers tangled in front of her, ''What
is it?''

Malfoy's eyes snapped to hers as he smiled. She was so precious — standing

there, on edge, her fingers twitching around the other. She looked timid almost.

''It's not what I expected.'' He admitted, cocking his head as he kept on observing
the furniture, ''It's bright and... so you, for some reason.''

''So me?'' Amelie chuckled, furrowing her brows at the boy, ''What does that
mean?''

''Yeah. I didn't think you'd have a room like yourself, perhaps something more
—'' Draco grinned to himself as he halted by the massive window, staring out
over the lake, ''Dark.''

''I don't like dark-painted bedrooms,'' Amelie held her position in the doorway,
scared that if she'd walk inside — she'd never get out again.

It was her mind — even if she was free now. Unchained to do as she pleased, the
trauma of setting a foot inside the room she'd never found shelter in was
terrifying.

''Why?'' Draco asked, shoving his hands into his suit pockets as he turned to
level her, ''What's wrong with dark bedrooms?''
''It's—'' She let out a bothered sigh, shaking her head slightly, ''I had it, once
before my mother let me repaint it, but it felt like I was trapped and the light
when the sun came up didn't really go anywhere, so...''

Draco nodded slowly, ''I see.''

He didn't need her to tell him just how cramped she was in here — he saw it
immediately without reason. The rest of the house had been bearable. She didn't
resist it as much as she did with this room. Still, he didn't know how to form the
words, how to ask her if she wanted to leave or do something else instead.

''Amelie—''

''I'm hungry,'' She hewed him off, making his eyes broadened as his face cloaked
in confusion, ''I'll go make us some dinner, and you can just—''

''Amelie,'' Draco said again, harsher this time, adding pressure upon her name,
''Come here.''

His arms reached out, the tips of his fingers curled, gesturing for her to step
inside. Even so, she stalled it. Her head shook, her wavy strands spilled across
her shoulders, ''I don't—'' Amelie choked out before she mangled her lips into a
firm line.

''I'm here,'' Draco mumbled, backing away until he stood far across the room, his
spine pressed against the wall, ''You're safe when I'm here.''

''I know—'' Amelie whimpered, her toes curled together as she sought to restrain
the heavy feeling in her chest. It felt as if a weight tore through her.

''No one else is here. It's just you and me,'' Malfoy's head tilted, watching her
softly, ''It's just you and me, and no one can hurt you.''

The shaking of her head slowly shifted into a nod as her eyes hooked in his. The
air felt arid, cutting blades in her lungs when she inhaled.

''I know,'' She said again, lowly, ''I don't think I can—''

It tormented Draco to see her in this state. Terrified by the walls in her own
room — he'd been through that once before himself, and he managed to let go of
the feeling.

''I know you can. You can, and you don't have to do it alone, Amelie, but if you
don't want to, that's more than alright.'' He took a breath, a deep one as he kept
his sight on her, ''We'll go downstairs and—''

He hushed. Arching a brow as she closed her eyes and her fingers curled into
fists. She stepped inside cautiously.

A string of warmth flushed through him as he tried to conceal his smile of

proudness. It was fulfilling to watch her walk inside something as to him — was
as simple as a room, but to her — it was graver than her most dimmed
nightmares.

Amelie's eyes still bolted shut as she took a few more steps inside before she
flinched, flaying her lashes wide and looking frightened at the blond as he
gripped her arms mildly. She wasn't devised for the touch he brought her — yet
she allayed into it without falter.

Her forehead resting upon his chest as he held her, guardedly, ''As I said—''
Draco groaned, pushing his lips into her head, ''You don't ever have to do this
alone. I'll meet you halfway.''

Her head bowed against the fabric of his white shirt, feeling at it soothed upon
her skin. The withered wind in her lungs eased as she melted into his hold. It
turned passable again, not too hard nor too plain.

They remained there for minutes, him draining her off all the fear she carried for
this room.

''Are you still hungry?'' Draco mumbled, bracing his arms around her, ''I can
make you something?''

Amelie raved out her breath, nodding stilly, ''Thank you,'' Her note kept calm
and balanced, ''I'd love that.''

He took a shoe back, running his hands along her bare arms as his thumb gently
stroked the marks carved into her, ''You'll be down soon then?''

Her eyes widened, and she smiled shyly. He knew even without asking that she
wanted to stay put in here for just a minute more.

Amelie peered after Draco as he walked out, hearing the replica of his heels as
he stepped down the stairs before she looked around.

It portrayed exactly as she'd left it. Not one single thing out of place from when
she was still here over a year ago. Her father hadn't taken his rage out on her
things as he used to. He merely left it untouched.

It was hers now — all of it. This entire house now belonged to her, along with
the memories hidden inside it. Amelie didn't want it. She wished to have no part
of this plagued home anymore.

The weight she held onto and had done for years — slowly let go of her as she
smiled. It wasn't painful. It didn't hurt at all to unhand the memories she'd
created and lived through here because she knew there would be new ones.

Better ones she didn't have to fear — ones that she could mold and shape on her
own terms, together with the blond boy her heart heavily pounded for and her
best friend that was waiting for her back home.

It trickled her. The truth seeping around her as she thought about it, carefully
walking her way out of the room — sparing the faith of her living with Draco
now. Her having a home that earned and fought for her, not one that robbed her
of everything she'd ever worked for.

Ironic, she believed. To find shelter in a human that was meant to take it all
away from her, and instead, he granted her with the key reason to live.

Her Draco.

Amelie felt a pouring emotion of warmth as she closed her hand around the
doorknob, giving her room one last look before she sealed it and left it, along
with everything it meant.

_____

Draco stared at her, gawking at what she was doing — watching as she pinned
bed-linen across her dining table. His head shook, his face held in a muddled
grimace.
Twisting around, Amelie smiled as she arched a brow at his untidy expression,
''What?'' She questioned, bending back down to fix the pillows and the covers
she'd placed underneath the table.

''What?'' He mimicked, shaking his head again, ''What do you mean what? What
are you doing?'' His arms folded over his chest, straightening his spine, ''Why are
you building a... tent?''

Amelie chuckled at him, shrugging to his comment before she stood tall again,
her hand stretched in the air for him to take, ''Come here.''

Draco's jaws clenched, gazing right at her as her head tilted, ''Suit yourself then,''
Amelie mumbled, and she turned around, slowly letting the stripes of the dress
slip of her shoulders before it fell to the ground.

His whole body tensed at that. He couldn't see her too clearly — the room in the
midnight hour held gloomily, but the outlines of her frame caught his breath to
hitch in the back of his throat.

She quickly dragged her nightdress over her head and crawled below the fort
she'd been piling.

Draco threw his head back, groaning quietly underneath his breath as the image
of her — exposed and bare glued into his mind. Even when he couldn't see her
properly, she'd still take his breath away.

With a thick swallow — he shoved his shoes off, unbuttoning the shirt that
smeared to his chest, and unbuckled his pants to nestle up next to her.

''Took you a while,'' Amelie already tucked herself in. The covers were high over
her chin as she peered up at him, sloping down beside her, drawing the covers
over the both of them as the chilly air tickled her skin for a mere second.

''It did,'' Draco muttered, bridging his arms around her to bring her up to his
chest.

Amelie followed the movement, unwaveringly — her head on his skin as she let
the tips of her fingers dance over his bare chest.

She could feel how his toned muscles flexed against her touch, and she arched
her neck, bending her head back to look up at him in the darkness, ''Are you
okay, Draco?''

His eyes fell from above to match hers instantly, staring deeply. If she didn't
know better, she'd feel how it burnt her soul.

''I am,'' He stated, cooly, ''Are you?''

Amelie allowed her nose to brush along his ashen skin, voiding every ounce of
home he brought her, ''I will be...'' She whispered, nearly inaudible, ''With you, I
will be.''

Malfoy nodded, hugging her inches closer as he slacked down to her level. His
face near hers, ''Are you sure?'' He mumbled, letting their noses touch.

She felt as if her head held heavy upon his arm, bowing it, ''I am,'' Her note
breathy, ''I will be, I promise.''

''I know you will,'' Draco breathed, laced with warmth, ''You'll be okay for the
both of us.''

Amelie smiled at that, sensing as his fanning ghosted her lips before his eyes
closed. His hand moved over her arm, across her neck, landing on her jaw, and
he pulled her in, entirely.

Draco kissed her slowly.

Amelie strained her body to his, her leg shifted up to cross his, and she deepened
the kiss. Drowning her with all the emotion he had. He gave her everything —
every shred of safety he poured over her.

He felt how much she needed it and how much he craved to give it to her.

Malfoy sensed her skin as it smoothly grazed against the palms of his hands. He
knew he'd grow impatient. He couldn't have her like this for much longer
without losing his tamed temper. It was torture — feeling her body as she clung
onto him, not being able to prey on her as he wished.

Amelie tangled her fingers in his blond stands, kissing him back gently for
moments before Draco groaned, shaking his head as he tore the embrace in two.
She blinked quickly, surprised, ''What—''

''Not today,'' He mumbled, gripping her hand intertwined with his hair as he bent
it down in between them, ''You're not ready yet.''

''Draco...'' Amelie sought to speak back, to defend her case and stand her
grounds about this being her body and her choice — but she knew he'd never let
her.

She'd been back for a few days, and she knew — deeply hidden within herself
that she wasn't fitted for what she wanted them to do.

He once again saved her without her knowing it.

''Thank you,'' Amelie closed her eyes, still lying half on top of him as he
hummed back, threading both of his arms around her on the dining hall floor that
she'd covered with pillows and covers.

''Sleep,'' Draco yawned, settling his chin on the top of her head, ''You need to
sleep...''

She could at once hear as his breaths slowed and his pulse eased. Draco's body
caved into hers, and he fell asleep.

He was exhausted.

Amelie laid next to him, hearing as he took breath following breath, but she
couldn't rest herself. She was tired, indeed, yet her body wouldn't still. It was
held on edge, and she couldn't weaken the tension she carried inside.

She even braided her hair. A messy loose braid gathered her long hair as she
sought to make the time pass, but nothing — her skin rose to crawl, and she felt
trapped.

With silent movements, she struggled out from underneath the table, placing a
soft kiss on Draco's head before she sneaked her way out of the room. There was
only one location in this house she felt as if she could flee to — her mother's.

There was a room, hidden in disguise, that her mother always showed her in the
attempts they made to escape her father's ruthless acts.
Her hands settled on the hallway wall, right beside the massive portrait of their
family as her forehead leaned against the paint, and she whispered, 'Atlas'
underneath her breath — not a second later, the wall shifted into a door, and she
stepped inside.

Amelie gasped, a curve arched bitterly on her lips by the look of it. She hadn't
been in here for nearly a decade. Still, it was all the same.

The harp her mother usually played on when her father had a drop too much to
drink stood as majestic as it always had done, next to the window, with the
moonlight as it brightened over the instrument.

She used tender steps, walking up to it, before she halted, letting her fingers
stroke along the golden metal. Amelie slipped down on the bench next to it. Her
nightdress hitched at her thighs as the coldness of the material she was seated on
stung at her skin.

It wasn't painful — seeing this piece her mother cherished so dearly. It brought
her more comfort than she'd ever imagined.

Her toes against the floor as she drew a harsh breath, feeling as the braid fell
over her spine, tickling her skin.

It was a wash of relief, welling over her as she let the tips of her fingers brush a
flat line over the strings. Her senses filled with the sound of heaven, bringing her
back to the times her mother played it.

Amelie did just as her mother taught her, letting her lashes flutter close, her
breaths controlled, and her fingers dancing across the twines.

The sound of gentle flows of music echoed throughout the house, and she didn't
realize as she was caught up in her doings — that the blond had woken up,
stressed that she didn't sleep next to him.

Draco rushed through the house, following the heavenly tones before he faltered
in the doorway to where she sat.

He gulped at the sight of her. She looked like an angel to him. The moonlight
glimmered at her bare skin. Her nightdress hugged around her body perfectly.
Her hair was loosely braided.
He couldn't do more than admire her. His shoulder fused with the doorway as he
praised her in silence. Simply watching as she played the beautiful notes.

Amelie smiled to herself, caught up in the soft music before goosebumps trailed
along her spine, feeling as Draco slipped his arms around her.

He didn't say a word as her body moved with his, and he brought her to his lap.
His exposed skin on hers, every nerve she owned held on edge.

She felt happy — at peace as she let go of the harp. Her hand traveled to his,
gripping it carefully. Letting her fingers intertwine with his in the quietness, not
a word needed to be spoken.

Malfoy's breaths scored hotly on her shoulder as she started playing again, but
this time — she let him create the tones with her.

The untied hand he still owned moved her braided hair from her back, letting it
spill over her shoulder instead, and he tenderly kissed her skin.

Draco's lips honored her shoulders, kissing her so softly that she almost gasped
at the sensation.

For minutes he caressed her that way, kissing her neck, shoulders, spine —
everything he could from behind her as she played the harp.

He littered kisses all over her skin.

Amelie could barely focus anymore. His lips on her body felt similar to what she
believed paradise would feel like, and she let go of the strings, slowly standing
up, to turn around and settle herself on his lap once more.

Draco's hands didn't falter from her frame once. He couldn't let go of her even if
his life depended on it.

Her sight flickered across his features, adoring him with all she had. Draco's
chest arched closer to hers, and her arms clung around his neck.

Their noses brushing along each other.

"I love you," Amelie breathed out, her air tasted so sweet on his lips before she
connected them, kissing him lovingly, "I love you." She said again, in the total
need for him to hear it.

Because she did, she loved him more than words could ever testify, more than
feelings could be solved, and more than touch could ever be shown.

It wasn't simply words to her. It wasn't something to be said in the heat of the
moment. Amelie loathed promises and vows because no one ever kept them to
her, but he did.

Malfoy would always keep his words when it came to her, and she knew it. He'd
never fail her or leave her. He'd never harm or hurt her. He'd never do anything
for her to feel vulnerable. That was all her.

Draco had grown up with the literal belief of being unworthy if he'd ever owned
weakness. That wasn't anything possible to him.

Malfoy men don't care. They are cared for, as his father used to say.

He did care. Draco couldn't dream of never caring for her. Amelie was indeed
the reason for all the good in his damned life. The very cause to why he became
worthy and why he traded his vicious ways.

He made her strong. He made her powerful, and she made him human. She made
him weak, vulnerable, and that lived to be his greatest strength.

"Really?" Draco groaned, tightening the grip of her waist, closing the last
longing space between them. Her knees felt cold on the bench, but she couldn't
be bothered — he made her warm enough.

"Really," She felt a smile thinly ghosted on her lips as she whispered against his,
her fingers clawing at his neck.

"Mine." He said, laced with more honesty and force than ever, "You're mine, and
I love you."

He did.

Never had anyone loved someone as much as he loved her, even if he knew it
wouldn't last long.
He'd always love her, no matter what struck between them, but she — Amelie
could easily break at the tips of his fingers, and she would.

She would break, and it was simply a matter of time before he had to tell her.

_____

The art for this chapter is illustrated by @ dar.a_art (on Instagram and Tumblr)
 Seventy-five

This chapter contains violent actions, mentions of death, and emotional

trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

''Birds, yeah?''

_____

Theodore's breaths felt as if they were on fire from walking the long path
through the woods.

The wounds in his cheeks and over his hands stung as they bled. He'd been
tripping atop of branches and roots in the ground.

Everything was so dark.

His skin shivered as he faced the massive castle in front of him. His eyes
flickered across the carved details of skulls and snakes as it been shaped into the
facade.

It was truly frightening — even if it was broad daylight, right here, surrounding
this manor, it was cloudly dark. A weighty dim settled around him as his fingers
tightened around his wand.

''This way,'' The man in front of him snarled lowly before he stepped up the
stairs, and Theodore couldn't do anything other than follow.

He constantly threw an eye across his shoulder, checking to himself that no one
would come out of the shadows and attack him from behind.

Not that he believed it to happen — no, they wanted him here for a reason and a
solid one at that.
Theodore's feet stumbled, his hands grasping at the brick-covered walls not to
fall over, and he tried his best to keep his sight off the ground. He didn't dare to
look at all of the bodies that piled up along the floor.

It stung wildly in his timid chest to see that. To watch as the bodies of both
children and their parents had been stacked up as if they were nothing — as if
they were garbage.

It both hurt and angered the boy. Death and murder weren't a thing Theodore
agreed with.

''In here,'' The man halted, his long cloak swirled around him as he gestured
towards two enormous metallic doors, ''He'll be expecting you.''

The man walked away quickly as Theodore's sight dragged after him as he went.

Still terrified beyond explanation. His skin crawled as he as carefully he could

— let his paled knuckles collide with the metal.

A loud screech echoed around him as the doors slowly shifted open, and the
sound tore through his ears.

The entrance led into an even darker room, and with a ghastly mantle on his
face, Theodore stumbled forward.

The doors slammed shut so loudly that he flinched even more, and he turned
around to watch the metallic as it locked itself.

He nearly froze, right then and there. He was trapped — if there were ever a
way out of this building, he would never be able to open it.

''Sit down, boy.''

Theo spun around again. A thin coat of sweat had layered on his forehead out of
the panic he felt rushing through him, from head to toe.

He didn't see anyone.

Not a soul in sight held on display for him as he hesitantly stood still, refusing to
move a muscle — scared to death that it'd be worse.
''I said, sit down, boy!''

The voice shouted. The dangerous tone in his vocals shot daggers through
Theodore, who shakingly nodded and strode ahead. His finger grasped at the
backrest of the chair that held in what looked to be the middle of the room.

Theo's teeth shattered. His skin vibrated, and the already shallow breaths he
carried almost turned none existent. The tips of his fingers clawed into the
wooden chair as he slipped down.

His spine was straight and stretched, his chin sunk not to look at something he
wasn't supposed to.

''You must be wondering why I brought you here, correct?'' The voice shredded
through his hearing murderously.

Theodore nodded quickly, ''I— I am,'' He was stuttering, still not facing anyone.

''And you must be wondering who I am?'' The loud, slaying voice shifted lower,
''Why a person like myself brought an innocent boy to my castle?''

His head tipped again, nodding as his lips parted, a shaking breath passed, ''I do
wonder—''

''You are under the protection of Draco Malfoy, isn't that precise?''

Theo swallowed. He'd never give anything about Draco up, ever. He didn't even
want to answer a question as simple as the one asked.

''Isn't that precise?!'' The voice yelled out. Something heavy struck the floor, and
Theodore squeezed his eyes shut.

He was so scared.

''Well, I take it that your silence speaks louder than any word ever could....'' The
voice mumbled, steps began to echo around Theodore, ''I suppose he's holding in
the Malfoy Manor too, isn't that accurate?''

Theodore's head shook, ''No—'' but he had no chance of finishing that sentence
nevertheless the word he was speaking until a rural flash of light tore through
his chest violently.

He screamed, a heartbreaking, loud scream.

His lungs tightened at the magic, and his eyes flayed wide, making him stare
straight at the line of masked men standing in position in front of him.

Death Eaters, he thought. Most likely, a dozen of them hovered around him.

''I don't do well with lies, boy. I should've been honest with that from the start,''
The raspy voice spoke again and the torture, carving Theodore open from the
inside, eased.

His head fell back. His chest heaved uncontrollably as he squealed out of
exhaustion. He'd been healing Amelie so much that he barely owned an ounce of
strength himself.

''I'll ask you one more time, is he taking shelter at the Malfoy Manor?''

Theodore's head tipped forwards, bowing it as it hung. Blood slipped the corner
of his mouth before it fused with the pearls of sweat fleeing his skin.

''As we believed then...'' The man rasped, ''And the girl?''

Feeling as his veins chilled, he stretched back up, doing his best to keep his head
steady, ''What girl?'' Theodore chocked out, ''There's no— Amelie died—''

A loud slap shredded through the room as the man's palm collided brutally with
Theodore's cheek, causing his head to spin and his breaths to rag.

''No—'' The man spat, a fist grabbed Theodore by the roots of his hair, the other
hand pushed a wand, firmly into his neck, ''No more lies.''

''Fine—'' Theodore gasped, his hands gripping the armrests harder, ''I'm sorry I
just—''

''You're a loyal one,'' The man chuckled, darkly, ''That will come in handy for
me.''

Theodore breathed so unsteadily. His entire body shook out of fear, ''Who—''
The man slowly let go of him, ''Who are you?''

With his back facing Theodore, he stretched his shoulders, tipping his chin
upwards, ''You've heard a lot about me, boy, but you've never seen me.''

Theodore felt his heartbeat as it bloated in his ears.

His head felt heated and faint while the man fixedly let his hands up to his head,
and he dragged his hood off, allowing Theo to watch the back of it.

''We'll work well together, you and me—'' The man grinned, huffing out another
sulky chuckle, ''So you might as well know whom you'll be working for...''

Theodore's eyes grew wide in the wickedness, gulping on his own saliva as the
man revealed himself — on full unveil for the boy.

The Dark Lord.

Theodore looked away instantly as his jaws gritted.

He'd heard many frightening stories about the Dark Lord. Numerous of them
from Draco himself, but never had he seen nor heard the man talk. He lived to
be utterly shy with his identity.

''And—'' Theodore swallowed the dread, ''And what do you want with me?''

Voldemort narrowed his eyes at the boy, and Theo felt how the vicious stare
burnt at his skin. It was truly how Draco had explained it. He was horrifying, yet
he looked like any other man.

''It has come to my attention that you have a proper sight for healing, yes?''
Voldemort strode forward, closer to the brunet as he nodded, ''Very well. I am in
need of someone to heal my warriors.''

Theo's sneck snapped, his eyes leveled the Dark Lord's, ''The—'' He faltered,
''The Death Eaters?''

''Yes...'' He lingered at the last letter, letting it slip out with a mock, ''You healed
the Avery girl back to life, and I want you to do the same to my—''
''No.''

Voldemort stopped. His cloak dragged after him as he abruptly halted, ''No?''
He hissed, ''No one says no to the Dark Lord.''

''I do—'' Theodore propped himself up a bit, his nails digging into the timber as
he thought about it.

He could never be an ally to the Dark Lord. He could never betray his family
nor himself in that way. His father was a Death Eater, and now — so was he, but
he'd fight it.

He'd battle the meaning of the ink in his skin with everything he owned if he had
to. It would never become a part of him. He'd never stand for it.

Malfoy had slaughtered them. He'd killed every single one he laid an eye on, and
Theodore could never go against that.

''Amelie Avery—'' A different man raised his voice as Voldemort tore his sight
away from Theo to turn around and face the masked men behind him.

''Mother, on the run. Father, deceased. She is currently in a heavy sleep after
taking her own life to free herself from Adrian Pucey, a loyal Death Eater.
Living in the Malfoy Manor along with Draco Malfoy, Theodore—''

''Stop,'' Theodore whispered, shaking his head desperately.

''Along with Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, and Narcissa Malfoy. Highly taught
within both healing and potions, a destined Death Eater and is sentenced to
death for disobeying her master, Adrian Pucey.''

''Stop it!'' Theodore spoke louder this time.

''Narcissa Malfoy. Mother of Death Eater Draco Malfoy and wife to Death Eater
Lucius Malfoy. Currently living in the Malfoy Manor, along with Amelie Avery,
Draco Malfoy, and Theodore Nott.''

''I'll do anything, please—''

''A highly trusted wife and servant of the Dark Lord. A great witch who is now
sentenced to death, for assisting her son in the unlawful actions against
Voldemort.''

''Please, I'll help—''

''Draco Malfoy—'' The Dark Lord overlooked Theodore's plea, nodding for the
man to keep going.

''Mother, alive. Father, heavily guarded at the castle from assisting his son with
information. Currently living at the Malfoy Manor together with Amelie Avery,
Narcissa Malfoy, and Theodore Nott—''

''Please, stop!''

''Highly listed within the Death Eaters as a former loyal servant of Voldemort,
now—''

''I beg you!''

''Now,'' The man yelled out, ''Sentenced to death for the slaughter of two-
hundred and seventy-six Death Eaters, along with aiding a fugitive and hiding
Amelie Avery without orders to do so.''

''I told you—''

''Amelie Avery, Draco Malfoy, and Narcissa Malfoy are all three on the list to be
taken from their home and tortured to death in the choosing of the fellow Death
Eater's Malfoy have slaughtered—''

''It's enough!''

Voldemort's sight finally snapped to Theodore, watching as his skin fumed in a

feverish color and how his eyes stung in tears, ''Please, it's enough.''

''This, boy—'' The man gritted, storming a few steps forward, ''This will be the
end of your little friends if you fail to obey us.''

Theodore's eyes screwed shut.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't betray them.

''If you do prove yourself to be obedient and faithful as the Death Eater you
are...'' The evil man chuckled, showing his crooked teeth a wicked smile, ''I will
repay you with their lives held intact.''

Theo still didn't answer as his world crumbled around him.

''It's far from easy, being in love with your best friend. Isn't it? Someone who you
grew up with, someone you mastered to love and learned to never live without —
only for her to fall in love with someone else?''

Theodore's lashes fluttered as he caught a deep breath between his teeth, ''I'm
not—''

''Of course not,'' The man grinned evilly, ''Not anymore, now you're simply
thirsting for the idea of love and the thought of being just as loved as your friend
is by Malfoy. Almost so much that you believe that it's him you love now,
correct?''

Theodore's head shook, ''I'm not in love with either of them—''

''Oh, but you are, more than you'd like to admit but not for long. If you don't do
as told — we'll kill them all, and you'll have no one, so you have to side with us
—''

''That's enough, thank you, son,'' Voldemort rose a hand towards the provoking
man, tilting his head to the side to lay off Theodore, ''I think this boy and I need
a word, alone.''

Theodore couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had woken up in his bed this
morning like nothing was wrong. He'd gone downstairs for breakfast with
Narcissa after checking up on Amelie in her sleeping stage, and he'd taken his
mail as he does every morning.

The only exception was that this morning — this morning, a dark, inky letter
messed with the other ones, and he made the grave mistake of opening it,
following the instructions to come here.

''Heal my servants or watch your friends die, boy,'' Voldemort clocked him right
out of his head, ''Watch me take Amelie's life all over again and see me feed her
limbs to the—''
''I'll do it!''

It turned quiet, utterly so.

Theodore's ragged breaths trembled off his lips as he sought to do everything

not to cry out, ''I'll help you, but then you have to promise me—'' He swallowed
the tears, ''They will never be harmed, none of them, not Amelie, not Narcissa
and not Draco.''

''Draco, I can not promise. He's done the worst—''

''No!'' Theodore pushed. He needed to set his own ground for this. If he were
meant to betray his friends, he'd do so knowing that nothing can ruin them.

''This will go for Draco as well. All three of them, or I won't take part in this.''

The Dark Lord flung around, grumbling to himself underneath his breath for
minutes as Theodore tried to catch his. To calm himself and ease the aching
nerves he held.

''Very well. I'll pardon your little friends if you take place on our side,''
Voldemort growled, visibly displeased what he'd agreed to. His face was stoned
and cold.

''And they can never know,'' Theodore's shoulders sunk, his head tipped, ''I'll do
this, you spare their lives, and they can never know.''

''Teddy—''

''If that's in your wishes, so be it,'' Voldemort's fingers grasped at his wand,
holding it up between them, ''I will be contacting you as I did today, and you will
show up here without notice.''

''Teddy, are you okay?''

Theodore nodded. His sight flickered as the ache inside scored heavily.

He couldn't believe what he was doing.

''Teddy!''
Theodore's head cocked to the side — his chest heaving as he stared blankly at
Amelie, ''What?'' He snapped rudely.

Her brows knitted, and her lips pushed together into a firm line, ''What do you
mean what? You've been lost all day in that big head of yours,'' A smile climbed
over her at the spoken words as his eyes rolled.

He didn't answer her. Instead, he simply sighed out in relief at the memory he'd
dreamt about just now, and he kept his eyes on her. It was a wave of guilt,
trapping his every sense as he looked at her.

He was lying and terribly so.

Theodore had made a deal with the devil when she remained in her sleep, and he
had no clue how to tell her. No thought of how he'd come clean with the fact that
the Death Eater's Draco ceased of life — he brought back.

''I'm sorry—'' Theodore mumbled, tilting his head to lean on her shoulder as the
fireplace sparkled in front of them, ''I didn't mean to be rude. I just—''

Amelie smiled as her hand stroked over his cheek, gently, ''I know, it's okay,
Teddy. You have been through a lot too, and it's alright to be a little tense
sometimes.''

''Tense?'' Theodore huffed out a chuckle, ''Tense is the least—''

''Do you want me to call you an idiot then?'' Amelie laughed out, turning her
head to his as he lifted it, meeting her playful gaze.

He missed her like this. She never laughed anymore.

Amelie shook her head, inhaling deeply to free her childish behavior as she
stared at him.

He didn't look the same anymore.

He was so fragile, so worn that she couldn't see those adorable curls falling over
his forehead without her heart aching.

''Teddy, are you—''

''Are you alright?'' His voice was louder compared to hers as he sought to ignore
her question. He couldn't lie more than he'd already done, and if he were to
answer her asking truthfully — he'd open doors he'll never be able to explain.

''I am...'' Amelie hushed down, sinking deeper into the couch, ''I think I am. I'm
having nightmares again, but it's nothing I can't handle.''

Theodore hummed, leaning on her completely as he gripped her hand, softly

tangling their fingers together, ''Do you want help with them? You know I have
my herbs—''

''I have Draco,'' She mastered a brave smile, moving her neck to push her lips
into his head, ''I have you and Draco, and that's all I need to overcome this.''

''Overcome what?'' He asked, pushing her more to talk about what happened to
her while being chained in Adrian's house. He knew that it was the best way for
her to move on — to talk about it.

To open up and to shed light upon the demons in her life, to let them crack in the
brightness, and to leave them there to dry.

It was always that she did with him — they talked about it.

''I'm still scared, at night...'' Amelie mumbled into his head. Her fingers
squeezing his tightly, ''Sometimes I feel like he's watching me and don't—''

A light pause in her talking as she gathered herself.

It was still so traumatizing to her — something so vile happened, and she saw no
way out. She did what she believed was for the best, and now she paid the
consequences for it.

She died, and dealing with it, learning how to pact such a thing — was far from
easy.

Draco helped her a lot, more than she'd ever asked for. He always shielded her as
she fell asleep, and he was awake when she woke up, all so that she would never
be alone.

He talked to her. He listened. He was there, every minute of every day — the
blond boy comforted her if she was in need, even if she watched how it drained
him.

Malfoy went through this himself. He lost her. He mourned her. He watched her
lifeless body, and he carried it, he protected it, and he helped her heal.

He saw as she forgot about him, how her mind in the gravest missing of him —
let him go for weeks.

He was as broken as she was — as wounded and as hurt. He indeed had scars
too.

''Don't think I'm crazy, please,'' Amelie continued, ''Don't think that I'm insane or
mental because I already know I am—''

Theo smiled at that.

''I don't know. I don't know if it's because of Adrian dying or if it's my head that's
playing tricks on me... I don't know. I just feel trapped.'' She admitted, feeling
like her insides as they wrenched, ''I still feel trapped, Teddy and I can't tell
Draco that. I don't want to hurt him.''

Theodore nodded, sensing the soft fabric of her dress against his cheek, ''I
know.''

''He's done so much for me, and I can't tell him that I still have this feeling... this
feeling that I'm still bounded. We finally have each other, and I don't want a
thing to come between that,'' Amelie finished with a sigh of relief.

She loved saying that — that they have each other because they did.

''You really love Malfoy, don't you?'' Theodore whispered, his eyes hooded,
"Like really, really? Like how you read in fairytales?''

The warmth swelled within her, ''I do. I really do.''

He felt a fist clenching around his heart. He knew, deep inside of him,
somewhere hidden, that what he was doing and what he had been doing was
right.
He was saving their lives.

Once again, it was Theodore, rescuing everyone in silence. He continuously

placed them ahead of himself, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

He lived for them to be happy.

''Can you do that thing—'' He spoke lowly, reaching for his wand as he handed it
to her, his eyes flared in comfort at what he wished for her to do, ''That thing
with your wand and the birds.''

Amelie smiled. A giggle fled her throat as she caved into him entirely, her chin
on the top of his head as she whispered, 'Expecto Patronum,' underneath her
breath, and the five — nowadays, the five identical birds, chirped around them.

''I love it when you do that,'' Theodore whispered, voiding her of all the comfort
she could give him.

''And I love you,'' Amelie said, laced with honesty, ''I love you, and I don't say it
enough.''

''I love you more,'' Theodore felt tired. His eyelids heavy as he caught the birds
silent singing, ''I love you so much more Amelie, and I'm sorry—''

Amelie frowned, her brows knitted as she looked down at him, but she couldn't
answer before his breaths shifted heavier and his body felt hefty on hers.

''Sleep,'' Her hand combed through his messy curls. His dimples faded, ''Sleep,
and we'll talk tomorrow.''

Theodore grunted back, turning around in his position as he nestled up.

Amelie drew a blanket across him before leaning back into the furniture. She
was worried for her friend. He'd never acted anything close to this before.

Theodore was never tired. He never answered a question with a question when it
came to her.

He was brutally honest, and that made her even more concerned. He was going
through something — things he would never tell her, and that could simply own
one meaning,

He was protecting her.

''Birds, yeah?''

Amelie's neck snapped, scrunching her nose at the blond standing in the living
room doorway, ''Birds,'' She whispered, her eyes flickered to the icing light in
front of her. Her Patronus as it swirled around.

She realized that she never asked for his, and he never told her, ''What is yours?''

Draco's warm look stiffened as his head shook, lips firmly mangled together, ''I
don't—'' He drew a harsh breath. Straightening his shoulders and raising his
chin, ''I don't have one.''

She felt her heart as it ached within the cage of her chest. He didn't have one.

Amelie knew it to be based on the happy and joyful things in life — that the
Patronus is earned and mastered by cherished memories, and to know that he
didn't have one shredded the already torn girl to pieces.

''Yet—'' Her head tilted, sending him a soft stare filled with comfort, ''You don't
have one yet.''

Draco merely scoffed, lofty at her words, not too minded, ''Well, I don't want
one, don't bother.''

''Draco—'' Amelie breathed, gently pushing herself off the sofa as her wrist
twitched and the chirping birds faded into the shadows, ''What's the matter?''

Using slow steps as she strode up to him, halting inches away with the most
longing space between them, ''What happened?''

His pearly eyes shun brightly as she fell lost in them. She had a habit of doing
that, falling completely gone when it came to him.

Draco stared right at her. Strings of hope rushed through him at the sight. She
was staying so close without feeling as if she held miles apart. He'd missed that.
Her closeness like this. Her being her both in person and mind.

He'd waited for her, longer than a person should ever be allowed on hold for
another.

Amelie felt a curl in the hem of her lips as she let it take over, smiling fully at
the boy who entirely melted at the look of it.

''I have something for you,'' Draco said, inching closer. His hand brushed over
her bare shoulder, ''Or I—'' He slightly paused for a second, delaying his words
so that he could gaze at her just like this for a minute more.

''I got you something.''

Amelie arched a brow. Her eyes flickered across his calm features, ''You got me
something?'' She questioned in a low whisper, not to wake Theodore from his
slumber, ''And what could Draco Malfoy possibly gotten me?''

''It's still hard, you know,'' He mumbled, raspy, holding his voice in symphony
with hers, ''Buying anything for you is always so hard.''

Amelie felt a sweep of guilt as it rushed through her, quickly fading into a flush
of warmth by that soft look of his, ''You don't have to buy me things, Draco...''
Her note thinly, ''You know that you don't have to—''

''I want to,'' He hushed her, his hand squeezing around her shoulder to bring her
closer, ''I've said it before, but it's incredibly hard giving the person who—''

''Already gives you everything — anything,'' Amelie held her smile, bravely
taking a step closer to the boy, ''So I've heard,'' She mocked him playfully as she
tilted her head, feeling as his palm caressed her cheek.

''So you do get it,'' Draco smirked, his thumb traced circles upon her blushing
skin.

Amelie made a face — a mixture of dubiety and curiosity, ''I do.'' Her fingers
slipped along her own frame, gripping the edges of her dress as his sight
followed, landing on her bare thighs.

Draco quickly looked back up, growling silently within the flesh of his mouth,
''God—''

''What is it?'' Amelie felt the flush of both fear and excitement as it eagerly
pushed through her veins. Not noticing the burning stare he brought.

''Come here,'' He mumbled, his hands slipping to draw her in by the waist as he
dragged her with him up to their room, not answering a single question as they
went.

He stayed utterly silent as she slipped down onto their bed, placing a pillow in
her lap and crossing her legs.

Draco brought out a package — a black velvet box, and he nonchalantly handed
it to her before stepping back, hunching onto the armchair.

Amelie stared wide-eyed at him, arching a brow, ''What is—''

''Open it,'' He cut her off harshly.

The corners of her mouth twisted at his behavior and the panic-struck cloak his
features held. She could hear the hitched breath he carried — he was shy when it
came to gifts. He always had been.

Draco preferred to spoil her with things when she wasn't around and have her
find them after he'd left himself. He adored that tiny expression she made when
she bit her lip in emotion, and she sought to conceal her smile as she unwrapped
a gift, but it was still hard for him — to grant her something when he was near.

He was terrified that she'd be disappointed and not pleased enough for what he'd
done, and he rather hide than be pained by that.

''Fine,'' Amelie taunted him as she pushed herself off the bed. Her steps up to
him sounded along the floor, and he furrowed his brows at her doings.

''Amelie, what are you—'' Draco grunted, tilting his head back as she tracked
closer. She fell down onto his lap, straddling him on the armchair, ''Amelie—''
He tried to warn, but she merely smiled at him.

''I'm opening my gift,'' Her eyes met his, and his hands landed on her hips, lightly
stroking the material of her dress. His fingers curling around her flesh, ''And I
want to open it with you, not only with you watching me.''

''I like watching you,'' Draco grinned, rolling his tongue on the inside of his
cheek as he sent her a raised brow, ''You're beautiful to watch, Amelie.''

Her eyes broadened as her chin dipped, feeling as a rosy color stained her
cheeks. The warmth he brought her swelled within, ''Stop it—'' She whispered,
shaking her head.

''Open it,'' Draco said, enjoying the power his words had on her. Observing every
twinkle in her shy showing, ''Open it so I can go back to tell you—'' His fingers
on her waist tensed as he inched her closer on his lap, ''Just how beautiful you
are.''

Amelie's heart pounded roughly as her sight fell to the box in her hands, and the
tips of her fingers grasped at the silky material.

Simply the wrapping itself was astonishing.

Draco didn't drag his eyes off her. He studied her thoughtfully as she unwrapped
the bow on the box, and she lifted the lid with a loud gasp falling off her lips.

''No—'' Amelie let her hand cover her mouth as a curve mounted Malfoy's lips,
hiddenly, ''No you didn't—''

''I did,'' Draco smirked, still looking at Amelie, ''It slipped my mind that you
didn't have one anymore, so I figured I'd get you a new one.''

Amelie gazed back at him, her eyes on the tipping point to tears, and she couldn't
believe what she was watching.

''You got me a new wand...'' She quieted. Her entire body felt as if it was on fire
on top of his, ''You didn't have to, Draco—''

''I wanted to,'' His breaths fanned hotly on her bare shoulder as he arched his
spine, bringing himself closer to her. Even if she was seated on his lap — he had
to peer down at her from above, ''I will take care of you, I hope you know that
—''

He couldn't finish speaking before Amelie let the wand he'd bought for her fall
in between them, and her palms cupped his jaws.

She brought him into the most gentle kiss he'd ever felt.

She kissed him so emotionally for moments as her lips parted, ''Thank you,''
Amelie whispered into his mouth, her hands moved along his neck, locking her
fingers behind it, tangling the tips of them with his blond strands, ''Thank you for
taking care of me.''

Draco kissed her back, his own arms wrapped around her entirely, ''No—'' He
heaved, exploring her clothed spine with his hands, ''Thank you for taking care
of me, Amelie.''

She leaned back, tearing their touch in two as she picked the wand up, fiddling
with it between her fingers in the seeps of quietness, but something heavy clung
around them — she could feel it.

Amelie carried that solid sense of grey in all the colors he'd granted her. She
could see that tiny, nearly invisible flicker in his eyes.

He was happy, indeed — but there was something else. He was keeping
something from her.

''Draco—''

''I need to tell you something,'' He hewed her off, looking away agonizingly, ''I
don't want to ruin...'' He hushed, clenching his jaws at his own talks.

He truly didn't wish for this moment to end. He didn't want to bring her any
more heartbreak, but this couldn't wait.

He hoped to talk to her the night they spent in her childhood home, but that
would've been too much — too traumatizing for her to go through in that house.

He drew a deep breath, ''I need to tell you something, and I need you to stay
calm.''

Amelie shook her head lightly as the happiness that spread across her face faded
along with the warm embrace around them. The air suddenly shifted cooly,
''What? Tell me what, Draco?''
His hands dropped from her hips and her skin shivered by the lacking of his
touch. A wave of the biting feeling she felt every time something tended to be
wrong drenched her from the inside.

She tried so hard not to show him just how much.

''Tell me what, Draco? What are you—''

Malfoy's jaws gritted tightly. His face empty and reversed.

The grey eyes glimmered in torture as he slowly scanned her and, with a loud
exhale and a slight tip of his head, ''It's about your mother...''

Amelie scowled at him, yanking back a bit as her face mantled in skepticism. A
shot of doubt tore through her, ''I don't—'' She swallowed the weighty feeling, ''I
don't know what my mother has to do with anything—''

''Amelie,'' Draco said calmly, ''I need you to tell me something. I need you to talk
to me about something that I can't quite figure out myself and the only person
who truly knows all of this...'' He held, trying to keep himself under control, '' Is
you. I think you saw it, and I need you to tell me about those dreams you had
when you were asleep. I need you to confirm something.''

She nodded willingly as her thighs around his legs tensed, ''Of course, but I don't
understand what my dreams have to do with this? I dreamt about Pansy and then
my mother and then her pregnancy—''

''Amelie,'' Draco said again, harsher this time as he glanced at her with a troubled
look and he watched how she was so close to the realization herself, ''Amelie—''

It hit her.

It slammed right over her what he meant — what he wanted her to say. She had
suppressed it for weeks.

Even in the wrong state of her mind, she ignored what she saw. She tried to
make it about something else. She did everything she could in order never to
face the truth she knew would be passing.

''No...'' She gasped, pushing herself off the blond as he tried to stop her from
doing so. His hand wrapped around her wrist to keep her close. He couldn't let
her create space between them because it would be so hard to get her back — he
knew that.

Amelie's mind was set. She yanked her arm back as she stumbled back over the
floor, her head constantly shaking, tears building up in the edges of her eyes,
''No, she can't be—''

''She couldn't be—'' Amelie's hair spilled over her shoulders as the wand Draco
had granted her, fell to the ground, ''No, why would she leave me then? Why
would she leave me only to—''

A sob cleared her throat, and Draco flew to his feet — desperate to comfort her,
to hold her and take all her pain away, but she only backed further. Amelie
couldn't handle touch when she felt like this.

''Tell me she wasn't. Tell me she didn't leave me while being—'' Another sob cut
her short, and Draco's whole body ached to see her lose it, ''Please, Draco. Please
tell me she didn't do this. Tell me she didn't—''

Amelie barely formed a proper word. Tears streamed down her colorless cheeks
uncontrollably, and her hands tugged at the roots of her hair, ''She wouldn't do
that, right?'' Amelie cried out, her knees weakened.

It was pure torture to Draco, knowing that he couldn't speak against her because
he knew it to be true. There was no point in lying to her now.

''Tell me she wasn't—'' Amelie heaved, her hands shaking. Her breaths
shallower, ''She was, wasn't she... Why?'' She blurted through a whine, ''How
could she—''

''She did,'' Draco's jaws clenched, sharply as her heart shattered, ''Amelie—''

It stung in her lungs. The air around her thickened, and it was hard to breathe.
She didn't feel as if she could inhale properly without the sensation of a thousand
knives tearing through her throat.

The feeling of being ripped apart scored so heavily.

''No!'' She shouted, her hands stretched in the air to stop him from coming too
close. Distancing herself from everyone and everything, ''I can't— Just—''

Amelie needed him more than anything. She craved for him to sheet her in his
protective arms and make all of this go away. He always managed to do that for
her — taking her pain away, yet she couldn't bear the thought of anyone
touching her.

Not even Draco.

''Just tell me, tell me, let me hear it—'' Her tongue stumbled on her words. Her
voice broke in cries every time her lips parted, ''I need to hear it—''

He hesitated. Malfoy didn't wish to do this. He didn't want to break her in ways
he was unsure how to put her back together.

This was out of his hands.

''Draco! Just tell me—''

''She was pregnant!'' Draco spoke up, cracking under pressure he felt consume
him.

Looking heartbreakingly at her, as if he could see her soul fading from her body
and her skin parched ashenly.

''When your mother left you, she was pregnant.''

_____
 Seventy-six

This chapter contains scenes of death and emotional trauma. Please read
with caution.

______

''No one should die alone.''

______

''Excuse me—'' Draco lowered his voice, his hands placed flat on the counter in
front of him as the lady behind it turned around, smiling broadly at him.

''How can I help you today, sir?'' She asked politely.

Draco cleared his throat, peering around discretely, ''I'm looking for a Mr.
Brown, former Dr.Brown.''

He didn't once falter with his demanding tone, not wishing to seem doubtful even
if this was far out of his comfort zone.

The lady frowned at him, nodding hesitantly as she began to flip through the
pages of her book.

''I'm sorry, sir, but I'm not allowed to give out any information about Dr. Brown
at the moment.''

Malfoy's jaws gritted, his sight snapped across her as it landed on the nametag
on her chest, taking in the name on it before he narrowed his eyes in hers,
''You'll have to excuse me, miss. Smith, but I'm new to town and an old friend of
—''

''I'm still not allowed—''

''Perhaps a donation to this home would make you rethink what you're about to
say,'' Draco's tone shifted darker, his hand shoved into his pocket as he hauled
out a checkbook, ''Or a private one, I don't really care.''

Her brows knitted as she stretched her spine, bending over the counter to watch
his doings. She tucked a curl behind her ear, ''Sir, I really don't—''

''One-hundred thousand pounds, would that do it?'' Malfoy held an emotionless

look, staring blankly at her while scribbling on the check, ''Or what is it you
muggles call your money?''

''Muggles, sir?'' The lady questioned, her face cloaked in confusion, ''I don't—''

Draco ripped the check apart from the book, slamming it down onto the wood as
he sighed, ''So, about Dr.Brown?''

The lady startingly stared at the amount of money written on it. She couldn't
believe her eyes before her sight snapped, looking around quickly as she
snatched the paper, pushing it down in her pocket.

She attended her book again, humming quietly to herself as Draco impatiently
stood before her, annoyed to an unexplainable extent.

''He's in the garden, until noon, but Mr...?'' She spoke up as he began to step
away. Malfoy cocked his head in response, ''Dr. Brown is utterly confused, and
he's not really... lucid at all times so please have—''

Draco didn't bother to listen. He tucked his hands into his suit pants pockets and
walked away.

''Pleasure doing business—'' She yelled, but he'd already disappeared, out of
sight.

He strode across the elderly home, rolling his eyes at the muggles he watched
around him, ''Pathetic,'' Draco scowled to himself as the thought of Amelie not
being here clocked his mind.

She was safe at home with his mother and Theodore. He'd promised to be back
by dinner, and he intended to keep that word. He knew his mother to be cooking
broccoli today and just how much Amelie despised that.
She never told anyone except him.

Draco shrugged, tempting to swallow the aching feeling he caught inside at the
loss of her memories. Even when he was half the country away — it still haunted
him.

Everything did. It angered him, and he loathed himself more than anything for it
— for constantly leaving her at home when he didn't want anything other than to
bring her with him, even for a task like this one.

The second, her memories were to be restored. He'd never go anywhere without
her. He'd never leave the house without her next to him.

Draco had learned the hard way that every time he'd left her — he lost her.

He stepped out on the lawn. His eyes squinted at the early summer sun as he
searched for the man he was looking for. Mr. Brown, former Dr. Brown.

A wizard who was hidden in the muggle world, away from the Dark Lord and all
the cruel things that would befall if he got his hands on the Doctor.

He needed to get to the man first. He'd been searching every city in this county
for him, and finally — he'd located him. Ever since the night when Amelie had a
breakdown, and he had to comfort her, something stuck to his mind.

The utter fact that she spoke about her mother and a pregnancy.

It wasn't Pansy she was talking about. She'd be far more emotional with that
memory even if her own remembering were in the wind. This had to be about her
mother. It all fell into place, all the missing pieces.

Her mother obliviated herself and the recollection of her escape from Amelie's
mind. There wasn't a more logical explanation for her to do so and the Dark
Lord's hunt to find her — if she wasn't hiding something as valuable as a child.

''Dr. Brown—'' Draco said, clearly to the man seated on a bench in front of him,
''Is it, Dr. Brown—?''

''Isn't it Lucius?'' The man gaily greeted him, his arms thrown out in the air as
his face brightened, ''Ah, Lucius, it wasn't yesterday I saw you!''
Draco's face twisted awkwardly in a grimace, frowning slightly before he
realized what the lady at the desk had been talking about.

He wasn't lucid.

It still didn't come as a surprise to him that his father had a part to play in this.

With a thick swallow, Draco nodded, stiffly, ''Yes, Dr.Brown, it's—''

The man stood up, wearing a hefty winter coat along with a sun hat and
sunglasses. He had swim shorts, colorful ones at that underneath the long, fur-
covered jacket. His arms stretched as he brought Draco into a hug.

His entire body tensed at the man's doings, but he couldn't do anything other
than play along. He patted his back bunglingly.

''Let me tell you a little secret, Lucius—'' The Doctor laughed as he stepped
back, dropping down onto the bench again, ''This is my favorite place to be, out
here in the garden... tell me, does your son still play in your garden?''

Draco's eyes widened as he hunched down at the bench next to him, ''I suppose
he does...'' Draco mumbled, his elbows on his knees as he cocked his head to the
side, looking at the man.

''I remember you telling all about your little boy... how is he these days? He must
be growing!''

Draco nodded sternly as a seep of hurt took over, ''He's growing indeed.''

''I'm happy to hear that. He was a tall boy when I last saw him, and I'm certain
he'll find a pretty girl and carry those handsome Malfoy genes along, don't you
think?'' The man beamed, patting Draco's arched back.

Malfoy's eyes squeezed shut for a second, his head clouded by the girl still
waiting for him at home, and only the knowledge of seeing her at the end of the
day — with memories or without, eased all the pain in this world.

''I sure hope he will,'' Draco felt an arch in the corner of his mouth, ''He'll be a
lucky man when he does.''
''And she'll be a lucky girl!'' The man nearly shouted, laughing loudly at himself
as Draco flinched next to him, not too familiar with behavior like this, ''She'll be
a lucky girl to be with such a man, don't you think?''

Draco's head tipped in a bow again, agreeing to the spoken words.

''But don't you take me for a fool, Lucius,'' He continued, earning Draco's
attention again, peering up at him over his shoulder, ''I know that a wealthy man
like yourself doesn't visit an old man like me without reason. What can I do for
you today?''

Panic swelled within Malfoy as he leaned back against the backrest, his arms
folded over his chest and his leg placed over the other. The sun stung through
his white shirt, '' I do—''

He cleared his throat again, stressed to bring up something to set the already
mad man off, ''I have a question about an old patient of yours. A birth you
secretly took care of about six, seven years ago.''

The man froze. His spine straight as he looked around, quickly, observing the
area around them suspiciously before he inched closer to Draco.

His hand moved up to his sunglasses and tipped them down to rest on his nose,
revealing the black eyes behind them, ''So it's time, isn't it?'' The man whispered,
lowly, ''They found her?''

Draco couldn't understand a word he was saying nor the meaning behind it, but
he simply nodded, ''It's time, and I need to know—''

The Doctor leaned back against the bench again. His sight glued to the park in
front of him, ''Are they looking for me as well?''

''They are.'' Draco admitted, hurtfully, because the both of them knew what this
meant, ''I'm afraid that they are.''

''We did something foolish, Lucius. All of us, we did something terrible when we
crossed the Dark Lord and when he finds out that it was us—''

A trickle of quiet hovered as he gathered his breath, coughing lightly into the
bow of his arm.
''If Voldemort finds out that it was us, all of us who helped her escape with that
child... We're doomed.''

Draco rose his chin, staring out over the view in front of them as well, ''We're
already doomed, sir. Life is nothing but a losing game, no matter how you live
it.''

He could feel how Dr. Brown looked at him, shockingly, ''What happened to
you?'' He asked silently, ''Life never treated you fairly, Lucius... I just wish it
turns out better for your son and that he never has to take part in these wicked
games.''

It shot through Malfoy like pure lightning, and it pained him to a point where his
teeth shattered.

''Protect your child, son,'' He said, accepting the faith he knew was coming to
him, ''Or you will never forgive yourself.''

No one ever protected him.

''About—'' Draco squinted, shaking his head loosely to ease the hurtful thoughts,
''About your patient, it wouldn't happen to be Mrs. Avery?''

The man hushed for minutes as he hummed a song to himself, and Draco blankly
stared at him, so confused — puzzled as to how he was ever going to get any
information out of him.

''Athena,'' He finally whispered, ''And Atlas. I believe she named her son Atlas.''

Malfoy drew a breath, deeply between his teeth. He felt the pain as it faded into
anger.

Amelie's mother truly left her while keeping another child safe. He didn't want to
save her anymore — how could he when she left Amelie behind, knowing what
her father was capable of.

''She had a daughter too, I remember...'' He mumbled, stretching his legs out to
stare at his sock-covered feet, slamming them together, and he laughed, ''She
was a sweet little girl, had the kindest smile, I remember.''
Draco could break apart right there and then.

''But she had to forget. Didn't she? Wasn't that a part of it all? The danger that
poor little girl would've faced if they didn't make her forget? But to do that to a
child... forgetting her mother and thinking she died... terrible — just terrible.''

Malfoy could barely breathe anymore. He was so angry.

''We will pay for what we put them through. We were monsters, Lucius,'' He
nodded, huffing out, ''We ruined that poor little girl's life. Is she alive today, you
think?''

A sweep of torture mantled him as he tried to suppress it, ''I hope she is and if
she were—''

''She'd be the strongest girl I've ever met,'' Mr. Brown admitted, ''Death is too
kind for people like ourselves, but it all has its price, doesn't it?''

Draco nodded. Not speaking a word.

''I hope we saved the children at least from all of this.''

Draco bolted forward. He couldn't listen to it anymore — if anyone, he knew just

how haunted and doomed Amelie's life came to be.

He didn't need anyone to explain it to him.

''Athena, she had a son, you say?'' Malfoy asked, distressingly, ''Do you know
where they went, where we can find—''

''Unfortunately, I don't... even if I did, I doubt that I would remember,'' He

laughed at himself, slamming a hand over his chest, ''But there's an archive in
Edinburgh where I saved all my old files, perhaps you'll find something of
meaning there.''

''And that's all you know?'' Draco asked, looking down at the ground.

''That's all I know...'' The man closed his eyes, and he inhaled powerfully, almost
as he knew what was happening, ''It has to end... all of this madness, it does...''
Draco sighed, grunting as he pushed himself up on his feet.

''And this is the end... isn't it?'' The man took his glasses off, entirely, folding
them together as he placed them beside him, "For me, I mean?"

He didn't look scared, and he didn't look fearful. He looked to be at peace.

''I'm afraid so,'' Draco couldn't stand watching him anymore, he felt sick to his
stomach for doing this, but there couldn't be any loose ends — there couldn't be
a thread that the Dark Lord could grasp.

''I'm sorry,'' Malfoy whispered, and it was the first time, ever, he felt guilt for
something like this. He always robbed vicious people of their lives, never pure
ones.

Never the ones he believed to be innocent, but he couldn't risk it. He couldn't risk
her. It was a small price to pay for Amelie to be safe and her life to be shielded.

''Don't be, son,'' The man tilted his head to the side, his beard covered most of
his face, and it made it easier — not feeling as he saw all of him.

''I have to pay for what I have done in this life. We all must do so at the right
times and this...'' He smiled and watched the view he cherished so dearly for the
last time, ''I couldn't think of a better way to go than to go with their safety and
bury it with me.''

Malfoy's insides wrenched, trying to breathe through the pain he felt.

''It all ends. Please remember that, boy. It all one day, perhaps not as beautiful
as this one, but it all ends, every lie unravels, every smile fades, every kind act is
replaced with a bad one. All you can do is protect the children from it. Save your
son from this, and if you can — save Athena's daughter too, she never asked for
this.''

If he only knew how much Draco did to protect Amelie.

Draco peered around, checking so that no one would see this, and the man's
hand stretched out in the air, ''I have a guess that you brought something for
me?'' Brown asked kindly.
Malfoy hummed, reaching down in his pocket before he brought out a vial with a
shimmering black liquid in it.

The easiest way to death is through a bottle, as his father used to say.

Never to be discovered, the deathly potion didn't leave a sign. It would be ruled
as a heart attack.

''Thank you, boy,'' The man nodded, dragging the stopper off as he waved with
his hand, ''Now off you go, no need for you to watch this.''

The blond's throat hurt so much, daggers ripped through his lungs with every
breath he took, and his head shook — on edge to tears, ''You shouldn't be
alone.'' He said, and the man smiled even broader.

''I wished you'd say that,'' His neck bent, nodding to the seat next to his as he
moved the vial closer to his lips, ''No one should die alone.''

All Draco wanted to do was cry.

He slipped down next to the man as their shoulders brushed together.

It hurt so much.

''In another life, Malfoy and the largest cheers for this one,'' The man didn't even
hesitate as he tipped his head back, allowing the deathly potion to pour down his
throat.

Malfoy shook. His entire body trembled as he heard how the man's breaths
slowed. He couldn't hold it back anymore. Draco sobbed out.

His hand flew to his mouth as he tried to stop the tears with the edges of his
sleeves, but nothing could finish it.

He cried and cried and cried as Dr. Brown's body cooled next to his, and the
vial fell from his grip, crashing into pieces as it hit the ground.

Draco stayed there for minutes, crying as the man next to him faded from this
life. It was torture. Everything he did was pure torment.
Malfoy was so tired, so exhausted of all of it.

He swallowed the sob he felt coming as he dried the stains of tears on his
cheeks, and he — before he had the chance of changing his mind, stood up.

''In another life,'' He whispered, shooting the view one more look before he
turned around and walked away as nothing had happened.

It was the way it had to be.

''You just killed him?'' Theodore was standing on the back porch, his upper body
bent over the railing, ''You just—''

''I did,'' Draco stared out over the evening sun, not an ounce of hesitancy in his
voice as he spoke, ''I did what I had to do.''

Theodore jolted back, his arms flung around him as his face fell into a
maddening cloak, ''What you had to do?'' He scoffed loudly, ''You did what you
had to do? Well, that's great, Malfoy! Isn't it? Killing innocent—''

He hushed himself. His sight grounded as he shook his head, ''This can't go on.
We can't continue to slaughter people as if they were nothing. This needs to
stop.''

''I know it does,'' Draco said calmly. He had no more fight left in him, ''But it
won't. It will never stop until the Dark Lord gets what he wants and if he can't
have her mother—''

''I know...'' Theodore stepped up to Draco, crossing his arms as they stood close,
watching the same sunset, ''I can't believe she did that. I can't believe that her
mother would leave her like that. It's...''

Neither of them could find the words to explain it. Athena had left Amelie,
drowning in her father's abuse to save herself and her newborn son. Nothing
could ever justify that.

''How is she?'' Theodore asked, concerned as he looked at his friend, ''How did
you tell her?''

''I almost didn't have to,'' Draco mumbled, not once looking away from the
horizon, ''She figured it out herself. She just needed me to speak it out loud, and
then she locked herself in the bathroom.''

''She wouldn't—'' Theodore's sight flickered, and he drew a breath, a deep one,
''She wouldn't hurt herself in here, would she?''

''She wouldn't,'' He huffed out, his jaws sharp, ''I can't tell her about the Doctor,
Theo. I just— can't.''

Theodore nodded, agreeing to what he'd said, ''No, you can't.''

''But I can't keep it from her either. We don't lie to each other, Nott. It's not how
it works between us,'' Draco rolled his shoulders, stretching his neck, ''It might
have worked a year ago, lying to her, but it would never—''

''It wouldn't,'' Theodore's fingers gripped his own arms tighter, knowing about
his own lies and what he'd failed to tell them, but he couldn't. He could never be
truthful with what he'd done, ''Tell her in your own way then, Draco. Don't lie,
but don't say something that will hurt her.''

''I'm not scared to hurt her...'' He frowned, upper lip curling, ''I'm terrified to
scare her. There's no coming back from that.''

The warm summer air trapped around them, causing shivers to flee down
Draco's spine.

''Did she...'' Theodore rushed a hand through his hair, nervously scratching his
neck after, ''Did she ever see you—''

''Once,'' Draco gritted, tormented by the memory of that time. The night in the
Pucey residence when they both were on the far edge to be free of this life, ''And
I regret that more than anything. That's nothing she should've seen.''

Theodore shut his eyes, understanding that it was far from the worst thing
Amelie had ever witnessed.

''Did she...'' Theo whispered, shooting a glare over his shoulder to make certain
that they were alone, ''Did she tell you about her father? What he made her see
when she was a kid?''
Draco's head snapped, his brows furrowed as he sought to think, ''No, what—''

''He had...'' Theodore feared the memory, remembering how shaken she was
when she came clean to him about it, after years of friendship when she chose to
tell him.

''He used to kill people, muggles to be exact, and he had Amelie cleaning it up...
She was only twelve, but he used to say that she needed to learn it at a young
age, so when she has nightmares, she dreams of the screams she heard before the
blood came—''

Theodore swallowed thickly, ''It was after her mother died... or when we thought
she died and after they cleared her memory... She used to talk about this doctor,
coming to collect the bodies for Voldemort—''

A nauseous feeling washed over Malfoy at the image of it, and his hand
stretched in the air for Theo to stop talking.

He couldn't listen anymore.

He stepped forward, both of his hands gripped at the wooden fence, his knuckles
paled as his nails dug deeply. Malfoy's chest heaved.

He was so tired.

His mouth bone dry as the metallic taste of blood began to sore and without
another breath wasted, he screamed.

Draco fell to his knees as he screamed out, shouted at the top of his lungs, a
heartbreaking scream. He needed to get it out. He'd been holding it all in for so
long, and he felt as if he couldn't breathe.

It all hurt so much that it caved his bones, and his skin crawled.

Theodore didn't know how to deal with all of this himself. His eyes shut as he
felt tears stinging in the corner of his eyes at the way Draco's shout ripped
through his ears.

It took him moments. Long minutes to pull himself together — to be able to

stand straight and to shrug his shoulder at what just happened.
Draco shot Theodore a gentle nod before he walked inside. Without another
word spoken.

All he needed at that moment was her — he didn't need Theodore's pity. He
didn't want it. He just wanted her. She knew how to calm him. She knew how to
make him whole in a time where he'd shattered to pieces.

The only person who was able to glue him back together was her.

His Amelie.

Draco stepped inside his room, feeling as the emptiness of it swallowed him
whole until he strode up to the bathroom door. His fist collided with the timber,
giving it a knock as the sobs echoing inside hushed.

She was still crying.

''Draco...'' Amelie breathed out, her forehead against her side of the door, ''I just
want to be alone—''

''I need you.'' That was all he said.

His tone broke lightly as his hands gripped the doorpost, and his forehead, just as
hers, tipped against the door.

That was all he needed to say for her to give all her own misery up. Amelie
unlocked the door, slowly sliding it open as she watched Draco, his head hung,
and his shoulder had sunken.

His hair messy, and his arms dropped to his sides. He didn't even look at her, and
not even a moment later, half a second, he was falling to the floor.

Amelie's arms wrapped around his chest, using the whole weight of herself not
to let him hit the ground.

She fell with him, slowly and steadily as she held him, and he cried.

Draco's hands grasped at her back, and she climbed entirely onto his lap, giving
him all of herself, every last mend of peace she carried, she gave him. Letting
him drain her of every emotion if he needed to.
Lacing her fingers behind his neck as he buried his head in her chest, ''I love
you...'' Amelie whispered softly, ''I love you, Draco, and you're always safe
here.''

He shook uncontrollably. He trembled below her on the cold floor. His breaths
shallow, and it sogged her skin, hotly but she wouldn't let go. She refused to do
so.

Amelie hugged him so close, so desperately close. In need to take all his pain
away from him.

''I'm here...'' Her lips pushed into his blond strands as he sobbed out, his tears
burnt her skin, ''I'm here, Draco, alright? I'm here. I'm here. I'm here.''

She was so wretched for him to hear it — to understand that she'd always be here
with him. She'd never leave, and he could always suffer her of comfort.

Always.

''I love you,'' Amelie bent back slightly, her head tilting to the side, and she
caught his jaws in her palms, bending his head back for him to look at her — and
he did.

His hooded eyes bolted in pain. His pupils darkened of all the demons he carried,
and his skin ashenly paled at every tear that rolled down his cheeks.

Her brows knitted as her thumbs brushed over the stained skin, drying him of his
suffering, and she leaned in, kissing the mauve, soft skin right underneath his
eye, gently.

It caused his hands on her spine to tighten, but it helped.

Her touch on his eased it all.

''You're human, Draco...'' Amelie whispered, looking at him with a broken heart,
''You're not responsible for everything around you, and the world falling apart
will never be your fault.''

His veins laced in ache.

''You can't save everyone and everything.''

Draco couldn't keep his head up anymore. He was just so tired. His forehead fell
to her shoulder, and she caught him by moving her hands along his jaws, over
his neck.

''You saved me,'' She said, quietly yet with so much meaning, ''You saved me,
and you saved Teddy. You saved us, Draco, and we're safe now...''

His skin vibrated.

''You can rest, Draco...'' Amelie let the tips of her fingers run along his shivering
skin, ''Please rest now.''

''I'm tired,'' He chocked out, he could barely hold his eyes open, ''I'm just so
tired.''

Amelie's heart ached as she kept on stroking his skin, ''I know Draco, let me help
you rest. You need to rest.''
She helped him up, standing on his weak knees.

Amelie took him to bed, tucking him into the covers as she laid down next to
him.

Him in her arms as she silently hummed, soothing his haunted senses to the
fullest until she heard him breathe slower, and his body caved heavily into hers.

He indeed needed to rest, and she stayed with him for hours until the room was
utterly dark and the moonlight welcomed the night. She had no idea why he had
broken down. She didn't understand a thing, and she needed to do so.

She wanted to know it all to help him, to relieve his aching heart and his beaten
soul.

''I'll be right back...'' Amelie whispered into his head, earning a grunt in his sleep
as she stood up from the bed, walking hesitantly downstairs.

''How is he?'' Theodore caught her off guard, making her flinch a bit in the
darkened hallway. He stood in the doorway to his room, his face trapped in pure
pain, ''He can't do this anymore, Amelie, he can't—''
''I know,'' Amelie hushed him, taking slow strides closer as he wrapped his arms
around her, dragging her into where he needed her to be, ''What happened?''

Theodore doubted it at first, telling her what had happened and what caused
Draco's last standing pieces of sanity, but he couldn't let this go on, and she was
more than capable of helping now.

''He hurt someone, looking for your mother,'' Theodore whispered into her hair,
placing his chin on the top of her head, ''He hurt someone, and I don't know how
to fix this. I need to go to Edinburgh to help him, but I don't—''

''Edinburgh?'' Amelie inched back, her face twisted in a grimace at the mention
of the city she once traveled to repeatedly, ''Why would he have to go to
Edinburgh?''

''Why?'' Theodore frowned curiously, ''Does that mean something to you?''

Amelie nodded, loosely as her hair spilled over her shoulders, ''I had a doctor
there, once... I think, but I can't really remember. It was a big hospital, I think.''

A glint of hope torched in Theodore's eyes, and his jaws gritted for a second,
swallowing the lump of everything he held inside, ''I need to go there for him,''
He said, backing into his room to pick up his wand, ''I'll be back—''

''It's the middle of the night, Teddy, you can't just go—'' Amelie tried to speak
against, her arms folded over her chest as the dress she wore fell around her, ''Go
tomorrow—''

''I need to go now...'' He knew he couldn't tomorrow. The Dark Lord had
requested him to assist the Death Eaters in his mansion, ''I'm not here tomorrow.''

''Then let me go with—''

''Absolutely not.''

''Teddy—''

''No!''

Amelie blinked quickly, shaking her head as she pulled her wand out from her
waistband, ''I have this now, and I can help. I want to help him, Theodore, he's
done so much for me, and I can barely comfort him.''

It pained her to know the truth of it. That he saved her from her own hell, and
she couldn't bring him up to the skies with her. At least, that was what she
believed.

''Let me help, please.'' Amelie pleaded, her voice cracked as she raised it, ''I'm
not the one who needs protection right now. He is. Draco needs us. He can't do
this anymore, Teddy and I—''

A slight pause and a hurtful seep of silence hovered.

''I need to help him too. I can't just stand by and watch him fall apart anymore. It
kills me.''

Theodore sighed, loudly and he knew he'd live to regret this. Hell, Malfoy would
kill him if he ever found out that he took her to that Doctor's office, not knowing
the entire story nor what was waiting for them.

Draco would rip him apart for taking her with him, but she was right. Amelie
could help, and with him there, she'd be safe.

No one was allowed to harm her. That was the deal he'd made with the Dark
Lord.

Theo regretted the words even before he said them, ''Alright...'' He muttered,
looking down at the wand in between her fingers, ''But we need to be back
before Draco wakes up.''

_____
 Seventy-seven

This chapter contains violent scenes and blood. Please read with caution.

_____

''326.''

_____

Reality looped around her, brutally almost as she felt sick.

Amelie hadn't used her own magic in ways similar to this one in months. Ever
since Adrian robbed her of her wand in the Manor the night he came to take her
away — she never practiced her own magic until a few nights ago when
Theodore came stumbling in, hurt and wounded.

The nauseous sensation wavered her, and she tried her best to swallow it with
Theo kept close to her — Amelie shut her eyes closed, squinting as they landed
in Edinburgh, on what looked to be an abandoned street, an alley with no lights
or people.

She took a step back from her friend, peering around in the dark. She couldn't
recall a thing. It all looked so different since she last visited this town.

''Is this it?'' Theodore spoke lowly. His teeth shattered as he looked around, his
wand held high, ''This doesn't look like a practice to me.''

He stared blankly at the buildings surrounding them. Every single one was brick-
covered and aged. It looked ghastly to him, scary and frightening as he took a
step closer to Amelie.

''What are you—'' Amelie whispered, flinching at the feeling of Theodore's chest
pressing into her back, and she nearly chuckled as she heard the stressed breaths
he held, ''Teddy, it's not even scary, it's just...dark.''
Theodore clocked back to what he was doing, looking down at her wide-eyed
from above and stepping back awkwardly.

He straightened his shoulders, poking his chest out, ''I'm not scared, Amelie, can
you stop?'' He mumbled, offended, ''I never said I was scared.''

She rolled her eyes away from him as she began walking down the alley. Her
feet stumbled across the rock-clad ground in the gloomy embrace.

''Wait—'' Theodore shouted, running his way close to her as he intertwined their
arms, walking closely, ''You can't just—''

''Not scared, was it?'' Amelie grinned, her wand firmly hugged in between her
fingers as she whispered, 'lumos' underneath her breath, and it shun brightly
from the edge of it, ''There you go, better?''

Theodore scoffed, attempting to shove her back from him, but she held onto him.

It was strange to her, feeling the strength of her magic again. This wand truly
fitted her. It was perfect. Draco always knew her better than she'd ever
understood herself, and no one except him would pick out one as made for her as
he did.

She stared down at her gift. It was straight, with carved patterns into the whole
thing, beautiful to say at least. It had a ring right above the handle, silver coated,
exactly like her bracelet and Draco's rings.

He'd really thought about this, about her.

It was as if he was with her through that wand. That it wasn't only her strength
but his power combined with hers. She left safe with it in her hand as if nothing
could hurt her because he had unchained her, allowed her to be the most of
herself.

They rounded a corner. She nearly walked as if she knew where she was going,
unconsciously, and Teddy vacantly followed.

It turned brighter from there, but it was still more than harrowing, especially at
night, to Teddy at least.
Amelie had seen worse, lived through more horrible things than she would ever
be able to explain — this wasn't far as frightening to her as it was to him.

They hurried across the empty streets, not wishing for anyone to notice them as
they lurked around the town.

''Here...'' Amelie halted, making Theodore slip out of her grip as she turned to
the side, staring down yet another darkened alley. She closed her eyes and
twitched her wand for her magic to burn out.

''I think...'' She whispered, not looking around as she sought to feel her way
there. Theodore stared at her shockingly. He couldn't begin to grasp how she'd
ever walk into that lane with her eyes closed and no lights.

But Amelie wasn't foolish, rather the opposite. She tried to imagine her steps
down this backstreet, just like she'd done as a child.

How her father's car had stopped right there.

Amelie halted again, standing in stillness for a second as she remembered how
she jumped over her father in the back seat and how he stepped out after her.

Her eyes squeezed tighter, and she began walking again.

She recalled how her father refused to hold her hand, so she always gripped the
pocket of his robe, turning it inside out, so her fingers felt the silky material
inside of it. He usually rolled his eyes at her and cursed underneath his breath.

Amelie felt a stinging sensation in her chest at the memory, but she kept
walking.

Her father at many times stopped and lit a cigar on fire before he began
marching again, shouting something to the man still standing by their car as
Amelie skipped beside him.

One whole cigar was what it took for them to get there — for her feet to hurt due
to how fast he'd been striding and her almost falling over because she had a hard
time keeping up.

He would, if he was in a bad mood, yell at her the whole way — telling her how
if she'd ever got him in trouble here or if she did anything to make him late,
she'd pay for it.

Still, he brought here along everywhere.

He wished to keep an eye out for her even when he couldn't stand her.

Amelie stopped again, and her eyes peeled open.

A massive property showed before them. It was here — this was it, the right
place, where she'd always accompanied her father.

It looked like a castle, almost hidden behind a majestic gate, and a thick layer of
forest-covered around it. Dreadful was the way to describe it.

Something she read in the novels in Draco's room, something out of a fairytale.

It didn't look as fallen when she was younger, but now it did. Abandoned,
poorly, and rotten, almost.

The wind wasn't as soothing anymore. It shifted cooly for every step she took up
to the fence.

''Is this...'' Theodore gulped, his body tensed, ''Is this it?''

''I don't know if the Doctor you told me about was here, but this is the only
practice I can remember my mother and father visiting,'' Amelie hushed, her
fingers traced over the metal bars, whispering a spell below her gasps that
caused the lock to blow in pieces.

Theodore's eyes flickered at that. It had been such a long time since he'd seen
Amelie in action with her magic, and it blew his mind every time.

''Careful—'' Theodore rasped out, taking a stride forward from stopping the gate
to slamming right on her. Amelie winced back as he caught her, one arm around
her spine to save her from falling.

She felt a smile as it dragged on the edges of her mouth, and relief swept across
her face, ''Thank you.''
Teddy merely smiled back as he held it open for her to pass, and they did.

They stalked in on the miles-long yard, and not a human in sight. It was
deserted. Windows were cracked, and glass spilled everywhere.

The sky darkened even more as closer they got to the building, and the wind
turned biting cold. Theodore flinched as he caught the bolting sound of thunder.

''Are you sure it's—'' He paused, constantly checking over his shoulder to make
sure no one was following them, ''Is it the right place?''

Amelie nodded, her fingertips twitched against the palms of her hands
nervously. She wasn't scared, yet it indeed was intimidating.

''Here,'' Amelie whispered, pointing towards a side door, ''Father always walked
in here.''

She began to stroll towards it, walking rashly to it as Theodore sighed loudly. He
didn't find any pleasure in this.

He regretted even mentioning to her that he was meant to go here.

Her hand closed around the handle, and she stopped, waiting for him to join her,
''Teddy, can you hurry, please? It's already been an hour, and if we're not back
until Draco wakes up, we'll be in so much—''

The squeaking sound of a swing hewed her off, and her eyes flickered to watch
it. She felt shivers, stabbing their way down her back by the look of it, swaying
in the wind.

Theodore stopped as well, hastily as his eyes broadened and his face paled. He
cloaked sick.

''Teddy!'' Amelie whispered, harsher, waving her hand at him, ''I'll go by myself
if you'd rather stay out here—''

''No—'' He gasped out, almost running towards her, ''No chance in hell, I'm
sticking with you.''

Her head snapped to the door again, opening it slowly not to cause too much
attention in case someone was in here. If it wasn't as forsaken as it seemed to be.

Both of them coughed as they stepped inside, hearing the door close behind them
with a loud slam. It was dusty, and it swirled around them as she waved her
wand again, and the icing light flickered.

The hallway was empty — harrowingly empty. Hospital beds piled up along the
walls, and pieces of garbage smeared the floor.

She clamped her teeth together. Her dress fluttered in the small strokes of wind
that blew through the corridor. It was cold, and it stung at her bare legs.

''Which way?'' Theodore whispered, bending down to her level to hear her reply,
but she didn't say anything. Amelie simply turned around quickly and marched
over the plastic floor.

He blinked, surprisingly for the courage she carried before he tripped after her
into the shadows, heeding after her echoing steps.

Narrowing her sight at the doors she passed, her view snapped across the
numbers. She didn't know what she was looking for, but she knew that she'd
recognize it the instant she placed her eyes upon it.

321.

322.

323.

324.

325.

326.

She stopped.

326.

There was something about that number that felt utterly familiar. She closed in
on the door, looking slightly at the tag next to it, 'Dr. Brown.'
''Teddy...'' She mumbled, her fingers brushed the dust off the name, ''I think this
is it.''

She didn't wait for him before she flung the door wide and doubtfully strode
inside. It was a mess as her eyes gaze across it.

Books sheeted the floor.

The desk had been searched and thrown upside down.

The windows were broken, curtains ripped apart, and the drawers to his archive
had been shredded to pieces — paper both whole and ripped apart ones fluttered
in the wind, seeping through the cracks of the diminished glass.

Amelie raised her wand, feeling the hesitancy as it grew loudly within her, but
she tried her hardest to ignore it. To not give in nor give up. She couldn't.

Even if she realized how wrong this was — how much she shouldn't be doing
this without Draco here, she needed to see it through.

Theodore stumbled inside, looking around unexpectedly, and he swallowed what

he saw. Someone had been here before them. Someone had already searched and
torn this whole office to pieces.

''Amelie, we shouldn't be here—'' Teddy choked out, sensing as they walked

right into a trap, ''We should leave, now.''

''Wait—'' She muttered, making her way up to the desk, kneeling to the ground
in the spilled glass. It stung at her skin, but she was too consumed in what her
eye caught.

Photographs — a whole bunch of them held messily across the ground along
with a copy of a newspaper. Amelie picked it up, blowing some filth off it as she
read the headline.

'Known Doctor murdered in a muggle home.'

Her brows knitted as her face fell into a disturbing mantle. She flipped the pages
to the article.
Deathly potion.

Dr. Brown.

A visitor only hours before.

She flung it shut just as fast.

It was the day Draco had come home late for dinner.

The day she was still lost in her own head — she knew that something was
wrong that evening. He didn't sleep. He was awake when she had gone to check
on him.

''He didn't...'' Amelie felt tears as they shredded in the corner of her eyes,
droplets that felt so heavy, ''Tell me he didn't...''

Theodore's face held coldly. His jaws sharp as he stared at her, unheedingly, ''He
did,'' There wasn't a point in lying to her anymore. She'd figure it out on her own
if he didn't tell her.

''No—'' Pearls streamed down her cheeks as the air around her thickened. It
turned hard to breathe again, ''No, why? Why would he do this... There was no
need—''

''He had to die,'' Theo stated, sternly, keeping a solid front not to break down
himself, ''He knew too much, and if Draco found him...''

''So would the Death Eaters...'' Amelie tugged at the edge of her dress, bringing it
up to dry her tears, a weight in her chest clenched around her heart, ''He had
grandchildren...''

Theodore looked away. His eyes in tears.

''He had grandchildren, and we just— we killed him,'' She sobbed out, muffling
the sounds of her cries with the palm of her hand, ''He can't do this anymore,
Teddy—'' Amelie nearly pleaded to herself, ''He will die if he keeps this going.''

''I know,'' The spine of Theo's hand brushed against his skin, wiping the tear that
had fallen away, ''I know he will.''
It hurt her so much. It hurt her so much that she couldn't even talk about it
because there was no way she'd be able to explain it.

Malfoy slaughtered for her, constantly, without remorse. There wasn't a length
he wouldn't go to in the tries to keep her safe — there wasn't a line he wouldn't
cross.

He simply did it — all of it and all for her.

Always her.

''But Amelie—'' Theo's voice was low and hurtful, she could tell, ''We need to
go, before—''

''Dublin...'' She muttered, her breaths hitched as she caught the city, ''Why does
it... Dublin...'' She kept on whispering until her head snapped, and she
optimistically glanced at him.

''His family lives in Dublin, he had an office there too, my father was there once,
and I had to stay with Dr. Brown's wife—''

''What are you talking about?'' Theodore raised his voice, taking a track closer to
her, ''Do you think we'll find what we need there?''

Amelie nodded, surely. She was certain — it was somewhere, one of the only
places her father didn't bring her with him, which to her — meant that he found
it too valuable.

''I do, I think we can find where my mother is hiding—''

A loud collision out in the hallway cut her short as she flew to her feet. Both of
them looked at each other timidly.

Another crash scored and another, and another, noisily, and it tore through their
ears as the room began to shake. Portraits covering walls dropped to the floor
with force, and the room started to cave.

Several blasting claps of thunder struck the practice as Theodore gripped her
arm, dragging her out through the doorway.
Their legs weakened by the caving floors, and he wrapped his arms around her,
mumbling 'apparate' underneath his breath.

Nothing.

They were trapped in the falling building.

''They blocked the magic,'' Amelie gasped, shooting a stare around them for the
closest exit, ''Teddy!''

The panic struck her as she dragged him away from the collapsing ceiling.

She could barely see a thing. The dust rippled around them, and pieces of stone
and metal fell from the walls.

Her hand grabbed his, and she began to run to where they had entered the house,
and the second she slammed her hands onto the door — it didn't open.

It was bolted shut by the crumbling walls, ''Damn it!'' She shouted.

Sweat started to layer on her forehead, yet she was extremely cold. Her veins
flushed in adrenaline fused with dread.

''Here,'' She called out for him, taking his hand in hers yet again as she dragged
him with her. He couldn't believe this.

He had made a deal with Voldemort to keep her safe — protected. Theodore had
saved dozens of his men only for him to steal the word they agreed on and attack
them.

''They weren't supposed to touch you!'' Theo shouted, his hand combed through
his hair as he followed her down the falling corridor, ''They weren't— this wasn't
the deal!''

Amelie halted, spinning around quickly to face her best friend, ''What?'' She
urged, puzzlingly, her voice laced with fear, ''What deal? Who wasn't supposed
to—''

She screamed as a blast of magic struck right next to her, forcing her into the
wall across the hall. Her vision blurry, and her head bolted in pain — she felt
something tickle her forehead, her finger scratched at it,

Blood.

Amelie hit her head.

She couldn't think. She couldn't grasp what was passing anymore. Her body felt
so weak, so unexplained. The back of her head fell against the floor again, and
her eyes fluttered close.

The pain was unbearable. The ringing sound in her ears took over any other
noise that was heard.

''Amelie—'' Theodore growled out and as he watched her body, helplessly on the
floor, ''Fuck—''

It was as if something torched inside him. A sparkle of courage, anger, and

strength lit up. She was hurt. They hurt her.

He didn't hesitate as he bent down, shielding her worn body with his arms, and
he lifted her, carrying her through the explosions around him as if nothing was
happening.

He walked out of the yard, plainly stopping in the middle of it as he laid her
down, safely on the ground. Her skin shivered by the damp grass around her.

Theodore turned away from her, having her guardedly behind him as he rose his
chin to the skies, seeing all the darkened shadows flying in the wind, shooting
spell after spell at the building.

He swallowed thickly. His wand in his hand as he stretched it up, and he fired a
spell of light up in the heavens.

The magic tearing the hospital apart faltered as they all aimed their wands at
Theodore instead.

Closing his eyes as he reached his arms out, putting himself on full display for
the Death Eaters, ''We had a deal!' He shouted loudly, ''We had a deal, and that
was for you to spare her bloody life!''
The shadows in the skies dropped like fog to the ground, and without notice,
twelve men stood around them, hovering as their masks glimmered in the
moonlight.

''We indeed had a word,'' One of the masked men spoke, dangerously, ''But that
word got a lot more fragile when your friend began to kill people again.''

Theodore scoffed, shaking his head as he peered at the ground, ''Like you tried to
kill us now?''

''We're simply protecting the Dark Lord,'' Another man gritted, pointing his
wand at Theodore, ''As should you.''

Amelie laid still on the grass as she began to regain consciousness. Her head felt
heavy, and her limbs ached.

Her eyes peeled open as she saw the lightning and the thunder in the clouds
above her. It looked beautiful, she thought until she tipped her head, watching all
of the men standing around her, and the adrenaline rushed through her once
more, making her stand on her feet next to her friend.

All head snapped to hers as she gulped, clenching her fist around her wand
tightly.

''Teddy—'' She whispered, her hand reached to grab his, ''Why are they—''

''Ah!'' The man in charge shouted, turning his body to her as the dimmed fog
followed him, ''The famous Amelie Avery, I presume?''

Her eyes narrowed as she cocked her head. Her brows knitted for a second as all
the scenarios played out in her mind — there wasn't a fair way out of this, not
without her hurting anyone.

First, she meant to stall — to talk back and to flee when they least expected it,
but that would be too risky.

She couldn't toy with their lives like that.

She couldn't chance to make it home safely. She couldn't do that to Draco.
Amelie needed to arrive back at the Manor in one piece — if she didn't, she was
afraid that he'd tear the entirety of this world apart.

''Don't you dare address her,'' Theodore spat, ''She's under the protection of me.
She's not to be—''

Amelie stepped back. Her fingers still tangled with Theo's, and as she heard him
talking — she took her opportunity. Her wand aimed, and she shouted, throwing
a spell at the men around them as it bounced through each and every one.

Loud sounds of crashing stone echoed as the men flung around, everyone
escaping not to get wounded by the flames she'd spawned, and she dragged
Theodore half a foot closer, whispering, 'apparate' below her heavy breaths.

Her feet stumbled over the gravel-covered ground, and the sky cleared.

They stood outside the Malfoy Manor again.

Theodore gaped at her, wide-eyed as his skin shifted lividly, ''What?'' He panted,
''Why would you do that? You could've killed us!''

Both of them out of breath, shaken.

Amelie almost tripped back over the tiny rocks, and her face glinted in doubt,
her hair tousled, her skin owned stains of dust as the blood kept seeping out of
the gash in her head.

''How could I?'' Amelie scowled at him accusingly. Neither of them truly meant
to blame the other, but they were both spooked by what had befallen, ''How
could you? What deal, Teddy? What were those men talking about—''

''Don't you dare put this one me,'' He heaved, bending forward, hands gripping
his knees to spit out the blood in his mouth, catching his breath, ''I tried to save
our lives, and you just fire that spell—''

''I did what I had to do!'' Her hands flew out in the air before dropping to her
sides in anguish. Her note fumed, ''If I didn't do that, we would still be there!''

''I didn't even—''

''What the fuck!''

Both of them stoned. Not realizing just how loud they'd been yelling and that the
hour had escalated to early dawn.

Amelie's eyes pinched shut at the severe steps approaching them before two icy
hands gripped her by her arms, forcefully and he yanked her back.

Feeling how rough he wished to be with her, but he couldn't — Malfoy could
never be violent with Amelie, even in an unrestrained moment like this.

She refused to flay her lashes wide, already knowing the riled glare he was
granting her, sensing as it ignited her drawn skin.

''Where the fuck were you?'' Draco growled, holding her balanced as he madly
scanned the wound on her head along with the marks her shoulder and arms
kept, ''Tell me right now, where the fuck—''

''Malfoy,'' Teddy warned behind him, his voice desperately begging the blond
not to be as harsh as he was with her, ''Don't do this to her, this wasn't her fault
—''

Draco didn't take his eyes off her. Not once did he look away from the girl who
stood frighteningly in front of him, hooked in his hold.

''You—'' Draco almost roared out, needing to bite his own tongue not to launch
an unforgivable spell at the brunet.

He was mad, more than it, and if she weren't standing there close to him, he'd
cease Theodore from life for putting her in danger.

''I'll deal with you later, but you...'' His voice softened as he mentioned her. His
grip loosened. He couldn't stand having a severe rule on her at this time. Not
when she was wounded, bleeding.

''I'll ask you again, Amelie—'' He gave her one chance, to be honest, not to fill
him with any lies and be truthful, as he'd been with her. He knew that he would
be able to see that thin flinch in her eyes if she was being dishonest.

''Where were you?''

Her eyes peeled wide at the question, and the wind in her lungs closely left her
body as she watched his reddened skin and his furious hues. They glinted in
worry despite the fact that hatred radiated off him.

She could tell.

Amelie could always tell.

He wasn't angry with her or Theodore. It wasn't about that. It would never be
about him holding them responsible for what they did without his knowledge.

This was about Draco. This was about him, pacing around in his room, nearly
tugging this hair off at the roots for being so concerned. For being terrified the
very instant he'd waken up without her next to him — he was scared.

Never had he been so scared.

''Draco...'' Amelie breathed out, her hands moving to touch his arms. The tips of
her fingers brushed over the bare skin, ''I'm sorry, I'm sorry we didn't—''

''Don't—'' Draco's jaws gritted sharply as his sight flickered across her features,
every scratch on her skin he memorized, in need of vengeance, ''Tell me who did
this.''

''Draco—''

''No,'' He spoke again, roughly as he kept her at arm's length. He was so

disappointed with her, yet he could never tell her. He'd never place the blame on
her. She wasn't foolish. That was the very last thing she'd ever live to be.

If Amelie did this, if she left without his consent and his knowing — she did so
because she believed it to be right and that — that Malfoy trusted more than
anything.

''Tell me who did this and tell me where you went.''

''Draco—''

''Death Eaters,'' Theodore sighed behind them, and Draco looked away from her,
staring out over his property. He still didn't have his temper under control to
spare the brunet as much as a glare, ''We went to Edinburgh, and it was a trap.''

''We were ambushed, and it was pointless from the very instant we walked in
there, but Amelie—'' Theo cleared his throat in a rasp, ''She got hit, pretty badly,
and she passed out for a while...''

Draco shut his eyes closed, rolling his neck at what Theodore informed.

''But we made it out, and I tried to reason with them. There were at least a dozen,
but they didn't listen until she woke up and she...''

Amelie's eyes snapped to Teddy's, and she discreetly shook her head, but
Theodore didn't catch on to the act, ''And she took on them all, she made them
flee, and we just got here.''

Draco's piercing stare was back at her, narrowing the grey eyes in hers,
uncommonly. He couldn't show it, but a trickle of proudness scored through him.

He knew that she had it in her. He always knew she owned so much strength,
and this plainly showed just how much.

Theo's steps crackled over the ground as he rose to walk away, ''We'll talk
tomorrow then, and I'll leave you to it.''

Malfoy nodded slowly after Theodore as he went, and Amelie's fingers reached
to brush over the cut in her skin, bringing her hand down to see the crimson
blood.

She coiled as Draco let her hand rest in the palm of his.

It was dark, but he could see clearly how much she was bleeding. His blood
boiled wildly within. He didn't know how he was supposed to hold back from
hunting every single Death Eater that was there, down.

They hurt her.

''I will kill them,'' He said unhesitantly. His words didn't falter, not once, ''I will
kill every last one of them.''

It was a promise, a vow of words.

''I will kill every damn man that was there tonight,'' Draco's eyes shredded in
pain, so much torture, even if he did everything not to expose it, not to show her,
''I will tear them apart, every last one.''

Amelie blinked slowly as she drew her hand from his, and she brushed the blood
off on her dress until her touch came to cup his jaws, ''No, you won't, because it
went well.''

She felt the rage as it steamed off him, but she didn't budge.

Now she was the one not caving.

''I'm here, Draco. It's alright,'' Her tired eyes matched his as her thumb grazed
along his cheekbone, comforting him as best as she could, ''I'm with you, and
everything will be okay.''

''They hurt you,'' He growled, so vibrantly that it shot jolts of electricity through
her, ''They fucking hurt you, and I want every last one of them to pay for this.''

He drew a breath, a deep one as his muscles ticked against her palm, ''I want
them dead, and I will kill them. I want them to hurt as much as they hurt you—''

''And I want you.''

That threw him off.

The inflamed coat he carried fell into an agonizing one, his brows rested,
''What?'' Draco blurted, ''What do you mean—''

Amelie swallowed the lump in her throat, gathering the last of her bravery, ''I
want you, Draco. I want you here, and I want you alive, and if you go after those
people, nothing speaks for you coming back to me.''

It hurt to breathe again, Amelie's chest tightened.

Only the thought of him ever being hurt shredded her apart.

Shockingly he furrowed his brows. His palms caught her jaws as she slowly let
go of his chin, trailing her touch over his arms instead. Draco curved his spine
down to her level.
''I'm yours,'' Draco said, looking deeply into her eyes, ''I am yours, Amelie, and
you're mine. You never have to be scared of me not coming back to you because
I always will.''

Another truthful word, ''I will always find my way back to you, no matter where
I am or what may happen.''

Her skin crawled at the pain of all the cuts in her frame, but she ignored it,
drowned it in the longing of him as she allowed his hands on her body to heal
her.

''But I'll be damned if I let anyone touch a hair on your head without ripping
theirs off,'' He spoke in promises again, ''I'll die, protecting you and happily so.''

Her head shook against his hands, her body trembling, ''Don't—'' Her lower lip
quivered, and her breathing shallowed, ''Don't you dare say that. You can't speak
like that. I don't accept it—''

''And I don't care,'' His voice louder than hers as the early morning sun bloomed
behind the trees at the far end of the property line.

''I don't care what you accept or not. You're mine, Amelie. Mine and mine only,
with that comes promises, words you don't always agree with, and things you
don't have a say in. That's the way it has to be.''

Tears prickled in her eyes as he leaned closer. His thumb dusted the ash off her
skin gently, ''You're mine, and I will kill every single soul that tries to scratch
yours.''

''Draco...'' Amelie felt the hot pearls of liquid as they fell over her skin, but
Draco didn't look away from her, not once, ''I don't want it to be like that. I don't
want you to feel—''

''I love you, and you're mine,'' He said again, honestly, and it made her silent.
Her chest balanced as he heeded that those words always calmed her.

''Now, don't you ever do that to me again, don't you ever fucking leave without
me or put yourself in harm's way.''

''I was just trying to help—'' Amelie's vision turned blurry, and her tones broke,
''I'm sorry, I was just trying to help—''

Malfoy couldn't bear seeing her cry. He sheeted his hands around the back of her
head, and he pulled her right into him, his skin soaked with her tears.

''I know,'' He mumbled, tangling his fingers into her hair as his heart ached with
the sound of her tiny sobs, ''I know you did, but don't you ever do it again.''

Amelie nodded, melting right into him, and even if she'd just been through
something that could've led to her death — that could've been the end of
everything around them.

She felt safe because he held her. He always had her.

Draco's arms around her body were everything that ever mattered to her. She
was safe right here, with him.

Her Draco.

''I love you,'' She whispered. Her neck arched to wrap her arms around his neck
and lead him down to her measure, ''I'm yours, and you're mine.''

He nodded, intensely staring at the exhaustion she held. He'd never been so
relieved in his life to hold her and to feel her skin on his even if it sored in blood
and marks.

He had lost her so many times that if he ever did so again — he would go with
her. He would give up, and he would allow himself to die, right in the missing of
her.

Amelie had slipped through his fingers every time he had her. Every time he had
the blessing to call her his, she faded.

He couldn't do it again.

''I'm yours, and you're mine,'' He mumbled, his hands snaked around her waist to
inch her closer, right where she needed to be, and after moments of breathing her
in.

Feeling the life she brought him, Draco kissed her, connecting their lips in the
most heartbreaking time, but he couldn't spare it.

Time was limited, and he'd never miss a chance to kiss her, to feel her purity on
his damned lips. To feel as she freed him of all his chained demons and allowed
him just a tiny piece of heaven with her.

Amelie kissed him back, giving all of herself to the boy holding her. It would
always be him to her. The blond, stubborn boy who stole her heart and marked
it. She'd never be able to live a day without him.

Her arms fitted perfectly around his body as both of them began to shudder at
the nature rising to pour.

It started raining.

Draco kissed her upper lip carefully, savoring every innocent bit of her he could
catch before he leaned back up, dragging his thumb over the wound she carried,
''Let's get you cleaned up then, shall we?''

She felt a smile as it tugged on her lips, and he began to drag her with him into
the house before they'd get soaked of the rain as it smattered against the ground
— Amelie couldn't help but feel bad — terrible, to say at least.

Amelie already knew that she was leaving him again the following day. She
couldn't let the lead on her mother go, and she refused to bring Draco any more
pain.

She needed to leave, and she hoped with everything that she'd make it back in
one piece.

_____
 Seventy-eight

This chapter contains mentions of death, violent and upsetting scenes.

Please read with caution.

_____

''I need you back in one piece.''

_____

Amelie was standing in Narcissa's garden again, surrounded by flourishing

flowers and growing greenery.

Her spine curved as she picked yet another rose from its bush and placed it
together with the rest of the flowers in her hand. She was harvesting them for a
special occasion, something she'd been holding herself from doing — but it was
time.

She couldn't stall it any longer.

Her bare feet softly sunk into the grass as she strolled in circles, reaping every
floret she believed would be fitting for this.

It was a sensation of relief within her, even if it hurt her heavily to do this, to
finally earn the strength to visit the person she'd yet failed to see.

Amelie's eyes flickered, watching the bouquet she'd been collecting, and she felt
an arch as it tugged in the corner of her lips.

It looked beautiful. The blooming colors of flushed roses in the shade of chalky
peonies, green leaves hugging around them.

''It's beautiful,'' His voice soothed behind her as she felt two hands, gently
slipping around her waist, ''But not near as beautiful as you.''
Tilting her head against his chest as she blushed, a rosy shade grew on her
cheeks at his words, ''Here,'' Amelie whispered, spinning around in his arms to
fully face him, ''This is for you.''

Malfoy's eyes grew wide at the sight of her, reaching a rose up for him to take,
''It was the prettiest one and...'' She smiled widely, ''And I wanted you to have it.''

Knitting his brows for a mere second as his fingers gripped the pedicle. Draco
studied it intensely before his sight snapped to hers, and he didn't fully know
what to do nor what to speak.

''Thank you,'' His mouth dragged out a bit, hesitantly smirking at her at the
gesture, ''It's...''

Amelie's eyes rolled as she huffed out a laugh, ''It's what?''

''Lovely...?'' Draco pushed his lips into a firm line, the hand on her waist inched
her closer, ''Just like you.''

Her sight grounded, still with her smile smeared to her lips as she nodded,
thinking wildly to herself at the adorable reaction he carried to her giving him
the flower.

''Are you ready?'' He pulled away, bowing his head against the tiny path leading
down to the woods.

Amelie wavered. Her lashes fluttered in silence as he noticed.

Worry swept over his otherwise sharp features, looking down at her unsettlingly,
''We don't have to do to this today. We have time. There's no need to rush this.''

Her neck moved, and she gaped up at him. Amelie drew a deep breath, laced
with both doubt and comfort, ''I want to, it's time for me to see her.''

Gritting his jaws as he nodded and she began walking ahead of him, down to the
little glade in the woods where she'd never been yet.

Draco wasn't sure that it was a good idea, that this would live to be a great thing
for her, but he would never take it away. If she wished to do what she felt as if
she needed to — then it was her decision.
This he could never rule over.

He watched as she gracefully stalked through the hanging branches and the roots
embedded in the ground. Her dress hauled in the soft strokes of summer wind,
and her hair danced along with it.

Hell, even when he was stumbling behind her, trying to keep himself plain on
two feet, he had no power in looking away from her.

Amelie was getting closer, and the place she'd been aiming for showed in
between the trees standing around it. She halted as Draco stepped up beside her.

Her face fell into pure agony, and her sight gazed over the stones, holding
perfectly in the strings of sunlight. It looked so warm to her, so friendly yet
heartbreaking enough for her to second guess it.

Peering up at the boy next to her, she knitted her brows, giving him a thin smile,
''Are you coming with me?'' She asked quietly.

Draco shook his head, straightening his shoulders not to let the feelings of this
place crawl beneath his skin, ''I think this is something you need to do by
yourself, but I'll be right here if you need me.''

''Thank you,'' It came out in half a whisper, unsure as to whether she was
speaking too loud. Her fingers tightened around the flowers she was holding, and
she stepped into the glade.

Birds chirped around her, and the beams of sun scored hotly, but she didn't mind.

''Hello, love,'' Amelie smiled as she stood in front of the two rocks, ''And hello to
you too, little one...''

Kneeling in between the stones as the grass smoothly caressed her skin, and she
placed half of the bouquet in front of one rock and the rest of the flowers close to
the other one.

She didn't entirely know what to do — if she should stand up, sit down, how she
should talk, or even what to say. She'd done this before, many times at both her
and Teddy's mother's graves, but this was different.
She still felt at fault for this, and it was far from easy for her to know how to act.

She didn't know if they would've wanted her to visit — she hoped they did, and
she chose to believe that they would, but it was still as if a fist ripped through her
chest and clenched around her heart.

Her eyes felt heavy, hooded and pearls formed the very second she caught what
was carved into the headstones.

'Pansy Parkinson.'

'1980 - 1998'

'A beloved daughter, friend, mother, and the most gracious soul.'

'Falling stars shine brightest.'

Amelie could barely hold it together as she read that.

Mother.

If she only had worked harder, fought fairly — perhaps Pansy and Aimee
could've made it.

If she wasn't as weak as she believed herself to be, she'd battled more forcefully,
stood against all the sinful souls in this world — maybe they'd still be here.

She didn't, and it drowned her from the inside.

Her tear-filled eyes flickered to the other stone, and her chest tightened.

'Aimee Parkinson.'

'1998'

'The most loved angel of them all.'

'What comes from violence also blooms.'

Her head shook as the tears she'd brawled fell down her skin, streaming
uncontrollably.
''I'm sorry—'' Amelie chocked out, burying her head in her palms to muffle the
sounds of her cries. She didn't want to worry Draco more than she had been, ''I'm
sorry.''

''I'm sorry I couldn't save you,'' She held her breath, closing her eyes as she
shifted around, and she laid down in between the two graves, one hand on each
side of her to feel closer to the two stars she wouldn't be able to watch anymore.

Gathering herself before she peeled her lashes wide again and she stared up at
the sky.

''I would've come sooner, but Teddy didn't think it was a good idea for me to see
you just yet...'' She pinched a few strands of grass between her fingers, ''But he
told me that they put you to rest while I was... gone — and that it was beautiful.''

Her head tilted to one of the stones, ''I wish I could've been there, to put you to
peace with them,'' Amelie's tone held airily, ''Most of all, I wish that I could've
saved you... both of you.''

It was a pause, a hovering silence in her tells as the sound of singing birds
echoed.

''I'm sorry for what he did to you back then. No one deserves what he put us
through, and if I would've known that he hurt you like he hurt me...'' Tears
pooled again, threatening to fall, ''I would have done everything I could to stop
it.''

Her eyes flickered over the treetops.

''I wish I would've met you sooner, that we had the chance to be friends before it
all got so complicated, I think we would have gotten along together,'' She said,
and her mind fled to when they still were in school, ''But life isn't always what
we want it to be, is it?''

Huffing out a sigh and she hoped that somewhere this wouldn't be real. That the
night she lost Pansy and Aimee didn't actually happen, but it did, and she
couldn't take it back now.

No matter how much she wished for it all to be a dream and for her to wake up
from the nightmare she was constantly kept in — she couldn't.
''I haven't seen Hermione yet, but Teddy said that she was here when they buried
you, and she thought it was just as beautiful as he did... I want to see her, but I
don't think Draco would let me. He barely let me come here today.''

The stinging feeling in her eyes eased.

''He's not doing so well, Pansy, and I don't know—'' She pinched her eyelids
sealed again. ''I don't know what I can do for him, I'm trying to help him as much
as I can, but it's hard. He's stubborn, and he's just trying to protect me, but it's
still... difficult.''

''But let's not talk about that,'' Amelie moved her head, facing the other stone,
''Let's talk about you...'' She smiled softly.

''I wish we got to meet each other too...'' She whispered, her fingers brushed
along the chalky rock, ''I think we would've been the best of friends.''

It hurt her tremendously to know that Aimee didn't even have the chance to see
the light of day. She was never able to be held or carried. She never got to see
her mother or her girlfriend.

She didn't get to experience life, yet she was so loved and so cared for within the
little family they seemed to be.

That was her gravest comfort in all of this — that they were indeed a family.
Amelie had lost everyone around her, but they were replaced with people who
she now never wanted to live without.

''I'm sorry you didn't get to meet Teddy, he makes the best breakfasts, and he
knows how to fix everything... He would've helped you with all your
schoolwork, and he would have made you focus on healing. He's convincing like
that...''

She almost laughed, almost.

''You would've laughed a lot with him because he's not only smart, he's
incredibly foolish too... he falls over almost five times a day, and he always
spills his drinks on his white shirts.''

Smiling at her own words as she kept on talking.

''And Draco...'' She huffed out a chuckle, ''You would have loved Draco, and
even if he wouldn't admit it to many, he would have adored you so much, he did.
He loved you even when he didn't get to meet you...''

Amelie could feel his eyes on her as he shielded her from afar.

''Draco, you see, he buys the best gifts, and he would have played hours with
you, building forts and castles. He might seem scary at first, but once he starts
talking, he's the sweetest person you know. He would've protected you with his
life...''

It began to hurt again, her mouth parched.

''Narcissa loved you more than any of us, I think. She wouldn't let you or your
mothers go anywhere. She made you stay for weeks just to have us all close,''

Amelie tried to find peace in that — that they at least got some time together.

''She would've taught you how to cook and how to play cards, and she would've
taken you shopping.''

She laughed at the thought now.

''Narcissa loves shopping, and even if she says she's buying things for you, she's
most likely buying them for herself too.''

Amelie hushed, not certain if she wanted to speak about the next person on her
mind.

''And your father...'' She whispered quietly, ''I know you think that he must have
hated you because of what he did, but I don't think he did. I think your father
was a very hurt boy, someone so deeply in over his head in his hatred and misery
for himself that he didn't know right from wrong.''

She had to shut her eyes closed again, pushing away the tears.

''He wasn't always bad, you know. When I first met him, your father was a
beautiful person. He loved me very much, and he took such good care of me, just
like I wish to think he would've done with you... He was kind, caring but
everyone around him failed him, and eventually...''
Her heart ached.

''Eventually, he broke. I think he was a bit broken all along, but he was good at
hiding it in the beginning. Only because people do bad things doesn't always
make them bad people. I think Adrian had a lot more to give, and I like to
believe that you would've been his redemption, but he failed you and for that...''

She drew a shaky breath.

''For that, I am so sorry, you and your mother deserved so much more, and I wish
I could've given it to you. I wish I could've taken you both away from all of
this...''

Amelie's hands settled on her chest, laced together as she looked back up at the
heavens. She liked to imagine both of them looking down at her as she did.

''And I...'' She kept her tone low, ''I would've given you the world, both you and
your mother. We would've picked flowers in the garden together, and I would've
taught you how to play the harp, it looks boring, I know, but when you learn it...
you can't stop. We would've dressed the Christmas tree together. That's the only
thing I like about winter, Christmas.''

The sun glimmered over them, all three of them.

''And I would have shown you rain,'' Warmth flooded through her, ''You
would've loved the rain just like me...''

Amelie didn't say much more. She simply rested there, on the ground in between
them for moments as Draco watched over her.

He didn't mind her staying there all day if she needed to. He'd be right there, in
the shadows in case she would need him.

Not once could he look away as he leaned against the bole of a tree. She was
mesmerizing, and even if he'd spent the past month plainly looking at her, all the
time — he'd never grow tired of it.

Amelie needed this. She needed closure even if she didn't speak it — it was
simply that to her. She was a person who craved to say her goodbye's and that
was something he feared.
It frightened him, thinking that the reason she didn't talk to him about Adrian
and what she went through the months she was held captive — was because she
failed to seek closure with him.

He could never push her to do so, and he didn't once force her into speaking
about things she didn't want to approach. Still, it bothered him, knowing that she
kept all that hurt and betrayal inside of her.

Amelie pushed her palms into the grass as she stood back up, looking down at
the gravestones, and she smiled, a true smile this time.

Even if the two had faded from this life too soon, she'd always be grateful for the
time they had together.

The tips of her fingers pathed up to her lips, and she placed a soft kiss upon her
own skin before she bent down, pushing her touch onto Pansy's stone, ''I love
you, and I'll be back. I promise.''

She repeated the action with Aimee's stone, and she hunched down, stroking the
rock carefully, ''I love you little one, and I'll be back to check up on you, but in
the meantime,'' She blinked quickly, ''You have to keep an eye on your mother
for me.''

Walking her away back to Draco, who pushed himself off the tree to meet her
action, and she slammed right into him. Her arms folded around his waist as he
held her tightly.

''Thank you,'' She whispered, and she buried her nose into his chest to drain him
of comfort, ''Thank you for doing this for them and for letting me see them.''

Draco's hands scored large on her back as his chin settled on the top of her head,
his neck arching to push his lips into her hair, ''Anything,'' He mumbled back,
silently.

''I love you,'' She said, and he felt a smile as it teased on his lips at the three
words that constantly made his heart flutter, ''Thank you for taking care of me,
and them.''

''I will always take care of you,'' He hummed as his hands moved up her spine,
stroking her shoulder before he softly gripped her jaws, bending her head back to
level his gaze, ''You never have to thank me for that.''

Amelie shook her head, feeling his hands as they tensed, ''I have you to thank for
everything.''

''So do I,'' He leaned down as she pushed herself up on her toes, and their lips
connected so gently that it rocked within her. She loved the way he kissed her.

''It's late,'' Draco muttered into her mouth, catching her airy breaths, ''And you
need to rest. You didn't sleep much after you got back.''

Amelie slightly froze, and she pulled away, forcing a smile at what he said,
knowing that she'd be leaving again tonight, ''Will you come to bed with me,
then?''

''I can't...'' Draco tore their eye contact in two, knitting his brows and sighing
loudly, ''I need to do something, but I'll be here when you wake up.''

Amelie frowned, puzzlingly, ''Where are you—''

''It's for my father,'' He fired back, cooly, ''He needs help with one thing, and I
promised mother that I'd do it, but it's harmless, and I'll be back, late.''

Malfoy spoke so severely that she didn't dare to ask any questions.

She nodded instead, feeling as he inched her closer, and placed another kiss on
her forehead, lingering where her scar had been.

''Be careful, please?'' She huffed out, closing her eyes and tilting her head onto
his chest again. Savoring the safety he brought before he had to leave, ''I need
you back in one piece.''

''I always am,'' He held her tighter for another second until he let go, taking a
step back, ''I'll see you in the morning, alright?''

''Alright—''

Amelie could barely answer before he had twitched his wand, and he faded from
in front of her. The wind scented as he did as it scored around her for a brief
minute.
She inhaled harshly, knowing what she was about to do.

_____

Amelie folded the knitted sweater over her head, threading it firmly around her
body as she tucked her wand into the hem of her skirt.

Theodore watched her doubtfully, ''Are we sure about this? That we want to do
this while Draco isn't here?'' His voice crackled nervously, ''He didn't go easy on
me this morning. I'm thankful that he didn't kill me.''

Snorting out as she tightly mangled her lips together not to laugh at what he told,
''I'm sure he wasn't that upset—''

''Are you kidding me?'' Theodore cocked his head, narrowing his eyes in hers,
''You should've seen him. He broke my damn door, Amelie.''

Her brows dragged together, and a serious look mantled her features, ''Teddy—''

''No, he was so mad, Amelie. You don't understand. He was so angry that I let
you go there without telling him.'' Theo sounded more than offended, ''And what
did he do with you? He didn't say a word to you.''

Her head shook, her hair spilling over her shoulders, ''He's disappointed in me, I
can tell. He didn't say more about it, but I see it. He's upset with me—''

''Not as he was with me, I actually thought he'd kill me,'' Theodore stepped
closer to her, his arm linked with hers as he rose his wand, ''What if he did?
What if after this, if he finds out about it, what if he kills me?''

Amelie scowled at him as he whispered, 'Apparate' underneath his breath, and

verity looped around them again.

She stumbled back as her feet hit the ground, and the surroundings exchanged to
a darkened street.

''He wouldn't kill you, Teddy, don't be foolish—''

''Foolish?'' He whispered harshly, ''Did he tell you that he almost killed me when
you were gone? That he beat me until I couldn't—''
''He told me,'' Her gaze lowered, feeling ashamed that her friend had to go
through that, ''And I'm sorry that he did, but we lied to him, we went without
telling him, when he was asleep I might add, of course, he'd be mad at us.''

''Me,'' Theo shot back, rolling his eyes at her as he peered around, looking across
the buildings around them, ''He's mad at me, and if he didn't kill me this bloody
morning, I'm sure he will when he finds out about this.''

Amelie began walking, recognizing the street immediately, ''He's not finding out
about this, are you crazy?'' Her voice in a half-whisper, ''If he knows about this,
he'll kill me too, trust me.''

''He wouldn't,'' He scoffed as he stalked after her, ''You just tell him that you love
him and do that face on his chest thing, and he forgets all about what you do,
while I—''

Amelie flung around, frowning at her friend as her arms crossed, stubbornly,
''That's not true—''

Raising a brow at her as his head tipped, ''Are you serious? You can just smile at
him, and he'll let you do anything you want.''

She looked away, a dry look came upon her, and she shrugged, ''So what if it's
like that? Does that really matter—''

''It does, because you could kill someone, come home and kiss him and he'd be
fine with it, while I end up in the woods, buried twelve feet down, and when you
ask where Teddy is, he's gonna say that I—''

Amelie pushed her hand up to her mouth, stopping herself from bursting out in
laughter, ''Theodore, that's enough, we should focus,'' She smiled, ''Fine, he loves
me more than he loves you, are you happy now?''

She marched on, hearing as he stumbled behind her, ''Very!'' He muttered, tartly,
''And not to speak about—''

''Teddy, it's enough, okay? Yes, I get kisses, hugs, and special treatment. I'm
sorry you don't,'' Amelie grinned, ''No need to be a sore loser about it.''

''Sore loser!'' He nearly shouted now, his skin reddened in fury, and he stormed
up beside her, ''If you think Malfoy beating me half to death is me being a sore
loser, I'd think that you hit your head harder than you actually did yesterday.''

Amelie only chuckled in response, trying to focus on what apartment complex

they'd be walking into.

''You're welcome for that, even after I healed you, he still punched me,'' Theo
kept on going, ''But I don't dare to tell you that because it will make me a sore
loser, wouldn't it?''

''Can you just give it a rest! If he finds out about this, I'll tell him I hexed you
and convinced you to go with me—''

''Yeah, and then you kiss him and tell him you're his, and he would still find a
bloody way to pin this on me,'' He halted as she did, standing close to her as the
wind scored lively around them, ''What? What is it?''

Amelie tilted her head, staring up at the building in front of them, ''Here—'' She
mumbled, tugging her wand out and aimed it at the brick wall as she hummed
inaudible words underneath her breath.

Teddy flinched back, squealing quietly at the rocking ground and the complex as
it divided in two — a thundering sound shredded down the street, and his jaw
dropped.

''What...?'' He gasped out, catching her arms as he spun her around to face him,
''How did I not know you knew all this magic?''

''Perhaps you never paid enough attention to me, Teddy,'' Amelie smirked,
turning in her shoes as she walked forwards to the entrance of the house.

''Paid enough attention!'' He yelled out again, frustrated with the way she was
taunting him, ''You're really on it tonight, aren't you? You're real smug
sometimes, Amelie. You know that, right?''

''I know—'' She smiled cheekily.

''Paid enough attention, what the hell is that supposed to mean? Not like I've
been your best friend for the past decade but yeah, let me pay more bloody
attention...'' Theo cursed, silently, ''Just say that you're a bloody Ravenclaw and
get it over with—''

''I can still hear you, you know?'' Amelie chuckled, gaily as her hand closed
around the doorknob, twisting it open in one go, ''But yes, if you're insisting on
me pulling the Ravenclaw card—''

''Oh, shut it,'' He seized heavy steps up the stairs, muttering as he went.

She tracked inside the building, her wand ready in her hand as she shot direct
glares everywhere her eye could reach. It felt so familiar here.

''Are you sure we're in the right place?'' Theo asked, closing the door behind
them as they cautiously marched down the corridor, ''I mean, have you been here
before?''

''No,'' She replied, still with full force in her voice, ''I haven't, but I've been
outside in the car while father was here. I remember.''

''Mhm,'' Theodore poked his head through a doorway, scanning the inside
discreetly, ''So this was his office?''

''Yes,'' Amelie walked ahead, her skin slightly shivered as she reached the back
room, her hand brushed along the doorpost to find the switch to turn on the
lights, ''This was his office, and I don't think they know about it yet.''

''They?'' Theodore quirked a brow, ''What do you mean them—''

''Death Eaters,'' Amelie muttered, ''And here you are complaining about my
house—''

''Watch it,'' He snapped, ''I'm one of them too, you know.''

Amelie faltered in her doings just as she caught the light switch, flipping it on,
and she turned to him. Her eyes glinted in regret to what she just said, ''Teddy,
I'm sorry, I didn't mean—''

''I know,'' He mastered a smile, nodding towards the bookshelves and the
divisions filled with drawers, tags glued to them.

The room looked huge and old-fashioned. A tainted smell, along with the scent
of elderly paint, filled her nostrils. The walls were covered in old portraits, and a
massive clock coated the dusty desk in the middle of the room.

Amelie nodded shyly before she found her way over to the chest of drawers,
falling to her knees in front of them, and she began to hunt immediately — so
did Theodore.

For nearly an hour, they flipped through papers, files, books, and the Doctor's
old archives, looking for something that could hint to where her mother and her
brother could be.

It still didn't feel proper to Amelie, knowing that she had a brother and a younger
one at that. Her mother had left her, fled to keep one child safe while leaving the
other to suffer for it.

If it had been anyone else — they'd be mad, furious, but not her.

Not Amelie.

She was hurt, rightly so she believed, but she was even more concerned for their
safety and that she had to find them before the Dark Lord had any chance in
doing so.

The burning sensation in her chest was back the very instant she caught those
thoughts — when her mind passed everything she did in the belief that her
mother was dead. That she wouldn't be able to meet her again.

Shaking her head as she focused on the sheets of paper again. She couldn't falter
now — she refused to cave when she was so close.

''I can't find anything—''

''Here!'' Theodore yelled behind her, his voice sparked in hope as he stormed up
to her, using long strides, and he hunched right next to her resting body, ''Look,
there's an address.''

The tips of Amelie's fingers trailed over the paper, and her eyes pinched shut.

Atlas.
She named her son Atlas after the room she used as a safe haven at home.

Her insides wrenched and she nodded, slowly peeling her lashes wide to keep
reading, but it didn't take long until she had to look away again.

It was her mother's handwriting that threw her over the edge, and droplets began
to shape in her eyes, ''It's really her... isn't it?'' She whispered so lowly that it
caught Teddy's full attention.

''Amelie...'' He dropped the file to the floor, wrapping his hands around her as he
fell to the ground entirely next to her, ''I'm sorry. I'm sorry she did this to you...
I'm sorry she left you—''

''What the hell...'' Theodore whined out, jerking away from her roughly, and her
eyes widened as he dragged the sleeve of his shirt up, revealing the ink
embedded in his skin as it looped and twisted over his forearm.

''No...'' He breathed. His face came to master a cloak of panic, ''Not again, how
do they keep finding—''

Amelie ripped the paper in front of her to pieces, memorizing the address on it
before she did, and she shoved herself off the ground, tugging Teddy with her to
stand flat on his feet, but the boy bent forward, screeching in pain.

''Shhh...'' Amelie hushed him, flickering her wand against the lamp to turn the
room dark again, ''I'll get us out, just wait—''

'Apparate'

Nothing.

She tried it again, 'Apparate.'

Nothing.

A storm began to blast outside, and she huffed out, frustratingly, ''Damn it,'' She
swore, closing her eyes, and she begged to everything she could that they'd make
it out.

The front door slammed open with a noisy sound as they both flinched and steps
echoed down the hall.

''We're in another country, again, how the hell—'' Teddy growled in a whisper,
shrugging his shoulders to neglect the pain he felt, and he straightened his spine,
rolling his neck.

''Teddy—'' Amelie pleaded, her eyes begging his, ''Teddy, I—''

''I know,'' He hewed her off, sternly, giving her a serious look, ''Me too, but don't
you dare say anything, we are going to be alright.''

Amelie wished she believed that. She truly did.

Thunder was heard from outside, and the small bolts of lightning seeped through
the windows.

Men marched into the room from the shadows outside it. Everyone carried the
same masks as they'd done yesterday, and she drew the deepest of breaths.
Preparing for the worst.

They looked surprised, just as Theodore and Amelie did, and it clocked her —
the Death Eaters didn't know they would be there, simply following the same
lead they did.

''And we meet again, I see...'' One of the men snickered, taking a stand in front of
the others, pulling his hood off his skull, ''I thought the two of you would've
learned something from our last encounter.''

''You can't touch her—'' Theodore gritted angrily, ''That's not part of the deal.''

''I told you, Nott, that the deal would be kept if your blond friend would keep his
hands in check, and as far as we know, he hasn't.'' The man stared at Amelie,
evilly from behind the mask shielding his features, ''And this one...''

The man stepped closer to her as Amelie stayed still. Not looking at him, not
moving a muscle.

''This one played quite the act on us yesterday... didn't she?'' He earned snickers
to flee his soldier's mouths as he spoke, ''A tough one at that, and to think that
Malfoy is lucky to have all of this to himself.''
Her teeth shattered as her jaws clenched. Not letting a string of emotions show
on her as she crumbled inside.

Them talking about Draco caused her to feel furious yet soothed. They feared
him. They were scared of the boy constantly giving everything up for her.

''Don't—'' Theodore stepped in front of her, protectingly, but without notice —

the Death Eater fired a spell, making the brunet crash into a bookshelf, falling
helplessly to the floor.

Amelie's frame jolted, her breath hitched. Her sight flew after Theodore as he
laid unconsciously on the cold ground.

''No—'' Amelie breathed, her eyes widened, fearfully before she snapped her
neck, looking back at the Death Eater, ''What did you—''

''So...'' The man grinned, teeth on display as he aimed his wand at her, settling it
underneath her chin to bend her face up, ''Where were we? Ah! Malfoy, right.''

Teddy.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of the dizziness she felt consuming her. It
didn't feel like reality to her anymore.

Teddy.

That was all she managed to think.

Amelie's stare leveled his.

''Where is your savior?'' He taunted, looking around the room mockingly, ''Not
here, is he?''

''Why would I need a savior?'' Amelie spat out, hiding the fact that she was
terrified, ''Think too much of yourself, do you now?''

''Just like your father, I see, an arrogant cunt,'' He growled at her, and his palm
struck her cheek, ''He surely didn't teach you any manners, that's certain.''

Shutting her eyes for a mere second, swallowing the stinging pain on her sore
cheek before he turned her head back to face him.

Never show weakness, she could practically hear her father's words as they
echoed in her head.

Teddy.

''Luckily, he didn't,'' Amelie narrowed her sight in his as they broadened at her
behavior.

A seeping silence tricked them.

''I wish Malfoy was here so he could see what I'm about to do to you—'' His
wand quickly rose, but so did Amelie's, pointing directly at the other,

''Oh, you're not bad...'' He grinned behind his mask, ''Too bad that I'm better—''

''Crucio—''

''Expelliarmus!''

The icing light blasted from Amelie's wand as the man's weapon landed in her
other hand, and she backed away.

''Robbing a man of his wand?'' He spat, furiously, ''That's fucking pathetic—''

His hand lengthened in the air making the other Death Eaters aimed their wands
right at her, and just as they fired a path of spells in her direction — Amelie
threw herself behind the desk, shielding her body with the wood as it shook
violently.

She panicked. Her whole self trembled. She'd never done this before.

Teddy.

Teddy.

Teddy.

That was all that kept going through her head. Teddy, her Theodore, lying
helpless on the floor. Not the fact that she could get hurt and Draco would find
out about this, nothing but Teddy scored through her mind.

Amelie did the best she could. The ringing sound in her head from being
attacked with dark magic in fusion with the verity of Teddy, still not moving, a
muscle ripped through her once again.

She tossed spells back, harmful but not lethal ones. She didn't want to hurt a soul
if she didn't have to, and it went on for minutes until the men quieted, mumbling
to themselves.

Her brows knitted as she peered out from behind the shredded wood, and in the
corner of her eyes, she could see that almost every man stormed out in the
hallway, their wands ready to discharge.

Not wasting a breath, she threw herself across the floor, timidly crawling her
way over the wood as it scratched her knees and palms, but she couldn't even
feel any pain.

Amelie climbed on top of Theodore, shielding his wounded body with her frail
one, ''Teddy—'' She gasped, her hands gripping his neck, shaking his head in the
touch of her palms, ''Teddy, wake up, we need to—''

Shouting bolted through the apartment complex. Screaming and yelling mixed
with loud noises caused all already dimmed room to flicker in all different
shades.

''Teddy, please—''

She caught magic being tossed around, and she was seconds from being
hysterical. She didn't know what to do, ''Damn it, damn it, damn it.''

Her chest tightened, and she peered around as thunder scored around the
building.

It felt as if time slowed, giving her an ounce more of it as the tiny space between
the wall and bookshelves earned her heed, biting her lower lip, and she nodded
to herself.

Amelie could do this — she could take Theodore away from here.
''I'm sorry—'' Her voice began to shake, her breaths trembled, ''I'm so sorry for
this,''

Pushing herself up on her knees again, she gripped the fabric of her sweater,
dragging it over her head, and she shoved Theo's body to the side, tucking the
material underneath his back, leaving the sleeves free so that she could tug him
with her.

Her skin shivered at the raw air, hands gripped the arms of her shirt, and she
began to pull. Using the weight of her own body as she nearly fell to the floor
out of exhaustion, but she didn't give in.

Amelie dragged Theodore's unconscious frame over the ground until her
forehead glistened in lather, and her breath heaved.

She dropped to her knees again, her arms around his chest, and she shoved him
to sit up, his head hanging weakly, ''Teddy,'' Amelie was begging now, she didn't
know what else to do, ''Teddy please—''

Tears prickled.

Her palms cupped his jaws, inching closer till she was straddling him. Her wand
tucked into the waistband of her skirt came to mind, and she pulled it out.

Her forehead leaned against his. He'd taught her how to do his.

''I will fix you, I promise, just let me—'' Her lashes fell shut, humming spells
underneath her breath, and the looping sound in her head scored loudly. Her
head didn't clock the Death Eaters once because all she could think of was
Teddy.

She drew another deep breath, ready to continue healing her friend back to being
as she flinched. Her body jolted back by the feeling of something wet shattered
across her bare legs and arms.

Wide-eyed, she glared down, tracing the tips of her fingers over the liquid.
Illuminated by the thundering lightning outside — she saw blood.

Crimson red blood covered her fingers, and it was as if it flickered in her head,
realizing what had happened.
Someone was here.

Just as she was meant to protect Theodore's body again — a hand grabbed her by
her neck, and she cried out at the fingers clawing into her skin.

Amelie was slammed into a bookshelf, and the hand tensed around her throat.
She panicked at the feeling of running out of air.

She couldn't see who it was — it was too dark, but she fought them.

Her arms strived to push him back. Her body jerked and writhed.

''Please—'' Her voice wailed, silently, and with a step back and his eyes
flickering to hers, Amelie saw who it was.

Draco.

Malfoy didn't look human. His chest rose and fell heavily, and his coat strained,
tensely around his shoulders.

''Draco—'' Amelie cried out, her body shook, ''Draco, please—''

The blond tilted his head. His other hand moved to her hair, brushing it away
from her face, and suddenly — he let go of her, catching her body just as she
was meant to hit the ground.

His eyes pierced through her, burning into her soul mightily.

''Amelie?'' Draco growled, so loud that it shot daggers to vibrate through her
wounded skin, ''What the fuck—''

Her head shook, rapidly and she blinked, trying to regain herself from the shock
she felt.

''Did I hurt you?'' Draco seethed, cocking his head, ''Did I fucking hurt—''

He didn't.

His hands didn't leave a mark. His violence didn't wound her.

Feeling as her head pounded, she listened to him, blurting the words, and she
couldn't give herself a moment. She needed to give it to him.

''No—'' Amelie whispered, shaking her head calmly. She couldn't understand
what was happening.

One of the men came up behind them unexpectedly, forcing a spell against
Draco, but he shielded it, firing one back as it caused his body to drop to the
ground.

He gripped her by her jaws, his palms soothed against her skin, and his head
dipped to hers.

Draco kissed her fiercely in the heat of the moment, allowing her the comfort
she needed just for a second till he drew back, but she didn't.

Amelie clung onto him, her arms sheeted around his neck, her fist clenched
around her wand as she caught a man, pushing himself up.

''Stupefy!'' Amelie shouted as the man tripped back into a bookshelf.

Draco's body flexed against hers, and he pulled back, clutching her arms,
bending them down in between them.

He could see how scared she was, how her whole self shook.

''Close your eyes and turn around,'' He said, letting go of her as the men behind
them grunted in pain, ''Right now, Amelie.''

Her eyes fell shut, and just as she turned around, knowing that she couldn't
disobey him, not now.

She swallowed thickly at the screams and shouting happening behind her,
stretching her hands up to cup her ears, not to hear it — not to listen.

She hummed to herself, silently.

Blood shattered across her skirt and skin. She coiled at the feeling.

Green lights scored through the room, but Draco wouldn't let a single piece of it
touch them.
Amelie didn't let a second go to waste as she dropped to her knees again. Her
eyes flickered across her best friend, still numb on the chilly floor, gripping her
wand, and she whispered the words of healing he'd taught her.

''Please wake up,'' She pleaded, ''Teddy, please—''

Brushing her nose against the curly hair falling over his forehead as the world
around her faded. All she saw was him again, her Teddy.

''Amelie—'' Theodore tilted his head back, faintly coughing, ''I'm sorry I—''

She didn't let him speak, her arms around his head as she drove him straight into
her shoulder, hugging all her fear away, ''Shhh...'' Amelie whispered, ''It's okay,
it's not your fault.''

A wash of relief scored over her, trapping her senses in a gentle feeling, ''You're
okay...''

Theodore smiled into her hair, feeling as it tickled his nose, and he placed his
palms on each side of her head, leaning in and kissing her forehead before he
tipped back against the bookshelf again.

He felt so weak, but he was alright. That was all she could ever wish for.

''Are you out of your fucking mind?'' Draco's hand snatched her by her shoulder,
yanking her back to fully face him as she winced, following his movements up
on her feet again, ''Amelie, are you fucking out of your mind? How the hell
could you do this—''

Amelie didn't understand reality anymore. She couldn't grasp what just befell
her, looking around confusingly as she watched bodies ripped apart on the floor.

She looked away quickly.

Not being able to stand the massacre he'd caused.

Draco was fuming again. He couldn't think straight as he saw her cheek, glowing
red, ''What the—'' His palm gripped her jaw, angling her head so that he'd earn a
better look at it.
''I—''

''Don't fucking speak,'' Draco seethed loudly, ''Don't fucking speak, do you hear
that? Are you completely—'' He sighed, shaking his head at her, ''Have you lost
your mind? It was a dozen men, Amelie, do you understand—''

''How did you—'' She gulped, trying to gather herself from the evilness he'd put
the Death Eaters bodies through. He truly slaughtered them, one by one, ''How
did you find—''

Her skin shifted ashenly against his palm as he noticed. She was out of breath.

''Are you crazy? Is that it? Did you lose your fucking mind again? What if they
hurt you — what if they fucking killed you? What the hell am I supposed to do
—''

She didn't let him say another word as she threw herself into him, fully. The tips
of her fingers were on his neck, clawing him down to her as she kissed him, over
and over again.

Her lips melted into his as he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her
waist and her feet barely touched the ground anymore.

''I'm sorry,'' She said, a muffled sound of him groaning into her mouth, ''I'm so
sorry, I won't do this again. I will never—''

He shut her up, pressing his lips so tightly against hers, ''Don't you fucking dare
do this to me again,'' Draco mumbled, hugging her so close, ''Don't you fucking
scare me like this ever again.''

''I'm sorry—''

She realized how dangerous it was. How much she and Teddy could've got hurt
by all of this.

''So damn reckless—'' He leaned back, ''You're so fucking reckless, fucking

crazy.''

He didn't know how to stop this — to stop her from danger when she walked
right into it without thinking.
If he could — he'd leave her. If all of this were on him, he'd walk away, and he'd
never look back to save her from all this madness, but that wasn't an option
because this wasn't about him anymore.

This was about her and her family. There was nothing he could do.

Draco knew that, and it broke him, shattered his insides to pieces that he
couldn't, no matter how hard he tried, keep her safe.

''I'm sorry—''

''Don't—'' He shook his head, but he didn't look away. He was so near to losing
her yet again, ''Stop saying you're sorry.''

Amelie quieted, not speaking another word as he let go of her, and he kneeled
next to Theodore instead, mumbling to himself.

He was okay. Teddy would be fine, she clocked the way his chest heaved, and
his fingers twitched at the way Malfoy felt his pulse.

''Draco—''

''I said don't,'' He seethed, his note inflaming. He didn't want to yell at her, yet it
was so difficult not to, ''Don't, Amelie. Just don't.''

''I just want to know—''

Draco flew up to his feet, taking a dangerous track closer to her. His skin held
red in anger, and the veins on his neck nearly popped, ''What? What do you want
to know—''

''How did you know we were here?''

Her question caused him to scowl at her. His jaws were sharp, and he looked
away, ''I didn't.''

He should have.

Draco should've known that she was missing again. He shouldn't take it for
granted that she'd stay put as he asked of her. He should've known.
''I came here for them,'' Draco shot the bodies, shattered over the floor a rapid
glare, ''I didn't know you were here—''

Amelie's lower lip trembled. Her hair tousled, her skin stained in tears and dirt,
''You said you wouldn't do that, Draco. You said you wouldn't kill anyone—''

''I didn't,'' Draco growled. His eyes caught hers miserably, and he sighed. He
didn't want to lie, ''I told you I'd kill them for hurting you. I tracked them down,
and I followed them here, I didn't know—''

He felt so at fault, not knowing she was in danger and almost hurting her
himself.

''I didn't know you'd be here.''

Bowing her head, leisurely and she swallowed the lump in her throat. She truly
caused trouble this time, and it drained her. She didn't mean to. She truly didn't
mean to.

''Let's just—'' Draco mumbled, dragging his hands through his hair. He never
looked away from her, ''Let's go home.''

_____
 Seventy-nine

Mature content ahead.

_____

''Have me in all the ways you want me and let me have you.''

_____

Amelie tilted her head back the very moment she felt his chest as it pushed
firmly into her spine. Her veins rushed in warmth, and he sighed out silently.

Draco reached past her, closing his hand around the shower tap, and he let the
heated water well from above, similar to a waterfall.

Draco was standing so close to her. She could practically sense every toned,
outlined muscle he carried. His large palms gripped her shoulders. Her eyes fell
shut at the already steaming sprinkles as they struck the ground in front of her.

She was standing in her towel, so was he, and nothing but silence seized around
them. They had just gotten back from Dublin, and he brought her straight into
the bathroom to clean her up from all the dust and blood that had shattered
across her skin.

Still, it was utterly quiet between them, heartbreakingly so.

Amelie couldn't possibly describe just how at fault she felt for all of this, for
sneaking out not only once but twice without Malfoy's knowledge and for
putting both her and Teddy in harm's way.

It wasn't something the brown-haired girl would do — she wasn't like this. She
wasn't a person that would set anyone in danger but feeling as if she'd been
blinded by the need to find her mother. She'd failed the morals of herself.

Draco was inflamed with her, she could tell. The way his breathing fixed and the
glint in his eyes flickered furiously at her every move — still, he didn't want her
to know just how mad he tended to be.

He didn't want Amelie to know that he was frenzied with her for how she'd been
acting, for the way she'd been disobeying him — for lying and traveling to
another country in the middle of the night when he was unaware, knowing what
happened the evening prior to that one.

He told her not to. He specifically told her not to go anywhere and to stay put,
but Amelie being Amelie, she'd never settle for that.

Huffing out a shaky breath as she slightly let her head tip to the side, ''Draco?''
Amelie whispered, her hair smoothly brushed against his toned chest, ''Draco,
can we talk about what happened tonight?''

Her voice on the lower side, hesitant to if she dared to bring up the matter they'd
been silently fighting about for hours, ''Please, I don't like us being like this—''

Draco let the tips of his fingers run along the length of her arms, tracing
goosebumps in path with his touch, ''Talk about what exactly?'' He spoke,
vibratingly behind her, ''Talk about you sneaking out of here when you said you
wouldn't, or you getting caught by Death Eater's and putting both you and Nott
in danger, again?''

Talking so bluntly that it caused her eyes to squint and her face to twist,
uncomfortably in a hurtful grimace. Amelie swallowed, thickly and she let her
lashes fall shut entirely, ''Yes... That.''

She didn't bother to argue back nor to confront him about the way he'd chosen to
address this — the way he'd been speaking wasn't the issue, Draco ever so
sought to humble her feelings, but he didn't have to now. She didn't want him to.

Amelie knew to be the one in the wrong here.

He only scoffed, gritting his jaws, and she could feel the way his muscles tensed
against her, and the water kept slamming onto the ground in front of them.

Still stroking his hands over her shoulders, he brushed the dust collected over her
skin after what they had been through in Dublin off. He stayed silent. His eyes
fixed on the tousled hair she carried.
Amelie sighed out at the touch he brought, ''Draco, please—'' She turned around,
facing him with a troubled look, ''Don't shut me out, please.''

The drops of water seeking to unravel from the shower jet lightly tickled her
spine as her fingers moved up to grip the edge of the towel wrapping around her,
tightening it.

His eyes broadened, slightly and his features held coldly.

She could feel as she grew impatient by his lack of words and his piercing stare
as it burnt right through her, stinging her insides mightily.

Dropping her arms to her sides, tipping her head to the side as her hair followed,
she gasped out, ''I am sorry...'' Amelie whispered, her sight dragged away from
him, and she stared blankly at the tile wall, ''I am sorry for lying to you, I never
meant for his to happen—''

''You're sorry?'' Malfoy hissed surprisingly, ''You're sorry for lying to me, or
you're sorry for getting caught?''

A seeping silence trickled them as they gawked vacantly at the other.

Draco's eyes didn't unhook from hers once.

''I am, believe it or not, but I am sorry. I am sorry for lying and for putting—''
She tried speaking, but the blond merely scoffed at her again, this time, earning a
frown to climb her temples.

Her pupils were blown, and she looked away, ''I didn't mean to do this. I didn't
mean to harm—''

''Answer me,'' Draco urgently questioned, his hair messily over his head, ''Tell
me, Amelie, are you sorry for going, or are you sorry that I found you?''

She stayed quiet. Her hands moved up to her throat, grasping at it lightly to ease
the tension she felt boiling inside.

Amelie's silence spoke for itself, and he couldn't feel more downcasted than he
already did. Draco tore his sight away from hers, and he combed his fingers
through his hair, tugging it back as he did.
His muscles flexed as dim lights flickered.

''I can't do this right now,'' Draco breathed out, tilting his head back as the heated
water still dashed against the tile-covered floor, ''I can't, Amelie.''

Amelie felt pain as it ripped through her. A flooding tidal wave of it nearly
drowned her from within, and her chin rose, gripping the towel hanging around
her to haul it up even more. She felt so exposed — so on display for someone
that didn't want to be with her at the moment.

''I'll just go—'' Her eyes floored, her skin drained of its color, and she walked
past him, leaving the steaming air in the shower. She was on the edge of step
into the bathroom, her eyes prickled in tears.

He didn't listen to her. Amelie always believed that Draco would listen to her —
that he'd hear her side of things and that he'd at least try to understand her, but he
didn't now. He blamed her, and it ached that he did.

Sharpening his jaws, he tossed his head back, getting rid of the strands of hair
tickling his forehead. It pained him. A feeling of ache shredded through him as
she walked out.

Amelie never walked away from him, and now she did.

He hurt her. He knew he did, but he didn't know what to say.

Draco didn't know how to approach this, how to make her understand that what
she'd done was reckless and unforgivable. That he'd never forgiven himself if
she got wounded, that he'd give his own life if she lost hers.

''Fuck—'' Draco groaned, knowing that he had to fix this, that he was just as at
fault as she was. He firmly fixed the towel around his waist, and he turned
around quickly, ''Damn it, Amelie, wait!''

The misty air thickened as he caught her arm, his fingers sheeting her soft skin,
and he dragged her right back — right to where she'd supposed to be all along,
close to him, always near him.

Feeling as she stopped but she didn't spin around. She didn't look at him. She
carried no strength to do that, ''Fuck, Amelie—'' Draco mumbled, desperately,
''Please—''

Her doings faltered, and she gazed over the bathroom, standing in the doorway
to his massive shower. She didn't answer. She simply stopped.

''Amelie—''

''I was wrong,'' She whispered, pinching her eyes shut at the torment storming in
her chest, ''I was wrong. I messed up, I lied, and I did something horrible, I
know.''

Plastering his stare into her side, he studied her thoughtfully.

She drew a deep breath, spinning around to level him, ''I am sorry for what I did
and for lying to you, but I need to find them, I don't think you understand, Draco,
I—''

Her fingers clawed at the towel hanging around her, and she blinked quickly.

''But I need to find them, my mother and my brother, and I'm sorry that I hurt
you, but I didn't know what else to do.''

Amelie felt her pulse as it quickened, and her flashes fluttered as Draco's eyes
darkened vaguely. She could see as the rage fumed around him.

''That's it then?'' He snapped, cocking his head and straightening his shoulders.
He dropped his touch from hers, ''That's that? You said what you wanted to say,
and we're done here? I don't have a say in your fucking safety?''

The water still smattered as it echoed in path with his raised voice.

Shaking her head and her eyes pleaded his, ''Draco, of course, you do—''

''It doesn't sound like it,'' He hissed, throwing his arms out and his brows knitted,
''Don't you think I'm proud of you? Because I am. I'm so fucking proud of you
for doing what you did, for fighting, and for winning. I'm so proud that all I want
is to fucking kiss you, but I can't, because what if I lost you?''

He was shouting at her, now only inches away.

''What if I fucking lost you, Amelie? Yeah? What if I didn't happen to be there?
What if I wasn't there? What would you have done? This isn't a damn game.
This is real. Those men are killers. Those men kill to their satisfaction, and it
wouldn't be any different with you. I hope you know that.''

Gulping as she let her gaze travel down to the floor again.

''I don't care if you want to find your mother, and I certainly don't care about
your apologies. I care about you. I care about you being fucking safe because if I
lose you again—'' He paused, shutting his eyes closed for a mere second,
breathing through the pain it took to speak in the ways he did.

''If I lose you again, I'm leaving too. I can't go through this again.''

Pearls of tears formed in her eyes as she stepped forward, ''Draco, you won't—''

''Yeah?'' Malfoy gritted, madness spread across him, ''I won't lose you? Like I
haven't done that for the past fucking year, over and over, Amelie. We're always
waiting for each other. It's never us. It's—''

He quieted, feeling as his heartbeat swelled in his ears and his eyes held a razor-
sharp string of pure pain, ''I refuse to lose you again.''

Her skin heated, her breaths shifted shallow as her fingers twitched against the
palms of her hands, ''You don't think I'm scared too? You don't think I laid
awake all those nights you left for your tasks? Even when I didn't remember us, I
was scared, Draco.''

Amelie's hair fell utterly over her shoulders as her head wavered, ''I'm terrified of
losing you, I'm scared to death every time you and Teddy leave, I was taken
from you, I was kidnapped, and I'm sorry—''

''Don't you dare apologize for what he did to you,'' Draco growled out, gripping
the fabric hanging around his hips, his muscles flexed as his skin ashen, ''I don't
want to hear you apologize for what he did, one more time—''

''I don't—'' Tugging her hair back in defeat, ''I don't know what else to do than to
apologize! I can't do anything else. I'm helpless with what happened to me. I
can't—''
The panic began to rise within the coat of her frail skin, ''I tried to kill myself
because you died, and I couldn't see a point in it anymore, I didn't want to live
without you,'' She swallowed, thickly, ''I don't want to live without you. I can't.''

Draco sensed a strange waver inside, sickly rocking him. They never talked
about it, ever since she woke up — she didn't speak of that night, and that she
did now, earned him to be speechless.

''I know what I did was wrong. I know that there are no excuses for lying to you,
and I am sorry for doing so, but you need to trust me, Draco. You need to trust
that I make the right decisions when all I do is trusting you.''

Scowling at her, he shook his head, ''What is that—''

''You lied to me too,'' Amelie hewed him off, her tone lowered hesitantly, ''You
lied to me tonight. You said that you were helping your father when you were
actually—''

Malfoy sighed loudly as he looked away, ''I will never apologize for protecting
you. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I will never say sorry for protecting
you, no matter how I do it.''

''I know, and that's the difference between us, Draco. I trust you with that. I knew
you weren't going to help your father, I might have been... gone but I'm not
foolish. I knew you lied, but I would never question you for doing it because I
trust you.''

He couldn't speak against that. He knew he couldn't.

Amelie was right. She'd never hold him accountable for lying when he needed
to, and knowing that he'd been so infuriated with her for doing the same thing
caused him to feel ashamed.

Clenching his jaws and he stared back at her, watching the girl he'd sacrifice it
all to, standing wrapped up in a towel far too massive for her, and her body
slightly shaking.

''I could've hurt you,'' Draco said, bluntly as a light from a pure sky struck
between them, ''I was so close to hurting you.''
Her lips parted, but only a shaky breath could escape.

''I could've killed you because I didn't know where you were. What if I—'' It hurt
to speak. He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to admit the possibility of what
he could've done to her, ''What if I hurt you?''

''You wouldn't,'' She spoke back, taking another step closer to him and the thick
air around them turned a bit heavier to breathe, ''You would never hurt me.''

She knew he wouldn't.

He'd never hurt her.

''I could—'' Malfoy's sight grounded, his head tipped forwards as his shoulders
sunk, ''I was so close to hurting you.''

Amelie held only inches away. Her fingers brushed over the scars carved into his
chest before her touch slowly moved up his skin, grasping at his jaws to make
him look at her,

''Draco,'' She whispered, her voice soft and gentle, ''Draco, you would never hurt
me.''

He yanked his head, taking a step further into the shower and away from her, ''I
scared you, Amelie. I saw it. I saw how damn scared you—''

''Don't speak for me,'' Her arms dropped to her sides, snapping her neck as her
eyes bolted in loops of pain, ''You don't get to talk for me like that, you don't get
to decide what I'm scared of or not.''

''I saw it!'' Draco suddenly yelled out, ''I fucking saw you!''

''You wouldn't hurt me,'' Amelie said again, slowly and calmly, reassuring him
that she meant it, ''I have seen evil, Draco. I have seen every type of evil, and
you wouldn't hurt me.''

Agony grew to show upon her, ''I love you,'' She spoke, so honestly that it caught
his attention even in a state as this one, ''I love you and once, you said you
wouldn't hurt me. You would never hurt me, and I believe that—''
Draco watched as her eyes glinted and her chest heaved, ''I know what it feels
like to be scared of someone, but I'm not scared of you.''

Clenching her jaws, she exhaled revealingly, speaking it, again and again, to
make him understand, ''I'm not scared of you. I never was, and I never will be.''

He stopped backing away from her. His sight flickered intensely as he snared
every expression she held, and she stood so near now. He felt her breaths as they
fanned his shivering skin.

''I know what you're capable of, and I might not always agree with the way
you're handling things, but I would never be scared of you... You have taught me
so much, and you have shown me even more—''

Malfoy moved his hands, letting them melt into her skin as he gripped her
shoulders, sliding his touch up her neck. She met his damned eyes, ''I know what
it means to be scared of someone, and I'm not scared of you.''

He stalled for a minute, only to be able to watch her, taking in every detail of
her. He studied her considerately, ''I can't think, all I think about is how close I
was to hurting you and I—''

Her hand grasping at him, desperately, ''Draco, it's not like that. It will never be
—''

''I was so close,'' His breathing shifted heavier, ''I was so close to hurting you,
Amelie. If I didn't see—''

Draco's insides wrenched, and his head became dizzy. He couldn't think about it
— he hated himself for slamming her into that bookshelf and for gripping her
neck as he'd done. Owning no control over himself when he was in that state.

All he saw that night was the people who'd hurt her — the people who'd caused
her to spill a drop of blood and how he wished to rip them apart, decorate the
walls with their insides.

''Draco—'' Amelie tried to catch him, to stop him from falling to his knees, but
she couldn't. He was dropping to the drenched ground, and his bones caved
within.
He was so lost in the loving of her that he couldn't breathe. He couldn't think of
what he might have done if she didn't plead for her life.

Still feeling her body as it writhed and jerked against his, how her nails clawed
at his hands gripping around her neck. It was like a never-ending nightmare on
constant repeat in his head.

Malfoy couldn't breathe. His head tipped forward, leaning against her lower
stomach as he shook. His knees bruised along the tile-covered floor, but he
couldn't feel it.

Gripping her waist with his hands, he kept his head on her belly, burying his face
in all the comfort she poured over him, and he felt her hands slowly combing
through his hair.

''Draco, please—'' Amelie begged, slipping onto the ground with him, both of
them soaking wet by the steaming water as it poured, ''Draco, listen to me,''

He didn't.

Arching his spine as he buried his head in his hands, feeling her fingers as they
brushed over his dripping hair and Amelie struggled closer, catching his chin in
her palm and forcing his head up to look at her.

Her eyes flickered, pearls of water rushed over both of their skin, ''I love you,
Draco,'' Half a plea fell off her tongue, ''I love you, and you need to understand
what that means.''

Draco's body shook uncontrollably as his lashes dryly fluttered. He looked numb
to her, empty beyond salvation.

Amelie's hands found his, and she held them, gently in hers, '' I know you
wouldn't hurt me. I never hurt when you touch me.''

''I'm sorry,'' Draco whispered. His talks laced with panicking hurt, and she bent
down, paralleling his height on the floor as he kept on shaking his head, ''I never
meant, I didn't mean to, I wouldn't—''

''I know,'' Amelie whimpered, her arms around his neck as she pressed herself
against him, ''I know, I know, and I'm sorry too.''
It hurt her more than words could ever come to explain, seeing him this way.

''You will never hurt me,'' Amelie whispered, silently as she held him, ''It will
never hurt when you touch me, Draco.''

Malfoy held her back, one hand crossed her spine as the other pushed into her
head, holding her so steadily, ''I'm so fucking scared,'' He admitted, aloud and it
frightened him even more, made it real in ways he'd been fearful for, ''I'm
terrified to lose you again, every time I let you go, I feel sick because I'm sure
that I won't get to hold you again—''

He buried his head in his favorite place, the soft spot between her collarbone and
neck, water spilled down her skin, ''I memorize you, every damn time just in
case I never get to—''

''I'm yours, and you're mine, Draco,'' Amelie clasped onto him, tightly as his
exposed muscles clenched against hers, both of their towels soaked, ''You'll
never get rid of me,''

Huffing out a weak laugh, he bent back, catching her cheeks in his palms again,
and he looked at her, in the way only he managed to do, ''Really?''

Amelie felt a curve on her lips as she let it mount her, and she smiled, ''Really.''

It soothed Draco tremendously to hear her repeat it. To hear her understand the
meaning of their really's. She'd failed to do so for so long, and now she did.

_____

Amelie couldn't sleep.

She laid flat on her spine as the silky sheets smeared to her body — she wasn't
warm, yet she wasn't chilly either. Feeling as her skin slightly shivered by
Draco's heated breaths as they fanned her shoulder.

She didn't mind that either. Amelie adored having him sleep close to her, his arm
tucked around her, and his light blows on her skin were all she ever needed to
fall asleep herself, but not tonight.

They'd decided together with Teddy to visit the address her mother seemed to be
at in the morning, and that terrified her to an unlimited extent, knowing that her
mother was out there, with someone that lived to be her brother.

Amelie was scared. She didn't want to welcome more hurt and heartbreak into
their lives. She didn't know if it was a good idea — something she'd live to be
proud of, but she had to try.

If not for herself, then for her sanity.

She simply needed all of this madness to stop, for everything around them to
heave and leave them to live their lives freely — but it was hardly wishful
thinking, she understood that.

Amelie knew that this wouldn't end, not anytime soon, but she needed a break.
She needed a moment of peace to breathe and gather herself until the next storm
would well over her and the boy nestled in next to her.

That seemed to be the gravest thing of them all, him living through this tangle of
life in path with hers.

Him constantly tearing the world apart for her to stay unwounded.

She didn't deserve that. She could never earn the boy loving her so deeply, yet
she needed him. Amelie craved Draco and the harmony he brought her in the
midst of the chaos.

The feeling of heaven as he took care of her, the feeling of being understood and
valued when he was the one hearing her out.

Sensing a curl as it arched on her lips by the thought of it, how lucky she was to
be with him, to be able to be loved and cared for in the raw ways he did with her.

It would always be him to her.

Tossing and turning in her position for hours, feeling as the moonlight brushed
against her skin and huffing below her breath. She was ready to go down to the
empty main floor. Amelie knew Narcissa and Teddy not to be home this night.

Her best friend suddenly left hours after they came back without as much as a
word, and Narcissa told them she had matters to attend to, both of them most
likely related to what befell them during these days, but neither confessed to it.

''Amelie,'' Draco rasped out, tightening the grip he held her waist in as he
dragged her closer, ''Why aren't you sleeping?''

Her head falling to the side, and her sight gazed over the blond hair that held in a
charming mess across his forehead, ''I don't know...'' She whispered, shifting
around in her position and facing him fully.

Allowing his lashes to fall shut, he mumbled something she couldn't quite catch,
and she laid there, in the darkness, scanning the boy who'd continuously save her
life. Not once did she have the power to look away.

''What is it, Amelie?'' Draco muttered. His breaths tasted sweet on her lips as she
curled into him. Leaning her head against his chin and she placed a soft on his
chest, ''Tell me what's bothering you.''

Sighing out, her head shook, ''Nothing is bothering me...'' She hushed, pushing
her lips firmly together, ''I'm okay, Draco, but you need to rest.''

Malfoy frowned, arching his neck to look down at her, seeing as she hid in his
arms wrapped around her, ''Amelie,'' He said, more pressure upon it this time,
''Tell me what's wrong—''

''Nothing,'' Amelie leaned back, smiling shyly at him in the shadowed room, ''I
promise, we'll talk tomorrow.''

Draco groaned, catching her jaws in his palms, and he bent her neck up, making
her meet his eyes, ''Something is wrong, don't pretend it isn't, Amelie. Don't shut
me out.''

His words shook her as his hands soothingly caressed her skin — he dipped
down at her silence, brushing his nose along the spine of hers, but her sight
faltered, looking away slightly.

She wanted to tell him, Amelie wished to be honest with Draco about
everything, but she didn't want to be a burden. They'd been through so much
already, and she didn't wish for him to worry about her more than he did.

Amelie was worried about him too.

''It's alright, Draco—''

Not listening, as he propped himself up, letting go of her and standing plain on
his feet beside the bed. Amelie stared at him wide-eyed, confusingly, as he
gripped the cover resting at the edge of the mattress.

He strode up to the door, flinging it broad and turning around to nod his head at
her, ''Come here,'' He said quietly, but all she did was look fixedly at his bare
chest, ''Amelie, get over here.''

Knitting her brows, she folded the covers off of herself, and she pushed her
palms into the mattress, jumping off the bed, ''Draco, you don't have any clothes
—''

Malfoy's eyes rolled playfully as he reached his hand out for her to take, and he
shyly let a curve form on his lips, ''Then it's a good thing it's summer, and we're
alone here tonight.''

Amelie blushed at that, lightly nodding towards him as he dragged her with him
through the halls, down the stairs until he reached the kitchen door leading out in
the garden.

Not did he stop nor spoke a word all the way down there. He simply led her
behind him as he halted in the midst of the flower field, near the edge of the
property where they'd spent their time in the loss of her memories.

Her sight broadened at the look of him, spreading the bed cover out over the
grass before he slipped down at it, tipping his head back to gaze at her, ''Are you
going to stand there or...?'' A smirk mounted him, ''Come here, Amelie.''

She felt the mild summer breeze as it swirled through the night, nibbling slightly
at her bare arms and legs, and she dropped to her knees beside him. Her dress
glued to her body perfectly as it caught Draco's attention, propping his head up
by angling his arm and his chest flexed.

''What are we doing out here?'' She asked, quietly while shooting the
surrounding a swift look, ''It's the middle of the—''

''Night,'' Draco took over, grinning as he kept his hues hooked at her frame,
adoring the wavy strands of hair falling over her spine, ''That's the whole point
with stars, yeah?''

Amelie huffed out a chuckle, tilting her head to the skies as Draco viewed it.
Never in a million years could he think that he'd have his own star, shining more
beautifully than any other, right here, next to him.

Snapping her sight between all the bright spots on the gloomy heaven and she
could feel his arm as it sheeted her waist, and he pulled her closer, buckling
himself up so that he'd be sitting straight next to her.

Draco needed her close — so near that she'd be able to drain him of all the relief
she craved without once asking for it. That was what she always managed to do
for him, letting him void her of every ounce of comfort she carried.

Now — now he wished to do that with her, be the one she'd be qualified to lean
against and seek solace in.

Still surveying the skies, her jaw, along with her collarbone, was on full display
for him, and it caused him to groan within the flesh of his mouth, seeing her soft
skin as it lit up perfectly at the strokes of moonlight.

No matter where they tended to be, what situation they lived through, the
warmth of feeling or numbed, memories nor without — there wasn't a place on
this globe, a state he'd been kept in — that he didn't look at her in the ways he
did now.

He would always look at her, precisely so. With that glint in his pupils, his eyes
glistening for her. His chest as it strained in the bearing of his heart, beating with
hers. His breaths as it hitched, trapped in the back of his throat when she met his
stare — when her sight mangled with his and the whole world around them
faded.

''It's beautiful out here,'' Amelie breathed, tilting her head to watch the boy her
head ached for, ''Why didn't you show me this before? It's so pretty.''

Glancing mesmerizingly, she quickly gaped back up at the heavens, and he

looked at her. He always seemed to look at her.

''You're beautiful,'' Draco mumbled, raspily, pushing his lips into her shoulder,
''My beautiful Amelie.''
It felt as if electricity bolted through her as he embraced her skin, kissing her so
softly all over her bare shoulder, causing the strap of her nightdress to slip down.

Draco froze at that. His eyes smeared at the even more exposed skin of her chest,
and he drew back instantly.

He watched as the scars, new ones he'd yet failed to explore, shaped across her
shoulders, down her arms, faded still blushed. He couldn't' begin to describe
what that did to him, seeing the marks of the devil as it soared into her skin.

It rocked sickly within that she went through all of that, once again when he
wasn't there to protect her.

She rose a brow, looking bewilderingly at the blond, ''Draco, why—''

''It's not appropriate, I'm sorry,'' He excused himself, gritting his jaws and
clasping his teeth together, ''We should—''

Amelie pinched her eyelids shut for a mere second. She drew a deep breath,
collecting all the bravery she knew she'd need to do this, and without falter —
she shifted around in her position, and she climbed on top of him.

He groaned, biting down onto his lower lip to hush his talks and Amelie's arms
moved around his neck, holding him tightly, ''You don't have to stop, Draco,''
She said, laced with honesty, ''You don't have to stop doing this for my sake.''

''I don't want to hurt—'' He mumbled, flickering his hues away from hers. He
still felt more than ashamed for what he'd done in Dublin, ''I just can't—''

''Hurt me?'' Amelie brushed her nose against his, placing a soft kiss on his upper
lip, ''Why don't you let me decide when I'm getting hurt or not?'' Her words came
out so tenderly, ''It doesn't hurt when you touch me, Draco...''

He looked back at her, his muscles flexed against the silk she wore. Heaven
shone brightly behind her. Stars twinkled in the dusk, yet all he saw was her.

''I know, you keep saying that, but I—'' He groaned by her, leaving another kiss
on his upper lip, ''I feel like I'm hurting you, all the time. Every damn time I lay a
hand on you.''
Amelie sensed her heart as it dropped to the pit of her stomach by the words he
was speaking, and she leaned back, lowering her gaze to his hands.

She gently folded her fingers around his, and she brought his palm up to her
cheek, smiling as he let his thumb stroke along her skin, ''See?'' She whispered,
benevolently, ''It doesn't hurt me, Draco. Your touch never hurt me.''

His chest rose and fell heavily, and he felt her jaw as it tempered in his hold.

She loosened her hand from his, ''You don't have to want me like this,'' Her voice
breathy, nearly as she was scared to say the words on her mind, ''You don't have
to be with me this way, a lot happened to the both of us, and I would never
blame you for not wanting me like this.''

She swallowed dubiously, ''But I want you, like this, in all the other ways a
human can want another, I want you.''

A frown raised upon him as he snapped his neck, gritting his teeth, and he let the
hand still propping him up cover her waist, bucking her closer.

Heat pushed through his vessels at the way she was revealing her feelings for
him. His skin flushed.

''If I don't want you like this?'' He hissed, frustratingly, speaking into her mouth,
lips brushing against each other, ''I have craved to feel you like this ever since
last time, there isn't one single way I wouldn't want you, so don't you dare think
that.''

Amelie blinked quickly.

''I don't want to pressure you, I don't know if you're ready to be with me like this,
and I could never ask something of this sort of you if I don't know if you're ready
or not, I would never do that—''

He drew a deep gaping breath at the way her body eased on top of his, and he
grasped at her waist tighter, ''I want all of you, always.'' Draco finished, feeling
her fingers as they tensed into his shoulders.

His way of speaking did things to her as well, things she'd yet failed to
experience.
''Then have me, Draco...'' Amelie whimpered, and his hand dropped from her
jaw, moving down her frame to her lower back, inching her closer over him,
''Have me in all the ways you want me and let me have you.''

Inhaling so sharply as it stung in his lungs, he lost himself in the desire for her,
her balmy words caused him to turn unleashed, and his lips caught hers, kissing
her deeply.

Amelie melted right into that. Her fingers tangled into the roots of his blond hair,
and she kissed him back, ''I want you,'' She whispered, so lowly that it wavered
him, ''I want you, Draco—''

He tore their lips in two, dipping his head as hers tilted back, and he kissed down
her jaw, moving her body over his.

''Fuck, I want you—'' Draco mumbled, embracing the skin right below her ear, ''I
want all of you, Amelie, every last piece and inch of you, I want.''

Whimpering as she clung onto him, her knees soothed against the covers, and his
hands gestured for her to rise slightly. Her body followed his motion as he got a
grip of her nightdress, and he slowly dragged it up over her chest — her arms
stretched up as he tugged it off her completely.

Leaving her bare in nothing but her underwear, and his hands returned to feel her
exposed skin, his palms smoothly across her spine as she arched her chest into
his, fading into the kisses he wouldn't stop caressing her with.

At first, he didn't dare to kiss her neck, to touch the place he believed to hurt her.
It caused him to despise himself, tremendously, knowing that he'd settled his
hands on her in a vicious way, but that feeling caved as his eyes flickered to her
scars.

''Mine,'' He kissed the bruises on her shoulder, taking all the sinful acts she'd
been put through away, ''Mine, mine, mine,'' Draco growled.

He littered kisses all over her skin.

Effortlessly, as if he'd never stopped. He didn't see a change in her body as she
did.
Amelie felt uncertain within herself since she'd been away. She didn't feel as
confident as she once did, being on full display for the boy in front of her, but he
never failed to rob her of that feeling and replacing it with love.

Yet, it was different this time — safer in ways she couldn't explain. With every
time she felt him as he kissed, touched, soothed every piece of herself she didn't
admire about herself — that feeling of insecurity lacked.

He would always do that — he would always make her feel assured about her
own body.

She could feel insecure, to begin with, but she knew from the bottom of her heart
— the heart she knew would beat with his, that she was indeed stronger now.
That he'd ever so made her feel solid in such an unknown time.

Malfoy would never see her differently. He'd never see her as anyone but his,
and no matter what she lived through, never mind what her body looked like or
what state she was in — he'd love her, praise her to the fullest.

It wasn't something he'd put any effort in. He did it unconsciously. He'd always
adore her, without question.

No matter what, he'd raise her to the skies, and she'd bring him with her, drawing
him away from his own hell to live freely alongside her.

The wind plainly danced around them, mellow strokes of air circled her
uncovered skin and her hair fluttered in symphony with it.

Hearing as birds chirped and the crowns of the trees around them brushed
together.

Rolling her hips over his night pants, he groaned against her collarbones, peeling
his eyes open as he watched the marks fading into her skin, and he kissed them
again, slowly. Her fingers curled into his hair, driving him even nearer.

''Draco—'' She said, quietly, feeling as she grew impatient with the way he was
touching her body, ''Please, let me have you.''

Still, with a dubious feeling as it wavered him, he leaned back, one hand
grasping at her lower back as the other one gripped at her thighs, and he shifted
them around.

His fist quickly struck the bed linen as she squealed out, holding her arms
around his neck. Amelie chuckled, softly and he laid her down gently as her hair
spilled everywhere.

Parting their bodies as he tugged his night pants down, shoving the fabric off his
legs and Amelie's thighs wrapped around him, bringing him as close as she
could.

''Are you sure, Amelie?'' He asked, sheeting her arms around him as she dragged
him down, ''We don't have to, you know that — You're mine either way.''

Smiling as she caught the words, her tongue rolled over her bottom lip,
wettening it before she kissed him again, her hands traveling down his spine, ''I
am sure,'' She whispered as he caught her sweet breath, ''I want this. All of it.''

His fist moved between them, pushing the material of his boxer aside before he
carefully hooked his fingers around the fabric of her underwear, and he shoved it
apart.

Malfoy's movements were so gentle. He didn't wish to hurt her in any way nor
make her feel influenced to do anything she didn't wish for.

Amelie gasped — the tips of her fingers clawed at his shoulders as the friction of
the shivery air wrapped around her.

Staring deeply into each other's eyes and her lips slightly parted, he reached for
his length, slowly stroking it along her core, and both of them breathed out,
relievingly at the sense of it.

''I don't want to hurt you—'' Draco mumbled again, his brows knitted
concerningly, ''I don't want this to hurt for you—fuck—''

''It doesn't hurt me, Draco...'' She whispered, so lowly, ''It never hurts when you
touch me, not earlier, not in the shower, not now.''

Amelie kept her sight locked with his, and he began to lower himself into her, a
little at the time, not too fast, and Draco groaned out at the feeling of her walls,
hugging him so tightly, ''Fuck, Amelie—'' He breathed, gritting his jaws as he
filled her up.

Her eyes nearly rolled back at the sensation it caused her, feeling as he stretched
her to the fullest, ''Don't stop,'' Amelie pleaded as he bucked his hip slightly,
matching her doings, ''Please, don't stop.''

''So beautiful,'' Draco rasped, his chest pressed to hers, and she lacked the
strength of holding herself balanced. He was sliding into her entirely as she
pushed up to meet him, ''Tell me if I'm hurting you, even the slightest—''

Silently moaning into each other's mouths.

''You're not hurting me,'' Amelie whined, nearly gasping for air as his hips rolled
into hers. He caught her lips, kissing her softly, ''You—oh—never hurt me,
Draco—please.''

''You're made for me,'' He said, bluntly, ''All of this—fuck—Amelie...'' He held

onto her, ''All of this is mine, and you are made for me.''

Amelie's head bowed, her skin shivered, ''Yours.''

Draco tried to keep himself tamed, one hand pushed into the grass beside the
blanket, as the other one cupped her jaw, ''Mine,'' He grunted against her lips, ''I
love you, and you're mine.''

It was an overwhelming pleasure for him, finally having her this way again,
feeling her body as she shook beneath him, catching her moans in his mouth and
giving her everything he had.

Draco could never explain this feeling, ''Fuck— mine, all mine, only mine. Ever
since last time, no one can touch you, Amelie. You're mine. No one can ever lay
a fucking hand on you again.''

''I'm—'' She heaved, trying to keep her movements in sync with his. The hand on
her jaw bent her head back, making her look at him fully in the dimmed
illumination of moonlight, glimmering above them, ''I'm yours, and you're
mine.''

''Fuck—yes, all mine,'' Draco couldn't keep himself restrained. She was so tight
around him, ''You're so sweet, I can never get enough of you.''
Her hand seeking his. He caught onto it, brushing their noses along the other as
he intertwined their fingers, pinning them above her head. The grass tickled her
arm, but she was too consumed in him to even bother.

Attaching his lips to her neck again, she whimpered, scratching her fingers down
his neck as he turned untamed, and he, in a swift move — pulled out and gripped
her waist. He lifted her, placing her above him again.

Pushing inside her, both of them moaned out as the breeze tickled her skin.

Feeling as her fingers dug into his arms, he bucked his hips, thrusting into her,
and Amelie let her head tip back. Sweet, innocent moans fled her pure lips, and
he sought to taste every single one.

The sphere as they knew it to be was on the tipping point of rupturing — it all
ending, if it hadn't already.

And there they were, in each other's arms, their souls tangled and their life
depended on one another, as the world around them crumbled. He'd never let it
touch her.

Draco would shield her with his life if he had to. He'd protect her life with his
without hesitation, and she'd do nothing less than the same.

It would always be her to him. His Amelie.

''I love you,'' Amelie inhaled, breathing out shakingly with every thrust he
brought her. Her body shook above his. Her hips rolling over his as he held her,
''I love you,'' She repeated herself.

Draco's sight flickered across her, smiling shyly to himself as he let his lips run
along her skin, kissing every mark he could reach. He sucked on her flesh,
leaving a mark right above her scar, making her whimper in return.

''That's the only marks I will ever leave on you,'' He groaned, kissing his way
back up to her lips, sinking deeper into her as she lowered herself onto him, "My
Amelie—fucking hell,"

''I'll never hurt you,'' Draco panted out, his heated breaths ghosted her face, and
his length as he pushed into her, filling her to the complete brim made her
whimper at the words, ''I love you.''

Amelie moaned, feeling as he took on the pace a bit more. He was sitting up —
with her in his lap as he almost came undone by the look of her.

Her hair fell over her shoulders, her skin thinly covered in a coat of layered
sweat, fusing fully with his, ''Fuck, I love you,'' Draco whispered, ''So fucking
beautiful. Only this beautiful for me."

The moonlight shone over their moving bodies perfectly.

It was them and them only. Not a soul in sight as they finally had each other in
all the ways they craved.

She'd missed him like this, more than she could ever come to explain. She'd
missed the feeling of him giving it all to her and herself letting him in — to the
fullest.

Her body rocked with his, and the waver of pleasure rose to unravel within, she
couldn't control it as her legs began shaking and her breaths hitched, ''I'm—''
Amelie choked out, arching her spine, tipping her head, ''I think I'm—''

''Come for me,'' Draco buried his head in the safest place he knew, right in
between her shoulder and the brim of her neck as he kissed her skin, ''Come for
me, let me feel you.''

''I can't—'' Amelie breathed, her nails scratching his neck, and she curled her fist
in his hair as he kept on pleasing her, chasing his own release, ''Draco, I'm—''

''There you go—'' He smirked, whispering into her ear, ''I missed to have you
like this. Now, let me feel you.''

Her lashes fluttered as she gasped out, trails of soft moans fled her throat as her
high welled over her, and he moved so that he'd have his forehead against hers,
watching and taking in all of her as she came undone for him.

He was so close, ''Fuck, Amelie,'' Draco muttered, crashing himself at the feeling
of her being a moaning mess over his body, and he melted right into her, ''I'm—''

Taking his jaws into her palms, she tilted his head back, kissing his upper lip
softly, ''Come for me,'' She wailed out at the tension of his hips, slamming up
against hers. Malfoy's hands gripping at her waist, ''Let me feel you too,
Draco...''

Draco's muscles flexed against hers and his head thrown back, he moaned out,
and he came just as lost as she did.

The overwhelming pleasure of her kissing him through it as she let him cave into
her caused every nerve in his body to be kept on the utter edge.

''I love you,'' He mumbled, hooking her lips in another kiss, ''It will always be
you.''

Serenity around them as the flowers in the gardens flourished, and the petals
bloomed.

''I'm yours, and you're mine,'' She said silently, and she nearly whimpered as he
pulled out of her, helping her to lie down on her side next to him instead. Not
once did he take his eyes off of her. He could never.

Draco fixed his underwear, as did she. He threaded the linen over them, folding
it entirely over their bare bodies, and both of them looked up at the heavens.

''Come here,'' He told, tucking his arm under her head as he tugged her closer,
her cheek against his chest.

She was so tired now, and he noticed, pushing his lips into her hair, gathering
strands of it and settling it behind her ear, ''Sleep...'' Draco closed his own eyes,
''Sleep, Amelie.''

Nodding as she nestled into him, her bones fitted him magnificently, her skin
was made to fit his, ''Only if you sleep too...'' She yawned, feeling his fingers as
they moved gently over her spine.

Her hues hooded, weighty as was his, sensing his chest rise and fall leisurely in
bearing with hers.

They fell asleep, close to the other, peacefully, unknowingly at what the world
had in store for them.
_____
 Eighty

This chapter contains mentions of self-harm, blood, violent actions, and

emotional trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

''Let me help you.''

_____

''We need to leave now,'' Narcissa pleaded the brunet. Her eyes glistening in
tears as she wrapped her fist around the door handle, ''They can't know,
Theodore. You know that they can't.''

Theo huffed out a sigh, clenching his jaws as he straightened his shoulders,
looking over the lady in front of him, ''I know they can't, Narcissa. Don't you
think I know that? I feel awful about this.''

She nodded towards the stairs, sending the upper floor a swift look, ''Then you
better go tell them that you have somewhere to be. Draco knows that I won't be
home this evening,'' She paused, letting go of the doorknob and turning around
fully, ''I'll wait here, but if you leave without Draco knowing, he'll lose it.''

''I know—'' Theodore muttered, using long strides as he marched up the stairs,
stumbling his way through the gloomy hallway. Cursing underneath his breath
as he went, and he halted, right outside the door leading into Amelie and
Draco's room.

A quick knock with his knuckles, he shoved it open, poking his head through the
crack, and his eyes instantly caught the Amelie, sitting up against the headboard
of the bed. A book in her hand and the blond wrapped around her chest.

''Teddy?'' She whispered, lowering her novel and pushing a finger up to her lips,
bowing her head to the boy sleeping heavily on top of her. Her touch rested over
Draco's spine, and she kept brushing her hand across it, comforting him in the
world of imagination, ''What can I—''

''I have somewhere to be,'' Theodore mumbled, looking away from their tangled
bodies, and he dragged his hand through his hair, scratching his neck after,
''And I'll be back in the morning.''

Amelie tilted her head, her hair gently followed as it fell over her shoulder,
''Again?'' She asked, knitting her brows and a concerned look rose upon her,
''We just got back—''

''I have to, Amelie, please,'' The brunet begged her, silently, his voice hoarse, ''I
know, but please, don't question this.''

Looking down at the boy, glued to her body, she nodded slowly and brushed her
hand through the blond strands, earning a groan from him as she did. He buried
his features into her chest, tightening his arms around her.

''I won't...'' Amelie whispered, her eyes matching his again, ''Did you tell
Narcissa? She always gets so worried—''

''It's taken care off,'' Theodore cut her short, nervously in case she decided to
keep her questions going, ''She's not home tonight, she left—''

''Oh right...'' She shook her head lightly. A soft curl came upon her lips, ''Draco
said his mother would be gone, but Teddy—''

He tipped his head back, looking at her restlessly, ''Yes?'' He gulped, his fingers
gripping the collar of his white shirt.

''Be careful, please?'' Amelie let out in a half plea, gripping the spine of her
book, ''I don't know where you're going, but wherever that might be, please, you
need to be careful.''

Warmth flushed within Theodore as he shoved the door wide, taking steps into
the room until he was standing next to her. Bending down, he placed a kiss on
the top of her head, and her face hid into his torso.

Theo held onto her for a few minutes, just standing there in their dimmed room.
He didn't have the chance to hold her as often anymore, to feel the calmness she
always brought him as he wrapped an arm around her.
''I love you,'' She said, lowly and her neck arched, peering up at him, ''Be
careful, please.''

''I always am,'' Theodore settled another kiss on her head, smiling as he shot
Draco's sleeping body a look, ''I'll see you in the morning.''

Theo walked out hesitantly. He loathed telling her any untruths, but he couldn't
be honest about this. It was her and Draco's life on the line, and that wasn't a
thing he'd toy with.

He took the tasks the Dark Lord cursed him with seriously. He didn't afford to
mess anything up or trick Voldemort.

''How did it go? Are they awake?'' Narcissa looked frightened, opening the front
door rapidly as they marched outside.

A nod fell off his head, ''Amelie was, Draco is asleep,'' He said, quietly, ''But
she's not a fool, Narcissa, you might not have known her for long, but she's
clever, she'll figure this out—''

''I know she will,'' Narcissa sighed, bringing her wand out and raised it as Theo
folded his arm around hers, ''But they can't know. Not yet.''

Loops of light trapped them for the briefest of minutes before they landed, in
front of the same castle Theodore had been taken to — the manor he'd spent his
nights at, healing Death Eaters.

''This will come back to haunt us, you know that.'' Theodore spoke up as they
hurried their way up the stairs, flicking his wand to fling the doors wide
magically, ''They will find out sooner or later and when they do...''

''I know,'' Narcissa's curls danced lively in the nightly wind. Her note broke,
slightly in pain at the reality as it hit her, ''My son will never forgive me.''

''Neither will Amelie. She'll hate me,'' Theodore whispered underneath his
breath, and his skin shivered as he thought of it, ''And Draco will probably beat
me to death for hurting her.''

Narcissa laughed out, below her breath as their steps echoed through the
dungeons, ''He wouldn't—'' She paused, peering over her shoulder, and she
caught his eye, ''Well, if you hurt her...''

''Terrific!'' Theodore rolled his hues, groaning to himself as they rounded the
last corner, stopping altogether outside the two massive doors, ''Well, ladies
first.''

Stroking her hands across the length of her skirt, she strode through the doors.
Her chin held high, and her wand firmly wrapped in her fist. Theodore wasn't
slow to follow as he walked in right after her.

''Ahhh...'' The man, seated at the far edge of the table, rasped out, raising a brow
towards them, ''And being on time doesn't mean a thing anymore, I suppose?''

Narcissa pushed her lips together tightly and bowed her head at the Dark Lord
as he narrowed his sight at her, ''My lord,'' She whispered, taking place where
she usually would sit.

Theodore swallowed the doubt he felt and the conscious he'd be damned for
having as he did the same thing, bowing his head and dropping down onto a
majestic wooden chair next to Narcissa.

''So...'' The Dark Lord raised his voice, high pitched as he stood tall on his bare
feet, ''We have some matters to discuss.''

Everyone held utterly silent. Not a breath interrupted the man as the lights
darkened.

''It has come to my attention that your son and his pathetic little lover didn't give
up the hunting of her mother, isn't that correct?'' Voldemort stared straight at
Narcissa, and she could feel how the heads around them snapped to watch her
as well.

''My Lord—''

''Isn't that correct?'' He shouted, losing his temper within seconds, ''Isn't it
correct that he once again slaughtered a dozen of my men without—''

Narcissa pinched her eyes shut, ''My apologies, my Lord...''

''I don't want your apologies. I want your confession. Once I have it, I can take
that ungrateful little boy and throw him into a dungeon, and he'll never see the
light of day again!'' Voldemort slammed his fists into the table, causing several
of the Death Eaters around them to gasp.

Narcissa tried to breathe through it. Not an emotion showed on her pale skin.

''He's been nothing more than thankless towards the dark side, and I won't have
it anymore. He was given a fair chance to heave his madness, but he refused,
and now it's time to put an end to it.'' His tone laced evilly, and not once did he
take his eyes off Narcissa.

''Enough has to be enough and if it wasn't for our dear boy, Theodore, over
here,'' A hand gestured in the air, pointing at the brunet, ''Draco Malfoy
would've been dead, weeks ago—''

''They attacked us!'' Theodore yelled out, feeling as his blood boiled and his skin
fumed, ''They attacked Amelie and me twice. They came for us, and if it weren't
for Draco, both of us would've been dead—''

Voldemort blinked slowly. Not showing a string of fear, ''So I've heard...'' He
shot the man across the table a dangerous glare.

''I held my end of our deal,'' Theo nervously stated, his nails digging into the
wood, ''I have done everything you asked of me, but you failed to keep your part.
They attacked us, nearly killed us twice and how Draco reacts to that — is on
you.''

Theo knew it was a wild move to confront the Dark Lord as he did, but he
couldn't say nothing. He needed him to understand why Draco had brought hell
upon the Death Eaters that night because they hurt Amelie the day prior to that
one.

When they attacked the mental hospital, they searched — she was wounded, and
there wasn't a way to go for Malfoy to let that go. Everyone knew that.

Voldemort raged within the coat of his own skin, but he didn't speak a word —
all he did was eyeing the man at the end of the table, down.

''I believe...'' He said, lowly, ''I'll let Draco have that one, but one more, one
more time, and I'll have no other choice than to end him.''
Both Theodore and Narcissa nodded in sync, wide-eyed and terrified.

''Onto the next matter...'' Voldemort growled out, pacing back and forth in front
of his chair as his cloak dragged after him, ''I have a plan for Mr...''

Theodore cleared his throat loudly as he frowned at the name the Dark Lord was
on his way of speaking.

''Patient 012,'' Voldemort corrected, annoyingly, ''I want him to attend the Death
Eater's ball. If your son and the girl chooses to show up, we know he'll recognize
them.''

''Is that truly—'' Narcissa hushed, lowering her head, ''Is that truly necessary?
My son won't attend that gathering. He knows better than to—''

Voldemort simply laughed out, darkly, ''If I took you for your word every time
you gave it to me, Narcissa, I'd be dead by now, don't think you can fool me. I
want patient 012 on sight and ready,''

He stared straight at Teddy now, ''Is that a problem? Will he be ready by then?''

Theodore knew this would be the end of him. He knew there was no going back
after doing this to them, but he had to. It was either hurting them or them dying.

''I'll prepare him.''

''You better,'' Voldemort slipped down onto his seat again, leaning back in
victory, ''And what goes for Draco if he indeed chooses to show up, it's fair play.
He has been warned.''

A Death Eater pushed his chair back, standing shakingly on his legs, ''And what
goes for the girl?''

Smiling, wickedly, Voldemort narrowed his sight onto Theodore, '' She's been
promised away to someone, if Malfoy ceases to exist, she'll be handed over,
unharmed and untouched.''

''What?'' Theodore gasped out, stretching his spine to lean over the table, facing
the Dark Lord fully, ''I never agreed to—''
An iced look climbed Voldemort at Theodore's disrespect, and he aimed his
wand right at the boy, ''Perhaps you recall the night you begged for dark
magic?'' He seethed, ''When you fell to your knees to make your precious little
friend aware of her missing memories again?''

Theodore looked away.

''Precisely, boy,'' Voldemort continued, gritting his teeth, ''Everything has a

price in this world, and the girl's life was the cost for that. So when Draco fade
from this world and believe me, he will—''

Narcissa couldn't listen anymore. She simply forced her chair back as she stood
tall, keeping her sight grounded, and marched towards the entrance — but a
man rose just as fast, and with a flick of his wand, the doors slammed shut.

The Dark Lord lifted his hand, wavering it slightly for the man to back down,
''Let her go, she heard everything relevant to her and if I might say it myself...
she got the message.''

Narcissa left, tears shredded in her eyes as it burnt, and Theodore wished to
leave too, but he knew them not to be finished with him yet.

''The girl has been promised away,'' He completed, snickering to himself, ''From
what I understand, her life isn't hers to determine.''

''Who?'' Theodore asked silently. His shoulders sunken, and his head hung,
''Who did you promise her to?''

The quietness nearly suffocated him as he so impatiently waited for an answer,

but nothing came. The shadowed room seemed to darken for every minute that
passed, and his skin felt as if he'd been stabbed by daggers.

''I'm afraid that's nothing I can tell you, boy,'' Voldemort taunted, and Theo
sensed a nauseous feeling as it sickly twisted within.

He could never tell her, any of it. He knew he'd never be able to let her in of the
secrets being held over her head. People bargaining on her life and her being
sold out.

It drained him. Every last ounce of bravery he still kept within himself faded.
''I suggest you keep the two under control, or this will befall sooner than later.
Now, check up on the patient,'' The Dark Lord threatened, and he turned away
from Theo, looking out over the crowd of Death Eaters seated around the table.

He drew a breath, deeply as he gripped the armrest of his chair, and he forced it
back, standing plain on his feet. He stilled, just for a second or two, staring
down at the Dark Lord in the wishes of saying something, but he didn't.

Simply, he nodded, and he walked out.

Narcissa stood leaning against a wall. Her hair spilled wildly across her
shoulders to hid her breaking self. The words spoken about her son hurt her
tremendously — she knew him to be in trouble.

He'd done unforgivable things, both for the Dark Lord and for saving the girl
he'd surrender it all for. Narcissa was well aware, but she couldn't stop him. Her
son wasn't anyone to be stopped.

''I have to...'' Theodore hushed, grounding his view as she flinched, quickly
wiping her tears away and standing tall in front of him, ''I have to take care of a
patient, and then we can leave.''

Her breaths ragged as she nodded, doubtfully and Theo turned around in his
shoes, ''It will be quick, I'll be back in just a minute—''

''Is it...'' Narcissa cleared her throat, a pained look in her dark eyes, ''Is it—''

''Yes,'' Theo halted, peering over his shoulder, ''It is.''

''Can I—'' She delayed her words, gathering herself as she took steps up to the
brunet, standing close as they both looked down the dimmed hallway, ''Can I see
—''

Theodore shook his head at first, not agreeing to anyone meeting the patient who
took up most of his time, but the way her voice cracked and her sight flickering
in uncertainty, he exhaled sharply.

''You won't be able to see much, the body is covered, and the head is...'' He felt a
rocking wave of sickness within, ''You can't see much.''
''I just—'' Narcissa let her eyes drag across the boy next to her, and she lightly
gripped his arm, keeping herself steady, ''I just want to see it for myself.''

Accepting her request, he nodded, suspiciously and they made their way down to
the room in question. He brought out his wand, mumbling something inaudible
underneath his breath and the locks on the massive metal door started to make a
horrible sound.

It tore through the both of them, forcefully, until it stood completely wide, and he
walked inside, letting her arm go as she faltered in the doorway.

Watching with tears in her eyes as the body on the metallic bed wrenched and
tossed in the handles bored to the sides of it. Loud shouting was heard as she
pinched her eyes shut.

Theodore didn't waste a second, his wand swept over the body, and he hummed
to himself quietly. Tiny spells of magic ripped through the flesh and lightly
scored around them in all different colors.

''Calm down—'' Theodore had to shout, stopping the figure from moving as he
read the signals coming out, ''It's simple spells, I know it doesn't hurt you.''

Still, the figure on the bed moved so roughly that it rattled against the stone-
covered floor, and Narcissa couldn't take it anymore. She stepped outside, her
spine colliding with the rocks, and she felt as if she couldn't breathe.

She saw it with her own eyes — something she never believed she'd see again.

And if her son found out, he'd never forgive her.

_____

Amelie felt the dawn as it tickled her nose.

The sunbeams stroked across her bare spine, gently and the wind scored lightly
around them as she felt Draco moving underneath her.

A curl arched on her lips, spreading across her whole self as she smiled at the
feeling and the remembrance of last night.
''Morning...'' Draco rasped out, his voice throaty and low. He gripped the sheets
firmly as he pulled them back over their bodies, ''Did you sleep?''

Amelie sensed his skin as it gently brushed along hers and her bones caved into
his, feeling heavy on top of him, ''I did,'' She whispered, her eyes falling shut,
''Did you?''

He merely hummed in response yet failed to peel his lashes wide as he wrapped
his arms tightly around her, holding her close.

Tilting her head back a bit, she peered up at him, seeing as his jaws held sharp
and his eyelids flickered. She smiled even broader. She couldn't possibly hold it
back.

He was so beautiful to her, his ashen skin as the sun kissed it, and his hair
tousled upon his head. Pushing her lips into the side of his chest and he finally
looked down at her, rolling his eyes playfully.

''Let's go inside before your mother and Teddy comes back. They can't find us
like this,'' Amelie pushed herself back slightly. Threading the nightdress over her
upper body, but he wasn't slow to meet her gesture, and he dragged her right
back, locking his hold of her.

''Draco, what are you—''

''Let them see,'' He smirked, bowing his face to her level, and he caught her lips
in a swift move, kissing her deeply, ''I don't care.''

Amelie felt a shaky breath as it left her throat, melting right into him without
question. His hand traveled across her spine, down to her lower back. He gripped
her thigh, tugging it over him.

''Draco—'' She whimpered, her body moved with his until she was straddling
him, her hair tickling his bare chest, ''We can't—''

''Yeah?'' He groaned into her mouth, pushing one palm into the blanket
underneath them, and he sat up, with her glued to him, ''Fucking watch me.''

Malfoy gripped her waist, making her whine out as his muscles flexed against
hers, and he couldn't restrain himself.
She was a divine fusion of heaven and hell to him. Never could he get enough.

Amelie quickly gave in, her lips moving with his as he kissed her, over and over.
His hand on her jaw tightened as she began to slowly shift over his hips.

Draco hissed, ''Mine,'' He said, hoarsely, ''All mine,'' He helped her gently rock
against him, and both of them ran out of breath, ''Damn it, Amelie—''

Tearing away as he looked at her, intensely, her fingers combing through his
hair, ''I can't get enough of you,'' He breathed, licking his bottom lip to savor the
sweet taste of her, ''I want you, all the fucking—''

She connected their lips once more, making him tilt down on his back again as
she bent over him, his hands running wild across the silky material of her
nightdress and her own fingers brushed over his toned chest.

''I want you all the fucking time,'' He repeated himself, groaning against her skin
as he tipped her head to the side, leaving kisses down her jaw, ''How will I ever
stop wanting to feel you—''

''I would say get a room, but you guys already have one, and still, you're out
here acting like two hormonal teenagers—''

Amelie jolted back, falling off Draco as fast as she possibly could, and she
dragged the blanket over them both. Her face buried into the material as her
whole body felt as if it lit on fire.

Draco shot an annoyed glare over his shoulder, watching how Theodore stormed
closer. Rolling his eyes as he spat, ''Piss off, would you?''

Theodore merely chuckled at that, grinning broadly as he crossed his legs,

hunching down onto the grass next to them, ''No,'' He taunted, looking down at
Amelie still hiding underneath her blanket, ''Are we playing hide and seek, or
what is—''

Draco cursed below his breath as he sat up more properly, discreetly folding the
cover over him, ''What do you want?''

Theodore ignored the blond, placing a hand on Amelie's head. His voice high
pitched and filled with mockery, ''We have all been there, Amelie, it's alright,
young and in love and all that—''

''Can you stop it?'' She sighed, flipping the sheet off her as she huffed out, ''Stop
mocking me, it's not funny—''

''Well...'' Theo grinned, amusingly, ''Be happy it wasn't Mrs. Malfoy—''

''Shut up!'' Amelie yelled out, dragging the covers back over her head as Draco
looked away, knitting his brows and pushing his lips together not to laugh at her,
''Just go away, Teddy.''

''No need to be rude, Amelie, is it—'' Draco chuckled, scratching the back of his
neck as he found the situation funnier than he should've, ''It wasn't that bad, was
it?''

Amelie threw her arms put, straightening her spine as she sat up just like them,
staring at the blond wide-eyed and her lips parting in disbelief, ''Are you the one
to talk?'' Gasping out as she shoved him to the side, ''You're literally the one who
made me—''

''Stop!'' Theo burst out laughing, ''No need for me to hear this, please,'' He
clutched at his stomach, falling down on his back as his hair fused with the
grass.

''Then don't start it?'' Amelie muttered, folding her arms over her chest and
glaring at the brunet, ''What if I started talking about the night I walked in on you
and—''

''No!'' Theodore flew up, his hand pushed against her mouth, and she chuckled,
''Don't you dare go there, fine I'll stop, just don't—''

Draco looked more than startled. Still, he couldn't help but enjoy this moment.
He didn't get too many of them, and being close to the friendship the two carried
caused some sort of warm feeling to swirl within his chest.

''No, no—'' Draco hauled Theo's hand off of her as he nodded for her to keep
going, ''Who? I'd love to hear this—''

''Don't you dare, Amelie,'' Teddy endangered, his face held in pure panic, ''We
don't talk about it, remember, we do not talk about this—''
Her eyes flickered playfully across the two, and she smiled, cheekily at the
power she now held, ''Well...''

Theodore growled out, making a strange sound as he bored his stare into her
body, ''Or, we can talk about that time when I walk in on Malfoy and this other
girl in the common room—''

Her veins iced, and her breaths hitched.

It turned utterly quiet, and Draco caught Amelie as her smile slowly faded, her
eyes fell to watch her fingers in her lap, and her whole persona shrunken.

Only that small sight of her, feeling insecure and doubting him, caused his heart
to drop to the pit of his stomach, sensing as if someone had ripped it out entirely.

''No, it wasn't—'' Draco said, reaching for her arm, but she quickly drew away,
clearing her throat mutely. Pain rushed through him at the way she didn't want
him to touch her, ''Amelie, don't—''

She stood up hastily as she brushed her dress down, and not once did she look at
the blond, her lips arched into a faintly forced smile, both of them could tell, ''I
just—'' Amelie shook her head, backing away, ''I'll see you later.''

''Amelie, fuck, don't—'' Draco called out for her, but she was already sprinting
her way to the kitchen entrance. The warm wind scored thickly around her as she
ripped the door open and stepped inside.

''Fuck!'' Malfoy shouted, gripping the strands of his hair as he tugged it back. It
ached violently inside of him, ''Why would you say that?'' He hissed at the
brunet, sitting confused in front of him, ''Hell, Nott! Why would you—''

He flew to his feet, his chest exposed and heaving as he rushed after her. He
tried as he ran to thread and knot the twine of his night pants together, and just as
he marched inside, his breaths stuck in his throat.

''Oh dear, what happened?'' Narcissa stood behind the kitchen counter, looking
startlingly at her son as he was half undressed, ''Is Amelie alright? She just ran
straight—''

''No, I—'' He halted, throwing his head back as he cursed lowly to himself, ''I
messed up, I have to—''

He didn't stand in the kitchen for long before he simply bolted up the stairs.
Hurried steps echoed after him as he stormed through the corridor leading into
their room, and he shoved the door wide.

To his surprise, the room stood empty.

His neck snapped to the locked bathroom door, hearing as the water had been
turned on, and Draco didn't think his heart could hurt more than it did now.

He knew she was crying when she did that. When she let the water run, muffling
the sounds of her sobs. He'd heard it so many times before but not once did he
cause it as he'd done now.

Draco never came clear to her about what he did before being with her. She had
asked him once, but he didn't answer. He simply let the question slip, and he
didn't think more of it — yet it came to haunt him now.

Amelie was honest with him, and he wasn't.

His knuckles struck the door lightly, and he caught the tiny, soft noises she made
as she cried into her hands. He'd give his life if it meant she'd never cry ever
again.

''Amelie, please,'' Draco pleaded, leaning his forehead against the wood, ''I'm
sorry, I don't know why he would say that—''

She didn't say anything back.

It crushed him.

He said he'd never hurt her.

His fingers gripped the doorpost, his tone held low, pleading, ''Amelie, please,
I'm sorry.''

Still nothing, not even the sounds of her whimpers.

''I'll explain it to you, I promise, just open the door,'' He felt a lump as it grew in
the back of his throat, and he was so scared, ''Amelie, open the door, please.''

Malfoy was terrified. He'd never had anything with anyone in the ways he did
with her. No one in this life — any life could ever compare to the brown-haired
girl he poured his soul into, and only this small thought of losing her broke him.

He'd been through a lot in his eighteen years on this earth, but nothing would
ever wound him as much as hurting her did.

They were good together, they had the most heavenly connection of them all,
and she trusted him to the fullest — but Draco also knew how fragile that was.
How frail trust was to her and how it could be broken and shattered to pieces
with one misstep.

Amelie had given him too many chances already. Malfoy knew that.

''Please, Amelie, just open the door and let me explain,'' He was begging her
now, his voice throaty still laced desperately, ''Amelie.''

He flinched back, his eyes pierced through the wood as his chest moved roughly
by the slam heard from inside, ''Amelie—?'' He yelled out again, ramming his
palms into the door, ''Amelie for fucks sake, did you fall?''

Feeling as his heartbeat swelled in his ears, he took a step back, booting his foot
into the timber, ''I will kick this damn door down, right now if you don't—''

Another boot into the door, ''Amelie, I swear—''

He stepped back further, shaking his head and freeing himself from the vicious
thoughts he held. She told him yesterday that she was fine — yet he could sense
that something was incredibly wrong, and he didn't push her.

Even if Draco understood that somewhere in all the strength Amelie had
gathered, he was also scared to death that she'd hurt herself again. He knew the
scars coating her wrists. He'd seen the marks carved into her inner thighs.

Draco knew that she was capable of punishing herself if she felt the need to,
she'd even pushed a knife into her own chest, and that thought haunted him. It
followed him everywhere he seemed to be, and every time she was alone — he
couldn't help but worry.
Just as Draco meant to stretch his leg forwards again and knock the door down
— he watched as the tiny red color shifted into green and the handle gently
pushed down. Amelie let the door fall wide as she stumbled back.

''What was that?'' Draco questioned, leaning his shoulder against the doorpost to
catch his breath, ''Amelie, what did you—''

Peering over the floor, he locked his stare at the mess of shampoo bottles and
soap flasks that spilled untidily over the tile, and he nodded slowly at the sight.

''I'm sorry,'' Draco swallowed, looking back at her, ''I didn't realize—''

Huffing out as she was resting with her lower back against the sink, she
mumbled, ''Stop apologizing, Draco, you have nothing to apologize for. You
didn't do anything wrong.''

He noticed how she refused to look at him. Not once did her eyes match his, and
he could feel how that caused his chest to tighten, and the wind in his lungs
restrict.

''I do,'' He said, silently, ''I hurt you earlier, and I have everything to apologize
for—''

''No, you don't. I'm not...'' One of her hands gripped at her wrist as he caught
onto it straight away, ''I'm not mad or upset I just—''

She wasn't.

Amelie wasn't troubled or keen about what Theodore said downstairs. She
simply got insecure, nervously unconfident at the thought of Draco being with
someone else but her — she'd never imagined it to be like that before.

Never had she felt jealousy.

Adrian would constantly cheat on her, and she got hurt, indeed, but it wasn't a
feeling similar to this one. When her fallen former boyfriend had been
unfaithful, she'd take it, and she'd process it to move on.

Amelie always did that. She let herself feel the ache of it until there wasn't one
anymore.
It faded with time.

Every time she caught him, walked in on him, heard him, she simply let go of
that piece of herself, slowly, a little at the time, but this wasn't anything like it —
this was maddening.

This caused her insides to twist and her bravery to fail her, but she didn't want to
admit to it. She didn't wish to be the person who'd doubt him, who'd question the
boy standing in front of her as he, around the clock, would give anything up for
her.

''What happened?'' He quirked a brow, scowling at the sight of her hiding her
wrist from him, ''Did you hurt yourself?''

His pulse quickened, feeling as his skin fumed.

Her head shook, in denial of what he saw, and she tried her best to ignore the
question he'd asked, ''I'll be out in a bit, Draco.''

''No,'' He frowned, taking a step into the bathroom as he kept his sight hooked
with the hand clenching around her own flesh, and he noted the blood slipping
down her fingers, ''Amelie, what did you do?''

Keeping his voice low, airy, he sought to place his hand upon hers, but she
jerked away.

''Amelie, please—'' Draco whispered, his whole body aching at the way she was
acting now, ''Don't shut me out.''

''I'm not—'' Her eyes flickered, anxiously, ''I wasn't— I just,''

''Then let me see. You're bleeding, let me see—'' He tried again, his face stoned
and emotionless. He felt sick, ''Please, let me see, and I'll go... I just don't want
you to hurt.''

Amelie stood frozen in front of him. Her eyes pinched shut as she drew a deep
breath, and she let her hand slip off her wrist, revealing the wound tearing
through her skin.

Seeing how his pupils darkened and his jaws gritted, she quickly covered it
again. He stared despairingly at her now, ''Did you do this?'' He asked, severely,
''Amelie, did you hurt yourself—''

''I didn't. I wouldn't do that,'' She mumbled, her head tilting back to look up at
him, and for the first time since he'd walked into the bathroom, she met his
miserable gaze, ''I was turning off the water, and I slipped, so...''

Turning his head, he caught the mess of bottles and flasks on the floor again, and
it felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He could breathe properly.

''Let me help you—'' He whispered, so close to her that she sensed his heated
pants as they fanned her shoulder.

Shaking her head, hair spilling all around her, she tipped her chin forward,
looking down at the floor, ''It's alright, I'll ask Teddy—''

''Amelie,'' He spoke up, louder this time, more power in his tone, ''I'm right here,
and I can help you.''

A hesitant glimpse welled over her but withered as she saw how desperate he
was to help her. How guilty he seemed to be for this.

Nodding, softly and he bent down, spreading his hands under her thighs, lifting
her up so that she'd be seated on the counter. Striving in between her legs and he
faltered, just for a second, watching her nightdress as it hitched up over her hip.

He groaned, wordlessly within his own mouth, and he took her wrist in the large
palm of his hand, ''Does it hurt?'' He mumbled, reaching for a towel as he
wettened it, stroking it along her skin to collect the pouring blood, ''You have to
tell me if it hurts.''

''It doesn't hurt,'' Amelie whimpered slightly, ''It's alright.''

Draco used slow, gentle movements as he cleaned her wound, standing perfectly
in between her thighs, and he couldn't help but peer up at her from time to time.

Scanning every piece of her as she sat there, the cream-colored silk smeared to
her, her brown wavy curls as they framed her face.

Her lashes as they battled the twitching corner of her eyes, her parted lips, her
blushed skin. He could never stop looking at her.

''About—'' He cleared his throat, awkwardly and her head rose, leveling his as he
was already looking at her, ''Earlier, out in the garden—''

''Draco—'' She huffed out a sigh, shaking her head at him and her thighs lightly
tensed around his hips, ''We don't have to talk about that, I don't mind—''

''If you just—'' He cut her short, reaching for the soap, pushing a drop onto the
towel, ''It wasn't fair for you, hearing that in the way you — Nott had no right to
say what he did.''

Malfoy let his hand hold her wrist steady. Bubbles fused from the towel as he
began to cleanse her skin again, ''But since he did, I might as well explain it to
you...''

Amelie blinked quickly as she gawkily stared back at him.

''There was this quidditch party after we won a game once, and I was drunk. I
can't even remember with who—'' His cheeks brunt, gritting his teeth at the
shame he felt for treating that girl poorly, ''It was my first...time, and I haven't
been with anyone after that.''

Nodding, understandably, she kept her lips pushed together, gasping silently at
the stinging feeling of the soap mixed with her blood, ''I see.''

''I should've told you when you asked. I just—'' He let the towel fall to the floor,
his face cloaked in agony, ''I felt ashamed for how I was with her, we both got
drunk, and I can't even remember who it was—''

''Draco—'' Amelie bucked her hips, slightly to move closer to him, and the relief
she felt washed over her, ''You don't have to—''

Placing his hand on her waist instead, he helped her shove closer, pressing his
body into hers, ''I know. I feel awful, that's why and I didn't want you to think
that I'd ever treat you like that.''

''Forgetting our time together?'' Amelie shyly arched her upper lip, feeling as a
smile tugged in the corners of it, ''Did you? I was away for a long time.''
Letting his tongue roll over his bottom lip, he sucked his cheek in after studying
her, ''Are you crazy?'' He mumbled, ''How could I ever forget those times with
you? You're unforgettable.''

Her heart hammered mercilessly within the cage of her chest as she thinly
smiled, ''Are you sure that there aren't any other... girls?''

Draco lifted a brow, ''Other girls?''

Rolling her eyes, jeeringly as she scoffed, underneath her breath, ''Yes, Draco,
other girls you might have forgotten?''

The blond strands of his hair had fallen across his eyebrows, and she couldn't
help but notice how long it got again, how it nearly curled in the back of his
neck, yet it was still as soft as she remembered it to be.

Draco grunted annoyingly as he tensed his fingers on her hip, ''No, there aren't
any other girls. There never was anyone else but you worth to remember.''

''Have you...'' Amelie hesitated again, doubting if the question would be worth it
and if she truly wished for an answer to what she meant to ask, ''Have you been
with anyone after we...''

He glared at her now.

''After we had our time together before I went away?'' She blurted out, directly,
scared to stumble upon the words and seem dubious, ''Or after I came back,
because I know I wasn't myself when I came back, and I wouldn't blame you—''

Amelie simply rambled, ''I wouldn't blame you if you saw someone else. You
have needs, and it's been months, and I couldn't hold it against you—''

Draco kissed her, unexpectedly and her lashes battled the surprise.

He laughed, raspy into her mouth, ''Shut up, will you?'' Smirking as he pulled
away, watching her startled features, ''Amelie, how could you even—''

''Because everyone has needs, right? And you—'' She was cut short with his lips
once again, pinned to hers.
''And I have you,'' He said, honestly, ''I have you, and I will never need anyone
else, no matter how much time passes.''

Dragging her brows together, moodily, she leaned back, ''Not even when I was
away?''

''Not even when you were away,'' He breathed, catching her lips again, ''How
could I ever want to be with someone else after I got to feel you? When I have
you?''

''Draco...'' Amelie moved her lips in path with his, kissing him back gently, ''I'm
serious.''

Catching his breath, he tilted his head, staring delicately at the girl he would
never get enough of, ''So am I,'' He said severely, ''I haven't been with anyone
else for two years. A year before, I was with you. It's not like that for me. I don't
crave...''

He paused, looking down at where their bodies met, noticing her fingers as
they'd tangled, ''I don't need other people's attention like that. I haven't been with
someone like I have been with you, Amelie. That one time was... unnecessary,
and I regret it—''

''No!'' She shook her head, her hair dancing around her as a remorseful mantle
washed over her, ''I didn't mean for you to explain yourself like this, I have been
with someone else too, and I'm sorry if I made you feel—''

''Don't,'' Draco growled out, jaws gritted roughly, his muscles tensed against
hers, ''Don't remind me that he had you before I did.''

Cocking his head as he cursed to himself, ''I don't ever want to think about him
being with you, in any way. You're mine and this—'' He inched her closer,
cupping her jaw. His thumb stroked in circles over her cheek as her head tilted
into his palm.

''You're mine, Amelie. All of you is mine.''

A rosy color rolled over her cheeks, and she threaded her arms around his neck,
arching her chest to his, ''I am... thank you for telling me,'' Amelie brushed her
nose against his, ''And thank you for cleaning...''
She drew her arm back, lifting it up between them as she observed the tear in her
skin, ''This.''

Draco folded his fingers around her wrist, bringing it up to his lips, and he kissed
it gently, ''My pleasure,'' He stated, before he tipped his neck, looking at her
again, ''But now that I have been honest with you — you need to be honest with
me.''

Wide-eyed as she peered back at him suspiciously, ''About what?''

''Your mother,'' He said, and he could feel her body as it iced in his grip, ''I know
that it bothered you yesterday, and I didn't push you with it, but I want you to tell
me what's going on.''

Her lips parted, releasing a faint breath, and acceptance ruled within her.

Amelie knew she couldn't keep it a secret from the blond. She couldn't lie or
keep him in the dark about a matter as severe as this one. She needed him — to
do this, to be the best and most secure version of herself, she knew she needed
Draco by her side. There wasn't another way to go.

It was either with him or not going at all.

''I found an address. I think it belonged to my mother and I—'' She looked away,
feeling as his stare bored through her, igniting her soul ''I want to go there.''

''No.''

That was all he said before he backed out of the grip she had him in, and he
aimed around, walking out of the bathroom.

Amelie gulped, shockingly as she jumped down, striding after him, ''Draco—''

''I said no,'' He marched up to his armchair, dropping down forcibly. One leg
rested upon the other as he snatched the book on the table next to it, and he
plainly ignored her.

Exhaling, frustratingly, she shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest,
and she stood there, staring disappointingly at him for minutes.
''Well,'' She said, hushing after as she strode up to their closet, ripping the doors
open, and she picked out a dress, ''I don't have to listen to you.''

Draco scoffed sarcastically at her words as he kept his sight grounded in the
pages of his book, ''Yeah? We'll see about that.''

''Guess we will,'' Amelie snapped, dragging her nightdress over her head before
tossing it over the desk chair. She disappeared into the bathroom for long
moments, and Draco couldn't help but sneak a look at her bare spine as she did.

He shifted a bit in his position because of her exposed skin, but he tried not to
cave as he caught the water turning on and her silent humming as she showered.

What he'd do to join her in the bathroom.

She cut the water off, drying herself before getting dressed, and she marched out
in their room, headed towards the door.

He dryly tilted his head up, raising a brow as she passed him, and the second he
trapped the dress she was wearing, her shoes on, and a knitted sweater to bind it
all together, he lost it.

''No, Amelie—'' Flying up from his seated position, and he blocked her from
walking out, ''Where do you think you're going?''

Crossing her arms, narrowing her eyes in his, she countered, ''To see my mom,
so if you'll excuse me—'' She mumbled, striving to get past him, but Draco
merely gripped her waist, dragging her back to stand in front of him, ''Draco,
stop it—''

''Or what?'' He mocked her. An amused look mounted the blond as the corner of
his lips curled, ''What are you going to do, yeah? Walk past me? Apparate? I
think we've established that I can find you anywhere—''

Amelie gawked at him grumpily, ''Oh? Can you now? Well, wonder where you
were the three months—''

''Amelie, fuck—'' He gritted, realizing what he'd said, and he let go of her, taking
a boot back as he tore his sight from hers. Ashamed that he'd managed to fail her
so many times and it was barely noon, ''I didn't—''
She looked away as well, her note breathy as she tried to conceal that his words
threw her off, ''No, so don't go there then,'' She finished, her sight floored,
''Draco, I just—''

Lingering in silence as he studied her and how much it bothered her, feeling as if
she didn't earn a say in whether they'd leave to find her mother or not — Draco
caved.

''Let me get ready, and we'll talk to Theodore about it,'' He muttered,
displeasingly but soonly, the darkened pupils brightened as he watched her face
shift in anticipation,

''Don't—'' He warned, ''Don't get too riled up already, I do not promise anything.
We'll see what Nott has to say, and we'll go from there.''

_____

''Yeah, totally,'' Theodore leaned back in his chair, dragging both of his hands
through the messy strands of his hair, ''I don't see why not. She's almost gotten
herself killed twice already, so why don't make it a third—''

Draco scoffed, knowing that the boy was talking truthfully, yet he didn't
appreciate the tone he used with her, ''Watch that foul mouth of yours,'' He
hissed angrily, ''You went with her, don't you dare blame her for it.''

Theodore didn't seem too bothered as he rolled his neck, provokingly staring
back at the blond, ''Well, if she wants to do this, then let her do it.''

Gripping the backrest of the chair, he was standing behind. He groaned out, ''So
that's it then? You two get to decide this, and I have to settle?''

''Yes—'' Both of the two best friends said, in sync as their necks snapped to
watch each other.

''For fucks—'' Draco sighed, rolling his eyes at them as his skin fumed in fury,
''She can get hurt, I hope you know that.''

''Well aware,'' Theodore tipped forward, his elbows against the wood, and his
hand carried his chin, ''But try arguing with her. She'll make you do anything.''
Amelie blinked quickly as she rested calmly on her own seat, fading a bit into
her own world as the two boys bickered. Planning a scheme in her head just in
case they didn't let her go, how she'd do it on her own.

Being knocked out at her thoughts by Malfoy, gripping her chair and dragging it
out, turning her around so that she'd match him.

He kneeled in front of her, his hands on her jaw, ''Don't do this. Let me go, and
I'll fix it. I will search that house for you, but I can't—''

His voice slit, making a high-pitched sound as it contrasted his throaty notes, ''I
can't risk you getting hurt again. I can't—''

Tracing the tips of her fingers across his ashen skin, her palm soothed against the
side of his head and her thumb tickled underneath his eye, ''You're tired...'' She
whispered, leaning forward, ''You are so tired, Draco...''

Her eyes snapped across the mauve circles, ''So am I, and I just want this to end.
I want to find her, to know that she's alright, and then I want to rest with you.''

Malfoy let his head rest in her palm, moving his hands down to her thighs, and
he bent into her lap, placing his head against her stomach, ''I can't do this
anymore,'' He said, so silently, ''I can't see you get hurt.''

Amelie's head on the pad of his, bringing her hands around his head and hugging
him, ''I know, Draco. I know, but I have to do this...'' She was whispering too,
''Let me do this so we can rest, alright?''

Burying his head into her lap, he nodded stiffly. He didn't want to. Not once did
he wish to agree to this, but the thought of all of this to be over with — to finally
have the peace he'd so well deserved with his Amelie was more than alluring.

''One more time,'' He stated, arching his neck and looking up at her, ''I'll do this,
one more time and then—''

''I know,'' Her hands around his head brought him nearer again, holding him
steady, ''I know, Draco, me too...''

''Well, when you got down on that knee, I thought this would go in a whole
different direction,'' Theodore smirked beside them as both Amelie and Draco
huffed, rolling their eyes at the brunet, ''What? It looked like—''

''And you look like a bloody idiot. Do I call you that all the time?'' Draco fired
back, pushing himself off the floor as he dragged Amelie with him.

''Actually—'' Theodore began to frown, his brows furrowed and his palms
slammed against the table, ''You do.''

''I don't—''

''Yes, you call me something at least once a day—''

''Oh piss off, I do not—''

Amelie shook her head, rolling her eyes as she strode past the both of them, and
her hand raised in the air, getting ready to apparate herself to the mentioned
address, not too far from where they were already staying.

''Are you two coming or...?'' She tilted her head mockingly as they hushed,
glaring at each other, and Theodore's hand snaked around her waist, tugging her
close.

''Can you not?'' Draco gritted, clenching his jaws at the sight of him, hugging
Amelie so close by her waist, ''It's not necessary—''

''Oh for God's sake, Malfoy, she's my best friend—''

''Exactly, so let go—''

''Enough!'' Amelie yelled out in a half-whisper. Her stare pierced through them
both as she flicked her wand, apparating them to where she believed her mother
to be.

The homely, mellow light that embraced them in the manor briskly shifted into
darkness, and the breeze that scored around them, cooled.

They stood on the gravel-covered ground, her shoes sunken into the tiny rocks as
she looked around, fearfully and Amelie almost immediately caught onto the
fallen house.
It had been attacked and stood weakly in ruins, bricks spread across the yard,
and furniture that had been burnt was thrown around.

What looked to be a majestic, beautiful house now held chaotically — not a

thing in order as she began to take shaky steps closer to the ruptured gate. Dust
flooded around them, swirling in the wind.

Draco yanked her back, gripping her shoulder as she was forced around to face
him, ''I'm not letting you go first,'' He said, harshly and she could hear how
Theodore hummed in agreement behind her, ''Let me look, and then you—''

She didn't bother listening as he concluded what he wished to say. Amelie

simply jerked out of the grip he held her in as she, with relentless tracks, strode
up to the gate.

Startlingly, Draco gawked after her, his eyes broad and in shock at how she was
acting but with a pat on the back from the brunet, he scowled instead.

''Told you she's stubborn,'' Theodore excused himself, marching after the girl as
Malfoy threw his head back, growling within the flesh of his mouth. Never had
he been with two people as reckless as they were.

Amelie pushed the squeaking gate open, and she hesitantly walked inside the
property. The ground fumed in smoke around her and the house flawed ahead,
reeking through what stood left of the roof.

''Careful—'' Theodore mumbled, gripping her arm and pulling her to the side,
preventing her from almost tripping over by the remains of furniture in front of
them.

Forcing a smile, faintly and she continued inside, the floorboards thudded as she
stepped on them, ''They destroyed everything...'' Amelie whispered to herself,
''Do you think my mom did this before they left or do you think the Death Eaters
found—''

Something caught her eye, a shiny frame standing untouched in the middle of the
chaotic surroundings, and she was nearly coiled by the look of it.

Her skirt fluttered in the wind. Goosebumps stabbed her skin as she hunched
down, only to, a second later, be dragged up by Draco's hand, snatching her arm
roughly.

''Don't fucking touch anything,'' He seethed, making sure she stood steadily
before aiming his wand at the golden frame, and he, with an adjustment towards
it — lifted it magically in the air.

''It can be bloody hexed, Amelie,'' He muttered bitterly as he studied it, closing
his eyes and reading if it indeed had been bewitched, ''Here, it's clear.''

He dropped it, right in the palms of her shuddering hands, and he moved to stand
behind her. His chest pressed into her spine, peering over her shoulder, ''Isn't that
—''

Gasping, she lowered the frame, and she spun around, ''It is...'' Her brows
dipped, a curve on her mouth as she thought about it.

The cabin.

All along, it's been the cabin.

She simply never thought of it before. It never once clocked her mind that the
cabin, hidden deeply in the far edges of the woods — could be where she'd be
sheltered.

That she went there to seek protection when the Death Eaters came looking for
her.

Her spine straightened, and her head tilted back, ''It makes sense now...'' She
whispered as Draco stood close, his black suit shirt strained around his
shoulders, ''She has to be there, doesn't she?''

''Amelie, I don't—'' Malfoy faltered, for just a second, watching the glint in her
eyes, ''I don't know.''

''It's only one way to find out, isn't it?'' Theodore strode up beside them, his face
held a cold look, not amused with the fact of meeting her mother, ''We have to
see it for ourselves.''

Theo didn't stall the truth of them needing to apparate again, and he was quick to
raise his wand, reaching his elbow out for her to intertwine her arm with his —
she did, along with tangling her fingers together with Draco's.

Her eyes flickered to watch the blond boy, and he was, as always, already
looking down at her, scanning her to the fullest as he brought her just an inch
closer, ''Are you sure about this?'' He asked, sounding severe.

A nod fell off her head, and Theodore twisted his wand, making them loop
through reality until they were surrounded by thick layers of trees.

The woods stood around them, greenery as far as her eye could catch, and the
tiny, nearly overgrown path leading down to the cabin trapped her senses.

It truly felt strange to her — being back where she hadn't been for months and
everything that had changed since she left the little house behind her.

''Amelie,'' Theo tucked a wavy strand away from her cheek, seeing just how
startled she looked, how weakened her persona portrayed, ''We don't have to do
this today. It's more than fine to wait until you're ready.''

Her jaws ticked. The quiet air around them seeped, and she tried her hardest to
think about what this meant. What all of this could mean in the end — all the
types of danger it would out Theodore and Draco in if her mother, whom she
believed had died seven years ago, indeed was alive.

It wouldn't be a horrifying bedtime story to her anymore. It would be real, not

questionable. Nothing she could play through her mind and rearrange however
she pleases.

Everything would change.

''I'm—'' She swallowed richly, ''I am ready.''

Still, she shook. Draco noticed, but he also keened that this was something she
had to do. She couldn't avoid this any longer. Nearly a year had passed since she
learned the truth of her mother, and never had she been this close.

''We're right here,'' Malfoy said emphatically, ''We'll be right here.''

She nodded as she slowly turned around, her fingers grasped at the edges of her
knitted sweater, hanging over her dress, and she walked, unsurely down the path.
Her steps were weak, her knees nearly caving underneath her as she saw the
edge of the treeline.

Amelie drew a breath, gathering everything left inside her as she stepped out in
the sun, and her eyes fell upon the cabin. Warmth in fusion with a stinging
feeling ripped through her as she sauntered forward, over the high grass.

Movements caught her attention, and she stopped. Her chest tightened as she
realized what she was seeing.

A swing hanging from the tree she used to sit and read by.

But it wasn't the swing itself that caused her doubts. It was the boy, the little,
brown-haired boy playing with it, that made her falter.

It was as if she recognized him — as if she was seeing someone she'd watched
so many times before. He looked just like her.

The wind grabbed her, and her hair spilled messily around her until she got a
grip of it, tucking it behind her ears only to see that the little boy stood frozen
and looked right back at her.

Amelie didn't dare to move a muscle, and the frightening thoughts began to
cloud her mind again. Her heartbeat reached her ears, and her fingers went
numb.

The little boy, who looked like he couldn't be a day older than seven years old,
slowly made his way closer to her.

If she didn't know better — she'd panic.

Amelie would flee and run away, hide somewhere and be in a constant battle of
denial, but she didn't do that now.

She simply fell to one knee as he closed in on her. His cheeks were rosy, and his
skin flushed. Freckles coated his nose and his hair stunned in a replica of
Theodore's messy curls.

The small boy didn't stop until he rested a foot away, and his eyes sparkled
slightly as he gazed at Amelie, tilting his head a bit, taking all of the girl in as
they stayed silent, only looking at each other.

Emotion rippled through her wildly.

As if she knew him already.

''I'm—'' Amelie cleared her throat, still with one knee sunken into the grass, her
lower lip quivered. He truly was a copy of her, ''My name is—''

''Amelie,'' He said, and a shy curl came upon his lips, threading his arms in front
of him, nervously, ''I know.''

He giggled as she held a terrified front. Her skin drained of color, and her bones
felt as if they could crumble, dust to powder within her, ''Mom told me you'd be
here, sooner or later.''

Nodding doubtfully as she bowed towards the cabin, her sight never once left the
boy, ''Your mom,'' It was a hurtful pause as she spoke, ''Is she here?''

The boy shook his head, lively as the curls flew around him before nodding
instead, ''She said not to tell strangers if she's home.'' His body twisted, slightly
and he looked shy.

''That's very good of her,'' Her voice gentle and smooth, ''You should never tell
strangers anything.''

''But you're not a stranger, are you?'' He chuckled, yet inching closer to her,
''You're Amelie.''

''I am—''

''Amelie?''

Her body iced.

Her breaths hitched as her lungs hardly filled with air.

A ghastly facade ghosted her as she stared at the boy, surprisingly at the voice
speaking behind him.

''Amelie, is that you?''

It took everything of her to raise her chin, tearing her sight from the boy in front
of her as she instead peered up at the lady standing tall on the porch.

''Mother?''

_____
 Eighty-one

This chapter contains emotional trauma and mentions abuse. Please read
with caution.

_____

''We missed you.''

_____

Her eyes flickered between the little boy in front of her and the lady standing on
the last steps of the stairs to the cabin. Amelie let her sight linger on that woman
for half a minute.

Watching the brown, thick locks as they fell messily over her shoulders and the
smile she carried, graciously. Her eyes as they glinted in tears and how she
needed to squint, slightly by the sun, sparkling brightly above them.

A fading curve ghosted Amelie's lips, nearly as if she couldn't decide what to
make of this.

Suppose it was something that would rip her apart or something that would come
to heal her. She couldn't possibly place her finger upon what she'd do now.

Initially, she wished to run away. To flee every feeling this brought her, but she
couldn't, and it all depended on that little boy standing in front of her, following
her movements as she stood up, plain on her two feet.

The soft sound of steps marching up behind her caused her to feel safe.
Theodore and Draco positioned themselves feet away and on each side of her.

Theo with his arms folded over his chest, his brows low, and his grimace
judgementally — while Malfoy had his hands shoved into his pockets, and he
didn't even look at the lady, he simply looked at Amelie.
Always at her.

''You don't have to do this,'' Draco said, lowly as he took a step closer to her,
''You know you don't have to do this.''

Amelie's head tipped, looking down at the grass as she felt his hand on her lower
back, giving her all the comfort she could possibly need.

Shutting her eyes, she drew a breath, ''I know,'' She whispered, ''I know I don't.''

He let go of her, taking a stride back again as her bones ached at the loss of his
touch, feeling lonely the very second she couldn't feel his hand upon her
anymore.

''That's mom.''

All three necks snapped, peering down confusingly at the brown-haired boy
standing in front of her, and she felt at fault immediately for not paying attention
to him. His hand stretched in between them for her to take.

Atlas smiled broadly at her, and she smiled back, ''I know,'' She said, gently and
she dropped down to one knee again, leveling the boy, ''I know that's mom.''

Amelie didn't know that her mother had kept her daughter's memory alive with
her son. Not one single day passed that she didn't speak of her — that she didn't
remind Atlas that he one day would meet his praised sister.

The angel her mother had to sacrifice, the life she had to give up in order to save
him, and that they always had to be grateful for Amelie and everything she did
for them.

Atlas knew Amelie. He knew everything there was to know about her, that their
mother told him. She indeed told him most of the girl she'd failed so badly.

The boy's face brightened at that, spreading the curve on his lips wider, ''Then
come say hello,'' He mumbled, still with his hand lengthened between them, ''We
missed you.''

It felt as if someone tore a knife right through her at that. Understanding that the
little boy and his messy curls knew her when she didn't.
Nodding, unheedingly as she let her fingers angle around his, and he gripped her
hand solidly, dragging her with him over the grass-covered ground, ''Mom
missed you too,'' He said as they walked closer to the house, ''Not like me, but
almost.''

Her whole body felt alight as she stalked after her brother. His hand felt so small
in the palm of hers. She'd never felt that before, being this close to a child.

Amelie always stayed clear of children, not to hurt them as everyone ultimately
hurt her when she herself was one.

She wished to have that with Aimee before her life was taken from all of them.
She couldn't help but sometimes imagine just how it would've been with them,
how she would care for Aimee more than she had for anyone.

''Amelie,'' Her mother breathed, her shoulders sunken as she looked ghastly at
her daughter. Athena's voice alone caused Amelie's insides to wrench and twist.
It hurt her tremendously to hear her mother speak her name after seven years
apart.

Believing she was dead and mourning the loss of her for nearly a decade wasn't a
thing that would come easily to another person, but Amelie lived to be anything
but an ordinary person.

Amelie stayed quiet, and she halted at the beginning of the stairs. Her chin kept
low, and her hair spilled over her shoulders.

''Amelie,'' Her mother said again, causing her eyes to flicker, and she looked up,
meeting the hues she could never dream of seeing again, ''Hi, Amelie...''

''I'm—'' Amelie swallowed the hesitancy, slightly shaking her head, ''I can't—''

Her mother nodded, rapidly and she took the last step down the porch, holding
right in front of her now, ''I know, I know,'' Athena blurted, ''It's alright, I know
this is hard for you.''

Draco and Theodore closed in on them, still stopping feet away. They didn't
wish to intrude, yet they couldn't let her go blind into a trap. She could feel how
the both of them stared so protectingly at her, hovering.
''I know it might not be appropriate—'' Her mother spoke, her hands nervously
gesturing in the air as she talked, ''But would you mind if I—''

She didn't finish her sentence until the nod, falling off Amelie's head, gave her
permission to wrap her arms around her daughter and holding her closer than
she'd done before — but Amelie didn't hug her back.

She simply stood frozen into the touch, her hand still glued to her brothers.

''I'm so sorry, I missed you—'' Athena whispered, bluntly, not thinking twice of
what she said, ''I can't tell you how sorry I am for doing this to you.''

Leaning back from her, Athena's eyes widened at the sight of her daughter,
grown-up and stunning. She couldn't believe it herself. She couldn't imagine that
the person standing ahead of her — was actually the same girl she once left
behind.

Amelie still looked like the kind-hearted, warm child she taught her to be.
Everything around them lit up brightly when Amelie came close — that she'd
never failed to notice.

''I don't—'' Amelie kept on shaking her head, so unsure to whether she wanted
this or not, ''I'm sorry, but I—''

Her mother felt how uncertain her daughter felt, and all the attention aimed at
her merely worsened it. Instead — she took a stride past Amelie, closer to the
boys behind her.

Her hands were thrown out in the air as she smiled politely, ''Teddy,'' She bowed
her head at the boy, ''Or is it Theodore? Is she still calling you—''

''Athena,'' He countered harshly. Not pleased at all with her mother, ''It's
Theodore.''

Amelie spun around, still with Atlas in her hand as she watched how Theo
withdrew a bit from her mother, taking a well-needed distance, and he glared
suspiciously at the lady while she nodded her head towards the blond.

''And you have to be Draco Malfoy, I presume?'' She said, cordially, ''I wouldn't
think that blond hair could belong to any other bloodline.''
Draco's jaws gritted, and he looked away, dismayed with the woman as he
sternly nodded, ''And you're the mother, I guess?'' His voice shifted coldly, ''The
same mother that walked out on her eleven years old—''

''Draco,'' Amelie reached for him, her soft note hewed him off immediately and
his grey eyes, filled with spite, crossed hers, ''Please.''

Athena tried to keep the conversation going with Theodore, wrapping her arms
around the boy she once knew, but Amelie couldn't focus on that.

Seeing how Malfoy's body crowded in criticism, she keened that he wouldn't
give in with this. He wouldn't let her mother take any advantage of her kindness,
and he would keep pushing until Athena had to withdraw.

''Draco—'' Amelie said again, earning his attention, and he straightened his
shoulders, looking at her cautiously, ''Come here, I'd like for you to meet
someone.''

She did what she believed would take his mind off her mother's past acts, and
she smiled thinly at the blond as he walked over to them, stopping only inches
away from her. Malfoy's sight didn't falter from hers once.

Towering over her, staring down at her curiously, nearly so close that she could
feel his breaths on her lips, ''What?'' He mumbled, huskily, keeping his mantle
stiff.

Amelie let her eyes flicker all over his ashen skin. Not even in a situation similar
to this one could she stop being astonished by him, and a twitch in the corner of
his mouth curled as he noticed.

''I'd like for you to meet, Atlas,'' She tried to read the blond, but he didn't let one
emotion come across him as she peered down to beside them, Draco followed
the movement, and he saw the little boy, holding Amelie's hand.

He saw him before, earlier, but he couldn't acknowledge him before Amelie
asked for him to do so. He didn't want to overstep or make her feel overruled in
something that was supposed to be entirely under her control.

The boy looked up, arching his neck to be able to see Draco's entire self. He was
tall indeed, and especially to a child.
It was a pause, a slight hesitation from the blond for half a minute where he
gazed down at the child, his head clouded in what he was meant to do, and
without warning, Draco dropped to one knee, still taller than the boy.

He placed his arms flat on his knee. His palm angled upwards as he watched
Atlas let go of Amelie and doubtfully stretch his hand out to Draco's.

Warmth welled over within the pale coat of his skin as he felt Amelie's hands
gently slipping over his shoulders, and she pulled herself closer to Draco,
holding him steady as he rested on one knee.

Amelie smiled at the sight of Atlas settling his hand in Draco's so willingly —
like he didn't know any evil in this world.

''Draco,'' The blond said, kindly this time, his vocals held back, ''Draco Malfoy,
and you are?''

Noticing how Atlas cheeks blushed in color and he tried to stand just as straight
and properly as Draco did, he cleared his throat, ''Atlas...'' It was a slight pause,
and his eyes glistened as he caught into the rings, coating Draco's fingers,

''Atlas Avery—'' The boy hurried, before he frowned, lightly, ''How can you
have that many rings on one hand?''

Draco sealed his eyes for a quick minute, sensing Amelie's fingers as they
stroked gently across the back of his hair, tangling the tips of them into the blond
strands. He loved the touch she brought him, even if it was an unconscious one.

She didn't properly think of what she was doing, that she stood behind him,
running her fingers down his shoulders and back up. It had begun to come so
neutrally for her, showing the blond affection.

''Well, it's not that hard, really,'' Draco said, looking straight into the boy's brown
eyes, ''You get used to it after a while.''

Atlas nodded, eagerly and he dragged his hand back from Malfoy, pointing out
over the yard to the box, standing in the middle of it, ''I have a ring too, but it's in
that box, and the top is heavy. Can you help me—''

Malfoy pushed his lips together, frowning not to let them see his mouth as it
wished to arch into a full smile at the question Atlas had brought. He was indeed
surprised that the boy was so trusting. That he didn't falter with creating
conversation and ask for help.

''Of course,'' He mumbled, pushing himself back up on his feet as Atlas walked
over the grass. Draco turned to the girl, noticing the faint smile on her lips, ''We
can leave, Amelie,''

Malfoy stiffened, feeling as her warm embrace cooled, ''We don't have to be
here, and you don't have to do this.''

Moving his hand up to her jaw, she tilted her head against it, kissing his palm
gently, ''I know, but I think I should talk to her, right?''

Draco scoffed, ''You don't have to. If you don't want to, you shouldn't have to.
Say the word, and I'll take you away from here.''

Amelie tipped her head, nodding as he let his hand linger for a heartbeat, feeling
her skin against the pad of his thumb, and then — he backed away, following the
spirited boy.

''So she has someone now, I see....'' Athena whispered, looking over her shoulder
to see the brunet standing behind her, ''I'm happy for her, that she met someone
that—''

Theodore felt his teeth grit and his body strained at the words she was speaking,
''I wouldn't say that if I were you,'' He mumbled, holding his sight steady on
Amelie, ''You have no idea what you're talking about.''

Athena shifted around, facing Theo completely, and an agonizing look came
upon her, ''I know exactly what my daughter has been through, Theodore,'' She
said, honestly, ''Only because I wasn't there in person doesn't mean I didn't watch
over her.''

''Like hell you did,'' Theodore seethed, taking a step back from her, his face in a
bothered grimace, ''If you did, why would you leave her to it? How could you
just stand by and watch while she crumbled like that?''

He started to sound upset, ''How could you even say that? That you watched over
her if you did then you wouldn't—''
''My son...'' Athena whispered, wavering her head, ''I couldn't do anything
without my son being put in danger.''

Never had Theodore felt as disappointed as he did now, ''So you just left her to it
then? Chose one child over the other?'' He was turning vile, intimidating almost,
''That's real classy of you, Athena, I'd never—''

''What happened to you?'' Athena gasped out, staring vacantly at the boy, ''You
used to be such a bright soul, Theodore, and now... now you're—''

''If you'd been here, seen what we were forced to see—'' He swallowed the lump
in the back of his throat, ''Seen what I had to watch her go through, you'd change
too.''

Athena didn't say more. She turned to watch her daughter as she'd slipped down
onto one of the stairs, her chin rested evenly in the pad of her palm, ''I'll just—''
She lowered, taking tracks away from the brunet, ''I missed you, Theodore, for
all it's worth, I truly did.''

Rolling his eyes away from her, he needed a minute — a peaceful break to
simply calm down and gather his reeking nerves before he introduced himself to
the little boy Draco played with.

It pained him, talking that way to her mother — someone that had meant hugely
to him in the past. Someone he'd mourned and sorrowed. Someone he'd hoped to
be better.

Dragging a hand through his hair, fixing the brown, messy locks he carried, he
huffed out, bitterly and he stalked over to the two boys.

Amelie smiled against the palm of her hand, watching how Theodore dropped to
the ground next to Draco and Atlas. Strangely she didn't feel unnatural with the
little boy. Not in the ways she thought she would.

It came clearly to her. Like she just met someone she already knew, and she
didn't feel the despise she feared to sense.

Amelie was terrified to loath that innocent boy, her brother, for her mother
leaving her behind to protect him, but she wouldn't be the Amelie she'd grown to
be if she did. Never could she hold even an ounce of hatred in her body.
''Amelie, would you mind—'' Athena clocked her right out of her deep thoughts,
making her look up and level the bright sun as the shadow of her mother covered
it, ''I'd like to speak to you if I may? You don't need to talk to me, but I would
love for you to listen.''

Stalling, to begin with, her smile shortly faded, and her eyes flickered down to
watch the gravel path, tracing through the grass, ''Of course,'' She said, lowly.

Her mother didn't waste a second as she hunched onto the wood next to her
daughter, and she — just as Amelie always did, hugged her knees to her chest.

''I am glad that you decided to come here,'' Athena started, discreetly peering
over at her daughter as Amelie sat, curled up, staring out over the boys, ''I know
I made it difficult for you to find us, and I hope you understand why I did so.''

Amelie nodded, biting down onto her lower lip.

''But I wanted you to, I wanted you to find us. I just didn't want anyone else to
follow you,'' She said, still looking at the girl, ''It was dangerous for all of us, and
I wanted to—''

Athena cleared her throat, ''I've played this scenario over in my head probably a
thousand times, Amelie. I didn't know when I would get to see you again, like
this, with you knowing,'' She tried to comfort her in the most desperate times.

It shot right through Amelie, hearing her mother word her speaking in the ways
she did, but Athena quickly caught onto that she wasn't too pleased with
listening to the things she talked about.

''There's no easy way to say this, but—'' She knew that she didn't have much
time, not enough time to say everything she wanted to say.

''I met someone,'' Athena said, finally earning the attention she craved from her
daughter. Amelie moved her neck, looking at her mother, ''I met someone
about... ten years ago, someone I never thought I'd meet, and I fell in love,
heavily so.''

Amelie frowned, her skin shivered at the truth she was listening to, ''But weren't
you with father?''
''I was,'' Athena rose her head, and she viewed the surroundings with a scanning
gaze. Her sight landed on Draco.

"But I think we both know how it feels to fall in love with a savior while being
promised to the devil.''

Amelie's eyes fell back over the blond boy as he rested on the grass, his hands
placed behind him to prop him up, and his chest rose and dipped roughly. It must
be hard for him, she believed. Giving so much of himself to please her.

''I guess we do,'' She whispered, keeping her sight hooked on Draco, and just for
a second, he glanced back at her from afar, looking at Amelie in the way only he
did, ''Or I do...''

''And when I did—'' Athena kept going, ''And when I made the mistake to cheat
on your father, I didn't know it would be used against me later on, and it all went
straight to hell if I'm allowed to say it myself,''

She drew a breath, ''I was very miserable with your father, Amelie. I was trapped
in a marriage with a man that hurt us, the both of us, and I couldn't — there
wasn't a way for us to leave it, not alive and not together. He was too powerful,
and he—''

Her voice shaking, ''He would've done things to us, Amelie, things you can't
even begin to understand, and when I found out I was pregnant with this man... I
decided to leave. He would've killed me before Atlas could've been born. He
would've killed all of us.''

Amelie sealed her eyes, only letting her mother's talking get through to her.

''So I did what I thought was right. I thought I did everything I could to save you
from all of it, but I didn't, and when I realized that—''

''It was too late,'' Amelie exhaled silently, ''It always seems to be too late, doesn't
it?''

Her mother turned around, facing her daughter fully, ''It was too late. You had
already buried me, and I couldn't come back.''

''Amelie, get over here, right now.'' Her father growled, reaching his hand out
from inside the car, ''I don't have time for your little games. You can play when
we get home, but now we need to leave.''

Amelie looked at the doll in her hand. She carried that thing everywhere. Not
once did she leave home without it, ''I just have to get my doll!'' She yelled,
running over the massive front yard to where the box of her toys held.

Arching her back and picking up the other doll, matching with the one she
already held on to.

''Right now, Amelie or I swear to god I'll burn all your toys,'' Andrew shouted,
evilly and he stepped out of the black car, snapping his fingers at her as she
rushed her way to the vehicle.

''I'm sorry, sir'' Her voice held incredibly thin, nearly as she knew he'd make her
hurt for disobeying him, but she needed to bring the other doll with her too.
Amelie had to do something for where they were headed, ''I needed to get—''

''And to think you're eleven years old with those bloody dolls, pathetic!'' He
grabbed her by her arm, and he nearly threw her into the backseat of the car
before seating himself next to her.

Amelie could feel the tears in her eyes by the burning mark of his fingers,
ripping through her skin, but as she always used to do — she swallowed it, and
she fiddled with the belt, securing herself and placing both of her dolls in her
lap.

She was wearing black today.

She often didn't enjoy that color — her mother said that it was meant for sad
things. When her grandmother stopped visiting, she wore a black dress out in the
garden, and she remembers seeing everyone else around her clothed in black
suits and dresses.

''No tricks today, Amelie.'' Her father muttered from beside her, flipping the
page of his paper as the driver began to back out of their driveway, ''I don't want
to see you running around, making a fool out of me. This is embarrassing
enough.''

Andrew was wearing sunglasses. He only did that when he was down — that
much Amelie caught on to and that expensive suit her mother used to yell about.

''Am I clear?'' He snapped his neck, looking down at her, but all she saw was her
own reflection, ''I don't want this to be a bloody circus, Amelie. Important people
will be there, and I have no intention of you ruining anything for me.
Understood?''

Nodding as she held onto her dolls, tightly, ''Understood, sir.''

Amelie knew that if she didn't answer that question — he'd make the nights more
awful than they had to be.

She didn't say another word for the rest of that drive, not even when they
arrived. He helped her out of the car, lifting her before placing her plain on two
feet, and he tilted his head, pushing down his sunglasses slightly.

His eyes always made her scared.

''Do you remember what we talked about, Amelie?'' He asked her again, danger
in his tone, ''About behaving?''

''I do, sir.''

The sun shone brightly upon them as they walked their way down to the
graveyard. Her skin was so heated, and she felt as if she was sweating
underneath her dress, but there wasn't a thing she could do.

Amelie only owned clothes with long sleeves so that no one could see the marks
and bruises on her arms and shoulders.

Andrew gripped her by her hand, noticing as the girl began to zone out from
verity and stroll into her own world of imagination, ''Amelie,'' He warned her,
''Manners.''

She straightened her spine, looking around as she caught the chairs standing in
row and the coffin in the middle of it. Guests sat down properly and turned their
heads as the two last standing Avery's walked down the path to the seats in the
front of them all.

Amelie was saying goodbye to her mother today.

Her father bowed his head from time to time, welcoming the people he
recognized before he gestured with his hand for Amelie to take a seat on the
chair next to his.

Slipping down on it, she tried at her best capabilities to sit up suitably, not
faltering once as she focused on what the priest was saying.

It didn't take long until the guests rose to their feet, and Andrew placed a hand
over Amelie's shoulder, ''Let's say goodbye to mom, shall we?''

That was the first time, even in public, that her father's touch didn't torture her.

This didn't hurt at all.

Pushing herself of her chair, she stood tall next to her father, and she took gentle
steps up to the coffin. Amelie couldn't help but smile at the look of it, how the red
roses framed it perfectly as they lowered it into the ground.

She held onto her father and the two dolls in her other hand. She didn't dare to
take a misstep as her smile grew upon her.

It was truly beautiful, she believed, just like her mother.

''Can I say goodbye now?'' She asked, tilting her head up as her father nodded,
stiffly and she stumbled up to the casket.

Feeling as her smile gradually faded, she looked down at the roses and then up
at the two dolls in her hands.

''I miss you, mom.'' Amelie whispered, tears stinging in her eyes, ''I'm sorry I
can't be with you anymore. I don't want you to be lonely.''

Her hands shaking, drops of tears rolled down her cheeks, ''I brought these for
you,'' She said, silently, ''You always said one for me and one for you, but I don't
have anyone to play with now, and you will be all alone, so you need both.''

Amelie hugged them so tightly to her chest she could before she let them fall out
of her hands, down into the ground.

''Take care of them, and I will take care of me,'' She whispered, knowing that it
had always been the other way around. Amelie's mother took care of her, and
she cared for her dolls, now — now her mother couldn't take care of her
anymore.

''I love you,'' She cried out, feeling her chest as it tightened, ''I'll see you soon.''

____

Amelie truly believed that she had buried her mother that day.

She looked down at the worn wood on the step she was seated on, her head
leaning against her knees, ''Why?'' Amelie sought to balance her words, ''Why
did this happen to us? What man did you cheat with that made all of this—''

It hit her. A realization struck her from the clear sky above them, making her
heartbeat swell in her ears and her breath burn as she inhaled sharply. Her head
shot up, gripping the timber with her shaking hands and shoving herself back
from her mother.

''No...'' She breathed, agonizingly, ''Tell me you didn't. Tell me you didn't cheat
on father with—''

Amelie didn't even dare to say it.

It all made sense now.

Everything locked together in the draining circle she'd been stuck in for what felt
like a lifetime. All the things she'd done, every time Draco searched her head,
the time the Dark Lord granted her body to Adrian for what Draco failed to do.

Why she was the reason for Lucius's pardon, why Draco had to fool her, to begin
with, why her mind was of the most valuable asset. Why the Death Eaters
couldn't eliminate Draco, Why the Dark Lord saved her life.

Why she was dragged into all of this. Why she never lived freely or was granted
mercy in this life.

It all came clear.

''Voldemort,'' Amelie's lower lip shook, even if she somewhere understood a part
of this all along, ''You had an affair with Voldemort and Atlas is his son.''

Athena's eyes held a penetrating dash of strain, ''Yes, Amelie. I did, and yes,
Atlas is the Dark Lord's son.''

Tears began to pearl in her eyes, and she looked out over the three boys, Atlas
teaching Draco something with his hands, and she felt as if she couldn't breathe.

It all added up, lucid to a point where it turned heavy in her head.

''What is he?'' She asked, so lowly that her mother barely caught it, ''He needs to
be something, doesn't he? For the Dark Lord to want him so badly.''

Hurting in her throat as she spoke, daggers continuously ripped through her
lungs.

Athena almost felt the heavy heart Amelie carried, ''They call it a Horcrux, a
piece of his soul. It usually doesn't happen in these cases. Normally a Horcrux
can be made when you take a life, but sometimes, rarely they are created like
this.''

Her eyes sealed as tears rolled down her cheeks, ''Does he know? Atlas, I mean,
does he know why you're in hiding?''

''He doesn't,'' Athena admitted, looking down at Amelie's hands, noticing the
way her fingers twitched against her palms. Atlas did that too, ''He knows that
the world is dangerous and that we're cautious, but not more than that.''

Amelie nodded, sensing sanity as it suffered her, ''So you'll never be safe? He
will never be safe from the Dark Lord?''

Seeping silence trickled them for a slight minute.

''He will never be able to live a normal life, no,'' Her mother huffed out,
painfully, ''He's one of the reasons Voldemort is still alive, and if people knew
about him, he'd have a target on his back for the rest of his life, so I'm keeping
him hidden.''

Looking down at the stair again, she quietly sobbed out.

Her hand on her mouth to quiet the sounds it brought, but Draco could recognize
that tiny, inaudible whimper she made from miles away, and he flew off the
ground unhesitantly as he marched towards her.

''I can't—'' Amelie cried, so silently, ''I can't do this anymore. I don't want to do
this anymore—''

Her pain was nothing against the hurt she felt for her brother. Her body shook as
she pinched her eyes shut, banning herself from the world, if so only for a
minute.

''He's just a child, he's—'' Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, and it wasn't
bearable, ''He doesn't deserve this.''

Even if she didn't know him, only a few days ago realized that he existed, she
couldn't help herself.

Amelie owned a heart like no other — everyone, good or bad, fitted inside that
fragile chest of hers, and it was painful, to a point where she didn't know how to
breathe anymore.

It ached miserably within.

''Amelie—''

Draco's voice caused her to flinch. Her head tilted back as she rapidly meant to
stroke her tears away. She didn't want to scare him. Never did she want Draco to
feel her pain again.

''Amelie, what—'' Malfoy gritted, eyeing her mother down as the woman looked
away, avoiding the death stare he mastered.

He kneeled, right by the last step, and his hands softly wrapped around her
wrists, bringing them away from her head, ''Look at me, Amelie.''

She did, without question, her chin raised, and her swollen eyes, mixed with the
running tears, could shatter him to pieces immediately.

Malfoy tried to maintain that cold look, not to show any emotion anywhere near
her mother.
''Come here,'' He said tenderly. Keeping his tone low for her sake, even if he
wished to smother the lady next to her for making the girl, his heart ached for,
cry.

Standing up, his hands still hugged around her wrists, but within a heartbeat, her
head tipped against his chest, burying herself into the soft fabric of his shirt, and
she was veiled from the world, with his arms around her.

Draco held her so steady he could, pushing his lips into her head and whispering
all the things he knew she needed to hear. Everything he knew would save her in
a state like this one.

''I just—'' Amelie choked out weakly. She couldn't take anymore, ''I want to go
home.''

Draco hummed, his palms caught her jaws as he angled her head, making her
look up at him, ''Then we'll go home,'' He said, ''Let me get Theodore, and we'll
go home—''

''Why are you crying?''

Her body winced again, and it drowned Malfoy from within, feeling as her body
jolted against his. There wasn't a thing on this earth that was more painful than
that, her flinching.

Amelie drew the deepest breath yet, wiping the pearls dripping down her skin
with the spine of her hand, and she forced a smile, kneeling down next to the boy
she felt standing close to her.

Her head tilted, ''I'm not—'' Amelie hewed herself off, grasping that she
shouldn't be lying to that little boy. If anything, in between all the lies his young
life seemed to be trapped in, he deserved a bit of truth.

''I cry easily,'' Amelie sight scanned the messy locks on his head, reaching out to
brush a wave from his eyes, watching the dark, thick eyelashes he carried as they
battled his brown eyes, ''When I'm sad, angry, happy. I always cry a lot.''

He nodded, not minding the touch she brought, ''I cry a lot too,'' He said, and it
felt as if someone ripped her heart out, yet she had to sit there on her knees and
hold herself together, ''Maybe we can cry together sometime.''
She had to bite the inside of her cheek, feeling some sort of pain that wasn't right
in front of her, ''Happy tears, I hope,'' She whispered, ''Only happy tears.''

''Are you leaving again?'' Atlas asked, scrunching his nose and looking up at her.
The sun flared, sparkingly as did his eyes.

''I am,'' She kept her voice limited.

Atlas sighed, his cheeky smile spread out to a disappointed look, ''Why are you
leaving again? Is it because you cried?''

''I'll be back,'' Amelie said, her fingers trailed over his arm, before gripping his
hand, mildly, ''I'll be back, and you can show me all your toys, alright?''

It glistened in the empty eyes at her words. The boy nodded eagerly, ''I'll miss
you,'' He held his breath, wrapping his arms around her neck as he threw the rest
of his body at her, ''But you'll be back, and we'll play with my toys.''

''I'll be back, and we'll play,'' She whimpered, and he buried his head in her
shoulder, fisting his fingers into her hair, ''I'll be back soon.''

Atlas let go of his sister, staring up at the two boys behind her, and Draco bluntly
stepped forward, settling his palm on his head as he tousled the boy's hair, ''I'll
see you around, little one.''

Making the boy frown playfully as he tried to shove Draco back, Teddy caught
his arms, and he stilled his movements, ''We'll meet again, Atlas,'' Theo smiled,
charmingly at the boy as he nodded.

Athena stood up, catching Amelie's eyes for just a slight second before the girl
looked away, turning back to the blond as he looked down at her, seeing how
everything was far from easy.

''Malfoy, Theodore, Amelie,'' Athena bowed her head politely, dragging her tone
out on her daughter's name, ''I do hope I'll see you again soon.''

Teddy smiled awkwardly at the woman while Draco plainly ignored her, his
hands on Amelie's shoulders as he brought his wand out, twitching it in his wrist,
and reality looped around her yet again.
Pressed to Draco's chest, she stood solidly in the middle of their room, but she
didn't form a word. He could feel it as she cried against his shirt.

''Amelie...'' Draco whispered, raspily, clearing his throat, and he held her close,
''Amelie, it's alright. Whatever this is, I'll fix it. I promise.''

Still staying silent, Amelie shuddered.

''Tell me what happened, what did she say to you?'' Sounding so concerned, his
voice tore in agony for the girl in his arms, ''Amelie, tell me what she said to
you.''

Nothing.

It was as if Amelie blocked everything out — everything but his touch as she let
herself cave in to it, heedlessly.

With his chin on the pad of her head, he sighed out, ''Your brother—'' He cut
himself short, ''Atlas, I mean, he's fun. He seems like one of the good ones, not at
all what I imagined him to be.''

Malfoy couldn't see it, but he felt her body as it calmed in his grip by the words
he was speaking.

''He told me about all of his toys. Some of them were cars. Some were dolls. He
had this blue castle, I don't know, looked fun to me,'' Draco kept on mumbling as
he felt her breaths slowing down, ''Oh, yeah, he had these two dolls, a matching
pair. They looked old and worn, but they were his favorite. He said he got them
from someone who was watching over him, but he'll never know who.''

Amelie smiled into his chest. A shy curl on her lips as warmth welled within her.

Her mother was indeed there, at her own funeral, and when everyone had left,
she picked up the two dolls Amelie gave to her, and she gave them to her little
brother.

They were never alone, neither was she.

''But I've seen those dolls before,'' Draco let his hand run down her spine, ''In
your house, in one of those family pictures... It took me a while to remember, but
who could ever forget such ugly—''

''Draco,'' Amelie, at last, managed to breathe, ''Don't taunt the dolls.''

Draco rolled his tongue on the inside of his cheek as his head dipped to the side,
tracing his hand up to her neck, and with his thumbs on her jaws, he let her head
fall back.

His heart missed a beat by the look of her, even if tears stained her cheeks and
her lashes struggled with them. She was still breathtaking to him.

''There she is,'' Draco whispered, the tip of his nose brushing against hers,
''There's my pretty girl.''

The corner of her mouth twisted, trying to steer clear of the smile she felt urging
upon her, ''You're pretty too,'' She let out in a whisper, ''Not as pretty as me, but
close—''

''Yeah, yeah,'' Shaking his head at her, his upper lip curled, ''Don't get too cocky
now.''

Amelie let him hold her like that. Like he always his, his hands cupping her face
and him staring intensely at her — almost as if he was memorizing her, every
single time they were together, never to forget her when they were held apart.

''I think I should—'' Amelie rasped out, swallowing the bone-dry taste in her
mouth, ''Take a shower or a bath, I don't know. It's been a long day.''

Draco let his thumbs graze across her skin, nodding softly, ''I can help you if you
want? Or I can ask mother, but I don't want you to be alone right now.''

''I can take care of my—'' Amelie pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, ''I'm
more than capable to be on my own, I'm sorry I cried, but I—''

Draco caught her hand as it was dropping to her side, and he brought it up to his
lips, kissing her knuckles gently, ''Just because you can be alone doesn't mean
you have to. I can't force you to be with me, if you want to be by yourself, then
—''

The tips of her fingers lingered, carefully stroking his cheek as he looked down
at her, ''I don't want to be alone,'' She said, ''I always think I do, but I don't.''

''Then don't be alone. Don't shut me out and let me help you,'' His muscles eased
at the sense of her touch, smoothly embracing his skin.

''Who is going to help you?'' She asked, her voice thin.

''Seeing you, being with you is what keeps me together, Amelie,'' Draco shifted a
bit cooly, not too comfortable to speak in the terms he did, ''If you're okay, I'm
okay.''

''Really?'' Her hands sought his, and she began to pull away towards the
bathroom.

Draco squinted at the heated swirl in his chest her words brought, ''Really.''

_____

Amelie looked down at the water, half of her body covered in the foam he'd been
pouring in, and the pearly bubbles caught her attention for long minutes before
Draco kneeled next to the bathtub, crossing his arms over the edge of it.

''Is it too warm?'' He asked, dipping a finger into the bubbles as her head shook,
''Good.''

''It's perfect,'' Amelie exhaled, her skin that didn't reach the water, layered in
sweat at the steaming heat, and her neck moved to look at him.

''What?'' He said, grinning at her.

''Nothing,'' Letting her hands down into the water, she cupped a hand full of it,
''I'm just— can I tell you about my mother?''

Draco frowned, pushing his lips together firmly, ''Of course,'' He mumbled, ''I'm
not sure I'll like it, coming from your mother but try.''

Amelie's eyes rolled, ''I'm just... I feel bad for leaving so soon. I wanted to spend
some time with Atlas,'' Her voice lowered, even then it bounced around the tile-
covered walls, ''I didn't want to leave, but she said things, Draco, things that...''
Her eyes grounded onto the surface of the water, ''Things that hurt me and I don't
really know what to do with it. I guess I don't know if I can do this anymore.''

Nodding, he reached for a bottle of soap, pouring a dot of it into his palms, and
he let his hands slip over her shoulders, making her turn around so that her back
would be facing him.

He didn't say anything. He let her take the time she needed.

''Atlas...'' Amelie felt a lump in the back of her throat, ''He's... There's a reason
why everyone was looking for my mom. It's not her. I always thought it would
be her, but it's not.''

She nearly whimpered at the feeling of Draco's hands, massaging her shoulders,
''It's him. It didn't make sense until she told me that she had an affair and that the
man was dangerous... It's the Dark Lord, Draco.''

He stilled, for so a second.

''Atlas is Voldemort's son, and that's why everything that happened — you, me,
Teddy being a Death Eater, Adrian coming back for me, locking me up...''
Simply the light sound of water stroking the edges of the bathtub scored through
the silence.

''It all comes back to them, my mom and Atlas, and I didn't see it,'' She was
heard as frustrated, bitter with the truth of her not fitting the pieces together, ''It
was right here, in front of me and I didn't—''

He grew wide-eyed behind her.

''She obliviated you,'' He stopped her talking, ''She took your memories of all of
that away, there was no way for you to remember.''

''I should have,'' The back of her head tipped against the brim of the bathtub, and
she watched his shirt, rolled up, and the mark inked in his skin, ''I should've seen
it, thought harder about it. It was over six months ago I found out that she was
alive, Draco. I should've done more—''

Malfoy loathed the idea of her blaming herself, ''Don't say that. This isn't on you.
She was in hiding. There wasn't a way for you to find her—''
''Did you feel it?'' Amelie bluntly questioned, ''When you couldn't find me? That
helplessness, feeling as if everything around you was crumbling and everyone
was falling apart, and there wasn't a thing you could do?''

His jaws gritted, dipping his hands into the water as he cupped his palm,
bringing some of it up to rinse the soap from her shoulders.

''Teddy is shattering right in front of me, and there's nothing I can do to fix him.
You...'' She whispered, ''You are drowning... and I know you'll never admit to it,
but I can see it, Draco. You're slowly killing yourself, and I don't know how to
help you—''

Rising a bit on his knees, he held his head over hers, gazing at her from upside
down, ''You are helping me, Amelie,'' He muttered, his lips touching her
forehead, ''By breathing, by being alive and not giving up — you are helping
me.''

Closing her eyes, she breathed in as he kissed her temples, ''I want to do more
for you,'' It was half a plea from her, ''I want to do more for you, and I can't
because I don't know what to do.''

Her knees hugged to her chest, ''I want to help you like you're helping me.''

''You are, Amelie,'' Draco didn't know how else to put it, how to make her
understand, ''You are, trust me.''

A hovering silence came across them again, where neither of them talked for
moments, healing each other in quietness.

''I want to go back to the cabin, I think...'' Amelie let out, scared to know what
his answer would be. She didn't fail to notice the grudge he carried for her
mother, ''I want to go back, and I want to fix this, Draco.''

He thought for a minute, letting the time pass to truly imagine what this could
lead to.

She was honest with him now. She told him that she wanted to go — she didn't
sneak out, and she didn't run away without telling him.

Amelie was giving him a fair chance where his opinion would be valid, and he,
knowing that he'd live to regret it — agreed.

''Then let's go back to the cabin.''

_____
 Eighty-two

This chapter mentions abuse, rape, and emotional trauma. Please read with
caution.

_____

''You know I would. I'd do anything for you.''

_____

Amelie was conflicted, to say at least.

She didn't quite know what to do with everything around her as it crumbled.
Everything spilled into pieces right in front of her, and she didn't know what to
do.

Her mother had left her, indeed. She'd left Amelie to fight her own battles, live
through both Adrian and her father's abuse, while she was taking care of
someone else — while she carried another child.

It broke her heart. It shattered her to know that, yet she could never hold that
against them.

Her brother was the son of Voldemort. Her brother was a Horcrux and someone
that would be hunted for the rest of his life if his existence was ever made
known. So no matter how much Amelie felt as it ripped her apart, she couldn't be
emotional about this.

''Are you sure?'' Draco's voice tipped her out of her own mind, feeling his arm as
it tucked around her waist, ''That you want to go back already? You don't have
to. We can just stay here for a little—''

With a low huff, she cut him off, ''I want to go back...'' She whispered, gasping
out as his lips pushed into her shoulder, ''I need them to be safe, Draco and I—
oh God—''
He was pressing himself against her, drowning himself in all of her as he kissed
her neck, shoulders, that soft spot right below her ear, ''Mhm, and you...?'' He
grinned against her skin.

''And I—'' Amelie pinched her lashes, trying to focus on the words she meant to
form, ''And I don't want them to live out here, all alone with no protection. As
soon as we figured it out, they were just—''

His hand snaked underneath the covers, slipping around her waist, and he
grabbed her hip, ''And they were just—?'' He groaned out at the sense of her
skin, smoothly brushing along his, ''Then what, Amelie?''

Amelie shifted around, not saying anything more as he met her soft gaze in the
slightly dark room. She had that adorable little curl glued to the brim of her
mouth, and he couldn't tear his sight off of it.

He missed her smile.

Cupping her jaw, he dragged her closer in between the sheets until he felt her
bare skin on his, and he kissed her again, gently. Memorizing exactly what it felt
like, having her lips pushed against his.

''I'm not talking you out of staying here today then?'' He mumbled, breathing
hotly into her mouth, and her head shook lightly, feeling her wavy strands of hair
as they tickled his arm.

''I'm afraid not,'' She smiled, fully before she let their touch part and she leaned
back to her pillow again, ''You don't have to come. I can go there myself if you
have other things to—''

Amelie squealed out, her breath hitched in the back of her throat as he sat up
against the bed frame, his hands wrapped around her, and he brought her
effortlessly to his lap. He didn't even blink.

''What was that?'' He arched his spine, holding her body ever so close to his,
''Was that you acting like a fool again, Amelie?''

''No—'' She managed to chuckle out, licking her bottom lip and looking back at
him.
His hair tousled, messy as he lifted a brow, cockily, ''No?'' His lips brushed
against hers, ''Then why would you say that? Why would you even propose—''

''Because I saw how uncomfortable it made you, being there with my mother,
and I know you did it for me, but I don't want you to constantly give up what
you want—''

''Yeah?'' His chest tightened at that as he sought to hide it, ''But what if I want to
do what makes you happy, and we can worry about me later—''

''But I don't want that,'' She whispered, her hands coming to hold his jaws in the
palms of them, ''What if I want to sacrifice things for you too, Draco? What if I
want to make you feel good and make you happy? You shouldn't have to—''

His eyes nearly rolled to the back of his head at the fusion of her inching herself
closer to him on his lap and her breaths as they riched in his mouth.

''Fuck this—'' He groaned, his arms around her again as he tilted her back,
earning a cry to flee her lips as he did, and before she knew what happened, he
was laying on top of her.

Malfoy pushed his legs in between hers, and he watched her, scanning the tiny
twinkle in her eyes and the thick lashes as they fluttered, ''Don't say those things,
Amelie. Don't say that you want me to feel good and be happy as if I'm not.''

Her smile faded, her hair leaked messily around her.

''I am happy, you make me happy,'' Draco saw her expression as it changed, ''I
feel good, every time you're close, I'm good. I don't want that happily ever after
shit where you are meant to give me all the things I give you. I don't want that
—''

It was a slight pause as he talked, his forehead against her shoulder, ''I want you.
I want our story. I want what we have — how we got it. I don't want to compare
or deny. I just want you, with all of your baggage. I want you even if you have a
—'' Clearing his throat, he looked back at her, ''Even if your mother isn't my
favorite person, I want you. I want you, Amelie, and all that comes with it.''

Amelie was held in a loss of words.

''I don't want books or movies. Hell even a happy fucking ending if that's what it
means that I get to have you like this. Like us and nothing else.''

Feeling pearls of tears in her eyes, she nodded, brushing the back of her head
against the mattress, ''I want you like this too...'' She kept her tone low, ''All of
you, all of this.''

''That's what makes us — us, Amelie. That's what makes us different from
everything and everyone else, that I get to have you this way. That I'm allowed
to love you through all of this, because if it wasn't for that—''

Draco sensed a lump in the back of his throat, ''If it wasn't for you loving me,
and I loving you through all of this — I would've been gone, a long time ago.''

Dipping his head forward again, she caught his cheeks, holding him steady
above her, her thighs tensing around his hips, ''Don't say that, Draco. Don't say
you wouldn't.''

''I'm not a liar, Amelie,'' He stated, and he felt defeated. In the midst of all that
talking, he'd realized that his life wasn't as simple as he tried to make it.

Draco fought her demons, indeed, but he still carried his own — a numerous
amount of them as well.

Rolling off her, he fell to her side, lying next to the girl instead, and she could
feel how her whole self ached at that. The loss of his touch when she knew he
needed it.

''Draco, don't say that...'' Amelie mumbled, shifting around so that she was
resting on her stomach, her legs in the air and her chest on top of his, ''Don't say
you wouldn't be here, because you would.''

He didn't look at her.

''Of course, you would. Never, Draco, never have I met someone like you,'' Her
chin buried into his chest, and her fingers traced circles upon his skin, ''I don't
think you understand it yourself, and I know it's not an easy thing to do, but you
are worthy Draco.''

Peering up at him through her lashes, she could feel his chest as it rose and sank
underneath her, ''I know it's hard to accept your own worth, but you taught me
how to do it, so it's my turn to teach you.''

Even if he wasn't meeting her doll eyes, he smiled shyly — a discreet arch on his
lips.

''I will never be worthy,'' He whispered, nearly below his breath, hesitant if he
wished for her to hear it.

Amelie huffed out, tipping the side of her head and pulling herself on top of him
entirely. Her nose brushing against the brim of his neck and his collarbone,
hiding from the world, right there.

''I don't think anyone is fully worthy...'' Her heated breaths caused shivers to trail
behind his ear, ''I don't think anyone could be worthy. I think all of us do
something bad, at least once, but just because we do — doesn't mean we're bad
people.''

He blinked at that, looking down at the frame of her face.

''I think we live, we learn, and then we teach... We teach the ones we hurt to do
better, to be better, and to never hurt anyone in the ways they've been wounded,
if that makes sense?''

Draco didn't think he could love her more than he did already, but he was wrong.
Somehow, every time those breathtaking lips of hers parted, he always seemed
to love her a bit more.

Nestling his arms around her again, he pushed his lips into her head, ''It makes
all the sense in the world, Amelie.'' Draco whispered.

''That's why I know you'd make it on your own, Draco because you're not a bad
person. You don't have an evil soul,'' She closed her eyes, only feeling the scent
of him now, ''You're the most loving person I have ever met, you do everything
for the people you love, and then you hate yourself for it.''

An ice-cold flush pushed through him.

''You think you don't deserve happiness and love. You think you constantly have
something to prove, so instead, you do horrible things because you think it
makes you a horrible person, but you're not Draco...''

His chest felt so heavy.

''You're not a bad person, and you'll never convince me to think that, so if I stop
thinking that I'm not making you happy — you stop believing that you're a bad
person, deal?'' Amelie felt tired again, her hooded eyes weighted.

''I love you, you know that, right?'' He muttered into her head, holding her
tightly.

She smiled, her cheek against his skin, ''I know that. I'll always meet you
halfway.''

''Then you got yourself a deal,'' Draco said, quietly and he dragged the covers
over them, feeling her body as it slackened in his hold, ''We'll deal with
everything later, alright?''

Amelie was still so tired, and she yawned, humming in response to him before
he felt her breaths as they slowed and her heart calmly beating in the bearing
with his.

Amelie fell asleep again. Her body caved into his, but he didn't — he didn't
allow his mind to rest as she did.

Draco stayed awake, holding the girl his heart belonged to as they laid plain on
the mattress. He knew there wouldn't be much more of this — more of them
being them.

Understanding that the world was changing and so were their lives, he held her a
little tighter. Savoring her at his best capabilities. Even if she was lying on top of
him, her whole body over his, it was a feather-light touch.

It didn't feel heavy nor bothering to him. It felt easier, knowing that he still had
her body pressed to his and that she was his to love and cherish.

It wasn't until hours later when her eyelids fluttered, and the tiny, soft, nearly
inaudible noises she made fled her throat, he clocked back to being. He always
seemed to be so lost in her.
Even when she walked up, getting dressed and ready — even if he once again,
tried to convince her to stay there one more day before going back to the cabin,
and she said no, he was still lost in her, suffocating in the girl who now stood in
front of him, her dress fluttered around her thighs in the evening sun.

They were once again standing outside of that tiny house they once found shelter
in. Now, Draco wouldn't even look at it without feeling disgusted as it boiled
within him.

He has such a hard time being around her mother. He understood that the lady
had her reasons for doing what she'd done, for leaving Amelie, but he couldn't
stand it. He could in no reality stand her.

''Amelie!'' The little boy shouted, shoving the door open as he ran towards them.
Not once did he hesitate before Amelie sunk to her knees, and her arms widened
for Atlas to embrace himself in.

Hugging his sister closely, he smiled, ''You came back,'' It was a tingle of
laughter in his voice.

''I said I would, didn't I?'' Amelie folded her arms around his body, bringing him
nearer as he looked up at the tall blond boy behind her.

Malfoy peered down at the deer-eyed boy, lifting an amused brow and arching
his upper lip, ''Miss Amelie over here usually holds her promises.'' He placed a
hand on her shoulder as she stood up, ''Usually,''

Amelie shouldered Draco to the side, rolling her eyes as her head shook, ''I
always hold my promises,'' She muttered, feeling Atlas as he stretched towards
Draco, reaching for his hand.

''Hello again, little one,'' Draco now dropped to one knee, placing his arm on his
kneecap and stretching his fingers wide for Atlas to shake his hand, and he did,
''You got a strong grip there.''

Atlas eyes flashed happily, nearly shyly blushing at what Draco said, ''I'm not
strong...'' He twisted his upper body, his sight darting between the two guests,
''But I am fast, come on!''

Atlas turned around, sprinting his way back to the cabin and both Amelie and
Draco looked at each other confusingly. Crossing her shoulders with one of his
arms, he slammed her frame into his as they walked over the grass.

''So she just lets him run out here on his own like that? What if it would have
been anyone else? He could easily be taken from—'' He hushed, looking down at
the girl as she snickered, silently, ''What? Why are you laughing?''

Amelie halted in her steps, turning around in his arm and her own trapped him
by his waist, ''Careful, Draco,'' Her lips curling, ''You're emotions are showing a
little too much, aren't they? For someone so cold and heartless—''

''For fucks sake—'' Draco groaned, throwing his head back before he smirked,
dipping down and pinching at her thighs. He lifted her in the air. Her body bent
over his shoulder, ''You do think you're funny, yeah?''

''Draco!'' Amelie laughed out, trying to struggle her way out of his grip, ''You
can't do this here, please, my mother—''

''I don't care,'' He growled at her mockery, ''Should've thought about that before
you made fun of me, besides—'' Lacking the hold of her, she slipped down in his
arms as he looked at her.

Her cheeks blooming with color, and her eyes sparkled. He adored seeing her
like this, ''You're mine, and I can do as I please with you—'' He was on edge to
let his forehead fall to hers, his lips thirsting to feel hers pushed against them.

''Well, hello there,'' Amelie's mother called out from the front door, making
Amelie almost push herself out of the hold he had of her as he let her down,
plainly on two feet, ''I'm happy you decided to come back.''

Athena took steps closer as Draco backed away. Amelie tried to stay put, to let
her mother come nearer, but it was so hard for her. Every nerve in her body
stung, and she felt her chest as it tightened.

''We're not—'' Peering nervously over her shoulder, she shot Draco an anxious
stare, ''We're not back, we just wanted to check up on Atlas and you... and I—''

''No, it's alright,'' Athena nodded politely, ''This is your cabin. I'm technically
dead, so this is yours. I'm happy you allow us to be here.''
Amelie frowned slightly, ''Of course I'd let you be here, why wouldn't I?'' Nearly
sounding offended, her mother withdrew, balancing the fine line she had to hold
when it came to her daughter.

''No, I didn't mean—'' She sighed, her hair somewhat danced in the wind, ''We
were going to sit down for some dinner, would you like to join us?''

Defusing the tension, her stare flickered between the two, and she noticed just
how tense Malfoy turned at the question, ''Well, we'll be inside if you'd like to
join us.''

Athena walked back into the cabin as Amelie spun to face Draco. He scowled at
what her mother had offered, ''Amelie,'' He muttered, bothered with the situation,
''Perhaps we should go home?''

Feeling guilty at the way she wanted to ask him that they'd stay — she stalked
forward, leaning her head against his chest, and she huffed out dubiously.

''I know you don't want to, but I'd really like to spend some time with Atlas,'' She
lowered, shuddering at the air as it shifted colder, the sun falling between the
mountains, ''I know you don't like my mother, but I—''

''Then bring him to the Manor,'' He said, keeping his arms hanging by his sides,
''We can spend time with the boy there—''

''And leave mother here?'' Amelie arched her neck, looking up at him, ''That's not
how it works, Draco. Besides, the Manor isn't safe for them.''

He knew she was right. Taking her mother and brother to the manor would only
enhance the chances of them being discovered, and they couldn't have that. He
knew it to be a risk, which Amelie wasn't willing to take.

''One night,'' He caved. Never could he stand against her, ''One night and then we
go home, deal?''

Smiling at the words he was speaking, Amelie nodded, ''One night.''

They spent that entire evening with her mother and Atlas. Getting to know them
both more, learning what they'd been through and where they'd stayed the last
couple of years.
Amelie was impressed, to say at least, how her mother had been able to keep her
identity hidden and obscured. She hadn't seen anything like this. They traveled
from place to place, settling down only to rip the roots they'd created and move
again, all so that no one would find them.

When her mother had heard about both the hospital and the office of the doctor
who'd delivered Atlas many years ago — being compromised, she realized that
all of the places she'd given him, all the addresses she'd put onto paper, were at
risk.

She burnt the house down, along with all the evidence of them ever being there,
and they started over, from scratch all over again, here in the cabin.

Living with the thoughts and hope that her daughter one day would find that
house, that home she left in ruins, and make her way to the cabin by the little
frame she left behind.

And Amelie did, and now — Amelie didn't know what to do.

Tucking Atlas into bed, reading him a part of his favorite book before he fell
asleep in her arms was all she could manage for today. Amelie was so tired of
thinking.

Lazily, she laid next to Draco on the couch in the living room, once again
without the capabilities to sleep. Her mind was overworking, her head spinning
in all the theories and ideas she sought to push away.

Truly did she think she'd find some peace out here, but she didn't. It just made
everything for her — worse, so much more difficult.

It felt as if her skin crawled, seeing the moonlight illuminate Draco's bare arm
around her, his muscles outlined and his breaths hot on her shoulder.

She smiled.

No matter where they were, he'd always hold her like this when he slept.
Protecting her even when he wasn't conscious.

''Draco...'' Amelie whispered quietly so that she wouldn't wake anyone else.
Turning around in his arms, she brushed her nose against his, ''Draco, wake up.''
At first, he didn't budge as she whispered his name, over and over. The tips of
her fingers trailing across his shoulder didn't do a thing. It wasn't until she tried
to slip out of his grip the blond gave up a life sign.

''What are you doing?'' He rasped out, still with his eyes screwed shut, his tone
throaty, ''It's the middle of the night, why are you—''

''Come with me,'' She whispered, her lips stoking along with his, and she kissed
his upper lip, making Draco tighten his hold of her, ''I want to show you
something.''

Amelie dragged him out of the cabin, her fingers tangled with his as she led him
through the woods, down the tiny path that was nearly overgrown now.

She hadn't been here for so long.

But this time — this time, Draco didn't complain. He didn't utter a word at the
walk they had to stroll at the late hour. He didn't mind it at all now.

''Remember this place?'' Amelie whispered, feeling as the breeze tugged at her
skin, but it wasn't too chilly, ''We haven't been here since—''

''Everything went to hell, yeah, I remember,'' He muttered, his jaws clenched.

She stayed silent at that, not wishing to push him further as they stalked past the
treeline, out on the open beach.

''I wanted to ask you something,'' She said, gently as her feet slightly sunk into
the sand, her eyes flickered to look up at him, ''And I don't want you to be mad at
me.''

Rolling his eyes, he huffed out, knowing what would most likely come from this,
what he'd have to cave with this time, and what he'd have to give into for her to
be happy.

''Go ahead,'' Draco stopped, his hand holding hers from walking further without
him, ''Ask away.''

Hesitating, she peered out over the lake. The tiny waves caused the water to
sparkle. Amelie loved it here — especially during summer.
''You know how we talked earlier about bringing them to the manor?'' Her voice
thin, swallowed by the air around them, ''And how we can't do that, because it's
too risky?''

''Yeah...'' He didn't quite know where she was going with it, ''We talked about it
just a few hours ago, Amelie?''

He frowned, a doubtful grimace mounted him, ''What is this about?''

Twisting her feet into the sand, she excitedly angled herself towards him, ''What
if...'' Scared to actually speaking her mind about this, in remembrance of how it
turned out last time.

''What if we buy another house—''

His brows immediately knitted, sighing loudly at her.

''Together? What if you and I buy a house, or I can buy it, but it can be ours?
Somewhere we can start over with them, and they'll be safe with us?''

Cocking his head, he looked away, ''So you want me to live with your mother?''
He asked, pure antipathy breaking through his hoarse note, ''You actually want
me to live underneath the same roof as her?''

Malfoy dragged a ring-clad hand through his hair, tugging it back as his pearly
eyes lit up in the icing light of moonlight glimmering on the waterline.

Amelie was quick to grab his hand, holding it between them, her fingers stroking
the spine of it, ''No, I want you to live with me,'' A shy smile climbed her, ''I
want you to live with me, Draco and I want Atlas, Teddy, your mother and yes,
my mother too, to live with us.''

Gritting his teeth, he still didn't look at her. He didn't want to make her
disappointed with him, ''Amelie, I'm all for buying a new mansion with you. I
want nothing else than to live with you in something that's ours, but your mother,
I don't know—''

Amelie waited for him to say something more. To let his inner conflict spill out
and let his thoughts leak for her to understand him.
''I can't stand her. She left you to that damn monster, and I don't—'' He let his
eyes seal, taking a deep breath, ''I can't stand by what she did. Hunted by the
Dark Lord or not, you're the only thing keeping me together, and what person
would I be if I forgave her for hurting you?''

A razor-sharp dash pained her eyes, ''Draco...''

''No, I'll think about it, but I can't promise that I'll be okay with this,'' His gruff
vocals louder, ''I'll think about it, alright?''

Nodding as she looked away too, gazing over the ruins of a house standing at the
edge of the beach and she smiled, even if it hurt her that Draco wouldn't be okay
with her mother. That he'd have a problem living with her, she at the same time
— knew she couldn't be upset about it.

Draco had all reasons in the word to loath her mother.

Her feet stumbled as she kicked her shoes off, taking tracks away from the
blond, and he looked at her, puzzlingly, ''Amelie, what the hell are you—''

She didn't answer, she simply kept walking, nearly running towards the water as
she tugged her dress off, letting it fling to the sand, and she, without warning,
unhooked her bra, leaving him gawking at her from a distance.

''Amelie, for fucks sake, it's the middle of the night!'' He yelled after her, rolling
his neck as he watched her bare figure at the shoreline, her toes nudged by the
midst water.

''It's always the middle of the night somewhere!'' She shouted back, laughter
hewed her off, letting her skin alter with the cold as she took step by step.

Draco groaned to himself, but at the same time, he couldn't help but smile at the
way she was acting — Amelie, without exception, managed to find a way to
enjoy the heartbreaking times. To not let it immerse her more than it already did.

He adored that about her, ''Fucking hell—'' Draco muttered, booting his shoes
off, and as he ran towards her, he unbuckled his pants, shoving them down his
legs and stepping out of them.

Hauling his so far half unbuttoned shirt over his head, tossing it next to her
dress, he rushed up behind her. His arms blanketed her thighs and spine as she
laughed out.

''Draco, please—'' His muscles clenched flexed, breathing heavily, ''No, no, no,
Draco!''

Lifting her into his arms, he marched down the water, ''You need to stop running
away from me, Miss,'' He spoke into her head, and before she had a chance of
replying — he threw her into the water, entirely.

Her whole body drenched as she gasped, wiping the drops off her face the very
second she reached the surface, ''That's not fair—'' Amelie chuckled, her hair
spilling wildly around her.

''It's never fair, is it?'' He mocked, rolling his tongue on the inside of his cheek,
eyeing her down, ''You ran away, again, so I did what I had to—''

Amelie cupped her hands in the water before throwing it on him, and he nearly
stumbled back, ''Amelie, stop that—''

She did it again, bursting out in laughter, ''What was that, Draco?'' Another palm
of water iced at his ashen skin, ''Beg,'' She smirked proudly.

His arms hugged around him, and he frowned, displeased with the situation she
held him hostage in, ''Beg?'' He scoffed, amusingly, ''You want me to beg you?''

Boldly, Amelie bowed her head, the waterline held up to her collarbones as he
stood afar, ''Yes, beg, and I'll stop.''

She threw more water onto the boy, ''I can just leave,'' He quirked a brow, his
pupils held darkly, ''I can walk up and leave you all alone here.''

Amelie didn't let the smile on her lips fade this time, throwing another fist of
water at him.

''Stop it—''

''Then beg—'' Taking a step forward, she revealed more of her chest, and his
eyes dropped to watch it, clenching his jaws at the sight of her bare skin, ''Beg,
or leave.''
Malfoy bit down his lower lip, knowing that the stubborn girl in front of him
would refuse to cave to this, and he, knowing he'd regret it, stormed towards her
in between the waves.

''Draco—'' Amelie cried out, backing away from him in the attempt to save
herself from the hell he'd bring down on her for making him beg her, ''Draco,
please—''

''No,'' He said, loudly and he swam closer, gripping her waist underneath the
water, slamming her body into his, ''You're not getting away with this one.''

Draco kept her close. His breathing calmed, as did hers. Simply holding each
other in the water, she folded her arms across his neck, placing her chin on his
shoulder.

It turned still, serenely around them, only their breaths heard as the wind danced
in circles. Amelie let her fingers play with the ends of his damp hair, hugging
him. Her legs wrapped around his waist.

This tiny moment, them in the water, in the middle of the night, moonlight as it
ignited their tangled bodies, their souls intertwined. It was just them, finding a
peaceful stroke in the heavy sphere.

Draco's hand moved to her neck, gently gripping it and her head fell back,
leveling his soft gaze, and he looked at her for minutes.

He watched as her lower lip shuddered, jewels of drops coating her porcelain
skin, in crown silence.

His lips parted, a shaky breath escaped him, ''I will—'' He couldn't shape a
proper word with her, looking at him in the way she did, her lashes wet, her hair
tousled.

Amelie was his whole world. The scene framing them held astonishing, indeed,
but nothing could ever compare to her and that arch, tugging at the corner of her
mouth.

He knew he'd never be able to give her everything she deserved in this life
because there wouldn't be enough things. Nothing would ever be valuable
enough to measure up to the girl clinging onto him.
But Draco wished to try. He strived to at least give her a piece of the world while
she was his. He would always meet her halfway.

He drew a breath, deeply inhaling, ''I will move in with you,'' He said, his eyes
trapped in hers, in no reality could he ever look away from her, ''I'll move in with
you, Teddy, Atlas, your mom, hell I even force my mom to come, but—''

Amelie wanted to kiss him, he could tell how her brows lifted and her face held
near his.

''But...?'' She whispered. Her body tensed.

Feeling how his muscles strained at the intimacy, Malfoy breathed out, ''But you
need to let me buy it for you.''

''Draco—''

''No,'' He slowly waved his head, ''You can pick whichever house, castle,
mansion you want. I don't care what you choose, but I want to buy it for you, and
I want it to be ours.''

Her eyes watered, feeling how tears prickled in the brim of them, and she pushed
her lips to his, kissing him, ''Really?'' She whispered, her fingers combed
through his hair, ''You'd really do this for me?''

Draco moved his lips along hers, tensing the grip of her neck as her soaked hair
tickled his arm, ''You know I would. I'd do anything for you.''

''Even buy me a castle?'' Her lashes battled, surprisingly.

Nodding, the water stained their bodies, ''Even buy you a castle, I'd buy you five
of them if you so wished.''

''I can buy it myself, you know I can—'' Draco pushed a finger up to her lips,
shaking his head at her.

''That wasn't the deal. I get to buy it for you, and I'll move in with you,'' He
studied her expression to that, the tears as they pooled her eyes, fusing with the
lake water, and her lip didn't quiver anymore.
He always made her warm enough.

''Then buy it for me,'' Amelie gasped, her face brightly alight from the
overwhelming warmth she felt within, her heart hammered, ''I don't care, I just
want you.''

He couldn't resist her, kissing her again. Feeling her hands as they moved across
his shoulders and her body tightly pressed to his.

Both of them found a safe haven, a shelter in the other, in the mightiest storm as
it rose above them.

_____

''Tea?'' Athena asked politely as she reached over the table, collecting the dishes,
''I can put on some more if anyone wants?''

Amelie shot a quick look over to the blond boy sitting next to her as he pushed
his lips together, trying with all he had not to let out a rude comment to what her
mother asked, and Amelie smiled shyly to herself at the way he sought to calm
himself.

''No, thank you,'' She said, her hand searching his underneath the table, and the
very instant he felt the tips of her fingers stroking over his wrist, he looked
eased. Amelie always seemed to make him rest.

''Draco—'' The giggling voice came unexpectedly from behind them as both
Amelie and Draco turned around, looking at the little boy, standing with the glint
of hope in his eyes.

Nodding, he rested his elbow on the backrest of his seat, ''Atlas?'' Draco
mumbled, raising a brow at the boy calling his name, ''What can I do for you?''

Draco couldn't deny the fact that he indeed enjoyed Atlas being attached to him
already. He figured it was the lack of other boys in his life since he'd always
lived with his mother. It was adorable to Malfoy, having a child that wasn't
intimidated by him.

Atlas didn't say a word. He simply reached his hand out, tugging at Draco's arm,
''I want to show you something, come,'' He laughed out, pulling and tossing at
the blond's shirt, ''It's outside!''

Draco cocked his head, looking straight at Amelie as she nodded, ''Go ahead, I'll
be out in a bit.'' She smiled cheekily at both of them.

Malfoy rose from his seat, pushing his lips into Amelie's head before he got
dragged out the door by Atlas.

She looked after them as they went, and her sight lingered through the kitchen
window, watching as both of the boys slipped onto the ground right where the
toys were.

''Are you sure you don't want some more tea?'' Athena asked again, placing a pot
of it in front of her on the table as she hunched down onto her seat again, looking
curiously at her daughter.

Twitching her mouth a bit, shifting around on her chair, she huffed out, ''One
more cup then,'' Amelie tried to be as civil as she knew how with her mother,
''You still drink a lot, I see.''

''I do—'' Athena smiled, pouring the steaming liquid into a cup, ''It's my favorite
thing.''

Amelie looked down at the hot fumes, ''I remember,'' She said quietly before her
sight darted back up and Draco, running around with Atlas, caught her attention.

''Amelie...'' Her mother recognized that slight crack in Amelie's voice, ''Can we
talk, you and me? I feel like there's a few things we need to sort out before we
can move past this.''

Her teeth gritted at the terms her mother spoke as if the seven years her mother
had abandoned her could be solved over a cup of tea, but with the heart Amelie
carried, she nodded.

''I'd like to—'' Her mother sighed, pathing the cup up to her lips and taking a sip
of her tea, ''I'd like to apologize, Amelie. For what I did to you and for what I left
you with, I know it's been hard for you—''

''You think?'' Amelie couldn't control it. In no verity could her mother possibly
know what she'd been through, ''You actually think you know what I've been
through? You think you know how father treated me after you left?''

''Amelie—''

''Did you know he promised me away? That he forced me to take the

unbreakable vow and tie my life to a monster? Did you know that Adrian beat
me more than my father did? That he raped me so many times that I lost count?
That he kept me tied up in a small, dark room for months and that he hurt me in
ways you don't even read in books, did you know that, mother?''

Athena's eyes widened, but she didn't say a word.

''Did you know that father made me clean up the bodies he slaughtered? That I
had to close the eyelids of dead people just to learn a lesson? That he punished
me with the ends of his cigars if I didn't? That I have been hurt, mother, that I
have been so hurt for years while you went into hiding?''

It hurt to speak. It hurt to admit everything she'd never spoken out loud.

''Amelie, please—''

''I was twelve!'' Her voice louder now, ''I was twelve years old when you left me,
and for seven years, I had to live through that. Father hated me for you dying. He
hurt me so much just because he couldn't hurt you anymore and Adrian—''

She was on the tipping point of tears. Her chest stung so vividly.

''I killed myself, mother. I drove a knife into my chest after being locked up for
months because of you. You had a child with that man, and we couldn't find you
in time, so the Dark Lord had Adrian released, and he found me, he killed—''

The tears didn't falter, and she sobbed out at the thought of Pansy and Aimee.

''He killed a girl who was pregnant with his child because he hated me. All
because we couldn't find you and Teddy—'' Her chest heaved uncontrollably,
''Teddy went through hell for that. He had to hold everyone together while he
was drowning inside. They turned him into a Death Eater, and he's still going—''

''Amelie, dear, please, listen to me—''

''He's eighteen years old, mother and the things he had to do. The things he had
to see for all of this to be put together, it wasn't human. Not to speak about
Draco—''

Drops of tears poured down her cheeks as she looked straight at her mother.

This was one of the hardest parts for her, thinking about what Draco had done.

''He died with me. A piece of him died with me, mother. He did everything he
could, he searched my mind, he killed my father, and he sacrificed so much for
me to be safe, only for me to be taken from him, over and over. The things he
had to do, the things he had to do for me, for Teddy, for you! You have no idea
what he's been through — what your mistake did to all of us.''

Her mother's eyes shun in tears.

''My life hasn't been mine for seven years, all because of you cheated and you
left to save another child. You even told me this before you left, and then — then
you took it away. Teddy's life was ruined, and Draco—''

Amelie shut her eyes closed, banning the world from around her as she thought
of Malfoy.

''Draco died inside, he will never be the same again and still—''

This was pure torture to her, never had Amelie opened up as she did now.

''Still, I would never hold that against you or Atlas. I could never be that person
because no matter how much you betrayed me — how much you betrayed all of
us, I could never do what you did to me. I would never leave the two of you out
to dry.''

Athena was crying too now, but Amelie didn't cave. For a year had she known
that her mother was alive, and for nearly a year, she'd thought about how she'd
say this.

Even if it crushed her bones and wrenched her insides — Amelie needed to get
this out.

''They have taught me so much better, Teddy, Draco, Narcissa, Pansy —

everyone has taught me more than you ever have. I mourned you, I cried at your
grave every bloody Saturday, and I took every beating that was meant for you.
So no, mother. You don't know. You don't know anything about what I or those
two have been through. You might think you do, but you don't.''

Amelie hushed down, shaking her head and wiping the tears falling from her
eyes. She didn't want Draco or Atlas to see her cry if they walked inside.

''I'm sorry,'' The girl whispered, ''I'm sorry you had to go through what you did. I
am, I am so sorry that you and Atlas couldn't live freely, no one deserves to go
through what you did, but don't you dare come to me and ask for my forgiveness
before you know what you did to us.''

Athena wasn't surprised that Amelie was talking in the ways she did. She was
right all along. Her mother had always seen the strong and powerful girl she
lived to be. Not once did she doubt that when she left — Amelie was the one
who would come out of this alive.

Always did Athena know it, that this wouldn't break her. It would take pieces of
her daughter indeed, but she knew all along that Amelie would survive. Even the
twelve years she got with her before she fled, Amelie was like no other.

As a child, she dwelt to be the most brilliant human Athena had ever seen, so
warm and kind-hearted. Even when her father was as ruthless as he could with
her, she'd still kiss him goodnight or place a blanket over him when he'd passed
out on the couch from drinking too much.

Amelie was everything Athena wished for her to be, if not more.

There were no excuses for what she'd done to her daughter. She knew that. She
understood that Amelie most likely wouldn't forgive her for the sins she'd
committed. No one should. Athena was well aware that she, one day, would pay
for everything she'd done.

Rightly so, she'd earned her punishment on this earth for the misdeeds she'd
pledged.

''I know,'' Athena said, nodding and drying the tears spilling down her skin, ''I
know what I did to you and all of your friends is unforgivable. It truly is,
Amelie. It's something I will stand responsible for, and I will take accountability
for everything I have done...''

Amelie looked away.

''I know I did you incredibly wrong, and I am so sorry for doing so, you have no
idea just how much it hurts me to know what all of you have gone through
because of me, but I want you to know—'' Her mother reached for her hand,
gripping it tightly in her hand, ''I want you to know that I will make this right, I
promise. I can't undo the past, but I can do everything I can to make the future
better.''

She was begging her daughter now.

''You have all right in this world to be upset with me, and I wouldn't blame you
for being angry with me, Amelie. I would, if my mother did to me what I did to
you — I would've been furious, but you were never like me. I was weak. I
couldn't stand against your father, and I couldn't stand against Voldemort.''

Amelie's eyes flickered, looking up at her mother again.

''I am sorry for that, for being weak and not giving you the life you deserved.
That will haunt me for the rest of my life... You and Atlas are my redemption,
both of you took something so vile, and you turned it into something so
beautiful, and I wished I could, but I wasn't like the two of you, and I am happy
you found us, Amelie, I am happy Atlas gets to learn all of this from someone
worthy—''

Tears threatened in Athena's eyes again, ''So I won't apologize — I will thank
you. Thank you, Amelie, for being everything I never was. Thank you for
finding us and for giving Atlas a try at a future he truly deserves. Thank you, for
being you—''

Her mother was cut off by Amelie's arms wrapping around her neck, and she
hugged her so close, ''Thank you...'' Athena whispered into her daughter's touch,
''Thank you for coming back to us.''

Amelie held onto her mother with everything she had, and it was as if she
drowned herself into the embrace, her mother's arms around her and her words
close to her ear.
''Thank you for keeping him safe,'' Amelie whispered, feeling the tears as they
prickled in her eyes again by the thought of that little boy, for finally having
someone to share it all with, ''Thank you for saving Atlas and for being safe...''

Never had a soul been as forgiving as hers.

They stood there, holding each other in the peacefulness for moments, only
them.

A slight sigh escaped her throat as Amelie let go and looked outside, watching
the blond boy her heart belonged to, lifting her brother up in the air — placing
him on his shoulders.

''He's really good with him...'' Athena said, keeping a hand on her daughter's
shoulder, ''He's really good with kids. I can tell. I hope you come and visit more,
so Atlas can be around you two—''

Amelie withdrew from her mother's hold, slipping down on her chair again, and
it made her mother scowl bewilderingly as she copied her daughter's act. Sitting
down on her own seat again.

''Is everything—''

Amelie cleared her throat, looking down in her lap where her fingers held
tangled, ''I wanted to talk to you about something if that's alright with you?''

Her mother nodded, surprised to the question, ''Of course, dear, anything.''

''We...'' She peered back out the window, and her heart missed a beat at the way
Draco smiled, ''I know it's sudden and probably not a good idea at all, but we
have been living at the Malfoy Manor for almost a year now, and I wanted you
two to come and live with us, but it's not safe...''

Athena knitted her brows, not really sure where her daughter was going with
this.

''Draco and I are buying a house, and we'd like for you to move in with us.''

_____
 Eighty-three

_____

''The sunrise.''

_____

Amelie and Draco spent another night at the cabin with her little brother and her
mother.

They both knew that Narcissa had meetings across the country, and Theodore
was in the wind — as he usually was these days. But Amelie didn't mind. She
felt utterly safe in the embrace of the cabin, and to have both Draco and Atlas
close to her caused it all to feel even more alright.

Yet, it wasn't always pleasant. Draco and Athena didn't spare as much as a look
in the other one's direction, and not a word spilled between them. It was a
hovering silence when Atlas or Amelie failed to speak.

Not even her hand as it brushed against his underneath the table or her legs
crossed with his as they sat on the ground, playing with Atlas in the sunshine —
could ease the blond's nerves when it came to her mother.

He didn't want to build a relationship with the lady. He didn't crave to have
anything to do with her at all. All Malfoy wished was to buy a mansion big
enough so that they could stay at different ends of it and never see each other.

Draco did this for her.

He was at the cabin, drinking her mother's bloody tea and playing with her little
brother because she deserved it. She'd been through hell and back to find her
mother, and this was the least he could do for her.

But Draco didn't seem to loath it as much as he let on. It was frankly peaceful to
him as well — being in nature, sleeping next to her on the couch, resting so close
to her on that tiny space so that she couldn't roll away from him, walking
through the forest, and catching her every time she stumbled. Watching her eyes
glimmer in the sunset, her brother when threw himself over her, attacking her
with his toys.

It couldn't be more heaven in the misery to him.

And now — now he was buying a house with her. Their own safe haven where
they'd be safe from everyone and everything.

Never had life felt worth living to him unless it was with her.

Amelie smiled as she looked down at the sleeping blond next to her, her thumb
brushing over his outlined cheekbone, and she kissed his nose, mumbling, ''I'll be
right back,'' Underneath her breath.

Draco — even as he rested heavily within the world of imagination, gripped her
waist, and he pulled her back down onto the soft fabric, ''You're not going
anywhere...''

Burying his head into the brim of her neck, she laughed out softly. Tickling her
and keeping her pinned down as she sighed, ''I want to watch the sunrise...''
Amelie whispered, pushing her lips into his head.

''Then I'll come with you,'' Draco yawned, tilting his head back to glance at her.
A curve played on his lips at the way her hair had tangled, but Amelie shook her
head, leaning over him.

''You need to sleep. Give me ten minutes, and I'll be right back,'' Brushing her
lips along with hers, he connected them. Kissing her so gently, ''Please sleep,
Draco.''

Malfoy groaned, rolling his eyes at her as she kneeled back, jumping off the
couch in nothing but her underwear, and she was quick to thread her dress over
her body.

Yet again, Draco didn't fail to sneak a glimpse of her bare skin before he buried
his head into his pillow, ''For fucks sake,'' He grunted into the muffling textile.

''What?'' She huffed out, turning around with a smile glued to her, ''What did I
—''

''Just go watch your damn sun, and then you'll come right back,'' Draco muttered
into the pillow, sounding utterly severe, ''Alright? You got ten minutes, and then
I'll come to get you, and I will personally carry you back here.''

Her bare thighs were the thing he watched as he cocked his head, meaning to
look up at her, and he immediately slammed his head back down, ''For fucks —
ten minutes, Amelie, now leave before I change my mind.''

Rolling her eyes at him as she strode through the living room, out in the hallway,
to the front door.

The warm breeze slipped through her hair, and her dress fluttered at the strokes
of it.

Amelie huffed to herself, walking out on the porch as she bent down to pick the
daily paper up from the floor. Flipping through it as she hunched down on the
bench standing against the wooden wall.

Waiting impatiently for the sun to rise between the mountains, a page filled with
houses for sale caught her attention, and a shy curl on her lips took over at the
thought of her and Draco living together — they'd lived underneath the same
roof for almost a year now — yet this felt different to her.

One house, in particular, mirrored as a mansion and looked to be too massive for
all of them, caused her smile to broaden and her teeth to bite down her lower lip.

It had gigantic windows, rooms for more than a dozen people, a huge library,
and a special room, one room that made her heart flutter a bit — the idea of what
she and Narcissa talked about the other day clocked her instantly.

''Look at these. I planted those when Draco was a year old, one new color for
each year he turned older,'' Narcissa gestured towards the sea of roses in all
different colors as it shaded her favorite part of the garden, ''But these white
ones... those are my favorite.''

Amelie hummed in response, peeping down at the pearly flower as she shook her
head, ''They looked lovely,'' She smiled, meeting Narcissa's dark hues, ''When
did you plant those? How old was he turning?''
''Eighteen,'' Narcissa whispered, lowering her gaze from Amelie and staring
down at the ground, ''He was turning eighteen...''

With her hand, gently stroking across Narcissa's back, she nodded comfortably,
''You raised a wonderful son,'' Amelie smiled, ''One of the best people I know,
and you should be proud of that.''

Narcissa looked out over the yard in front of her, ''I am...'' Her tone still low,
''There's no one that's prouder over Draco than I am, believe me, Amelie. I am
so proud of my son, but I have done things too, and I am so scared to lose him. I
am so scared every time he steps out of that door that I'll never get to see him
again—''

''That's why I plant all the different colors — if he doesn't come back to me, one
day, he'll still be with me here, every year will still be here...''

''I know,'' Amelie hushed her, pushing her lips into the side of Narcissa's head.
Allowing the lady to drain her of comfort, ''I know it's scary, but he always
comes back for us. Not once has he failed to come back for us.''

It hurt her too, speaking in the ways she did. Knowing what the blond boy has
done and what he had to sacrifice to keep them safe. How his soul held haunted
and his mind exhausted for always saving everyone.

''Thank you for loving him,'' Narcissa whispered, bending down and picking a
majestic rose off its petal, the tips of her fingers brushing along the flower, ''I
don't know what he'd do without you, Amelie.''

The girl smiled, feeling as the warm summer wind kissed her cheek.

''I think he found himself while looking for you. Even in the beginning, I think he
was so lost, but ever since he got that task a year ago, to be with you... He found
himself, and for that, I am eternally thankful.''

Turning around fully, Narcissa let a curve ghost on her lips, and she reached to
tuck a curl behind Amelie's ear, along with the rose she picked.

''I don't say that enough, that I'm thankful for you and that you want to take part
in our family,'' She let her fingers linger, sliding along Amelie's cheekbone as
she admired the girl, ''I have never met anyone with the heart you carry. Never
have I met someone that hurts so much as you do only to turn it into love for
everyone else.''

Amelie let her head tip into the palm of Narcissa's hand, and she huffed out,
''You know — Your son taught me that when he comforted me after a nightmare
once...''

Shivers pathed down her spine at the thought of it — just how far they'd come
since the nights he used to sneak into her room at night and hold her when her
haunted dreams took over.

''He said that how I love myself is how I teach others to love me and never...''
Amelie chuckled to herself. ''Never did I think that your son could be as right as
he was.''

She faltered for a mere second.

''You can say it's all me — that my heart grew and that I am strong, but he's the
one who helped me reach that. He made me that way,'' She admitted, ''And it's
not easy to think that, because he's not open about it, he never lets his own
feelings show, but when he does... Narcissa, when he does show you what's
going on inside that beautiful head of his, he's astonishing.''

Amelie nearly began crying at the way she was speaking, ''He's taught me a lot,
your son — he saved me... He and Teddy and I like to think I saved him too.''

Tears glimmered in his mother's eyes, and she nodded rapidly, ''He's a smart
boy, isn't he—'' She whimpered, ''I raised him well, didn't I?''

''You did,'' Amelie's gaze fell so softly upon her, ''You truly did.''

Nodding again, she stepped forward, sheeting her arms around the girl, and she
hugged her. Desperately, feeling as if she needed to do something more — thank
Amelie in ways she'd failed to do.

''Thank you,'' Narcissa whispered, hugging Amelie closely, ''Thank you for
choosing to stay with us — for not giving up on him.''

''I wouldn't have it any other way,'' Amelie whispered back as her arms folded
around Narcissa's back, ''Thank you for having me and for letting me love him.''
They remained there, in the sparkling sun for moments as they kept each other
close — until Narcissa withdrew, her eyes flickered to watch the garden around
them, ''So, what color are we choosing this time? His birthday is around the
corner.''

Scratching her back nervously, she followed his mother's movements, ''I meant to
talk to you about that—'' Amelie said, anxiously almost, ''I have been trying to
come up with something to give him. He always buys me the best gifts, but it's
hard, and I don't want to disappoint him.''

Narcissa hummed, hunching down to fiddle with the roses, ''Do you want me to
give you ideas or what—''

''No,'' Amelie stepped past her, turning around and facing the yard, ''I just had a
question about it. I noticed he does this thing with his fingers when he's angry—''

Her cheeks blushed, ''Where he pats his fingers against the table or his knee, and
I was wondering if he used to play the piano? Because I had a friend when I was
little who did that thing with her fingers when she was upset, and she used to
play the piano.''

It was as if something shot right through the lady at Amelie's question. As if a

ghost had appeared, ''He still does that...'' Narcissa lowered her voice, ''I don't
even see it anymore.''

Feeling so guilty, Narcissa stood up, and she let a bow tip off her head, ''He
indeed played the piano as a child. He loved it, but my husband he...'' Gathering
the flowers she picked, she held a majestic bouquet in her arms, ''He took the
piano away from Draco, and he never mentioned playing it ever again—''

''Hi, beautiful—''

Both Amelie and Narcissa spun around, totally unprepared for the blond boy to
make an entrance as he did, looking at him startingly as he snaked his arms
around the girl, turning her around and pushing her spine tightly against his
chest.

''What are you doing out here?'' His lips pressed to her head, ''You have a habit
of sneaking out before I wake up...'' He growled lowly, only for Amelie to hear as
she caved into his arms.
''Don't do that again.''

''What are you doing up?''

Amelie jolted back, her eyes snapping from the paper in front of her, landing on
the boy standing confused by her side. Dressed in a nightshirt and pants twice
his size, ''No one is up this early.'' He chuckled at her startled self.

Shaking her head and freeing herself from her memories, she put the paper back
down, ''Is that so?'' Her lips dragged out in a smile. Her arms stretched as her
fingers waved for the boy to come closer.

Climbing onto her lap, Atlas peered up at her, ''Yes, mom always sleeps in.''

''Then why are you up?'' She whispered as the sky brightened, and the blue
heaven showed, ''If mother sleeps in, why are you—''

''The sunrise,'' Atlas giggled, tossing himself out of her arms and down onto the
ground as he sprinted towards the fence of the porch, gripping the wood and
pointing out towards the treetops, ''I look at the sun, and then I play with my toys
until mom wakes up.''

''The sunrise, you say?'' Amelie pushed herself off the bench, walking up to the
boy. It never clocked her how alike they seemed to be, ''You know...''

She dropped to one knee, shooting a sneaky look around before glancing back at
Atlas and the playful stare he carried, ''I know the best place to watch it, but we
need to hurry.''

Atlas nodded eagerly as she stood up, her hand stretched out to take his. He
clung onto her arm, and then they ran — Amelie dragged her little brother with
her, hurrying their way through the thick forest to make it in time.

Just like she and Teddy had done when they were kids.

Her feet were bare, and her dress fluttered around her. The long strands of her
hair spilled wildly across her head as she looked down at her little brother, and
his cheeks held a feverish color. Laughing and running close to her in his
nightwear.
The sun flickered across the tree trunks as they tried to beat it.

Her chest rose and fell so heavily, and she noticed how her brother began to slow
down. It was too early to be sprinting this fast, and he couldn't possibly keep up
with her.

''Here,'' Amelie slowed down, arching her spine forward for her brother to jump
onto it, and he did — Atlas wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and she
carried him on her back, all the way until they stepped across the thick treeline,
her feet sinking down into the sand.

They made it just in time.

''Look,'' She whispered, attempting to catch her breath, ''This is where Teddy and
I always watched the sunrise every morning when we were kids.''

Atlas's eyes broadened at the view he caught.

He stared mesmerizingly at the sun as it flourished over the lake. Beams of it

glimmered heavenly onto the stilled water surface.

''It's really pretty...'' He whispered as he slid down from her back, taking tracks
out over the beach, and he looked around, confusingly, ''Amelie... where are
we?''

''You know how your mother—'' Clearing her throat and correcting herself
awkwardly, ''Our mother said she loves being here?''

He nodded, looking up at her as the sun rose, ''Well, that's because she took
Teddy and me here as kids. It was our little place, and every morning we used to
run our way down here to watch the sunrise in our pajamas.''

Atlas chuckled at what she said, shaking his head, ''In your pajamas?'' He
giggled, finding his sister funnier than she wished to be, ''You can't run around in
your pajamas, Amelie.''

Raising a brow, Amelie arched down quickly, and her fingers tickled at the boy's
stomach, ''Can't I? Well, if I'm not still asleep and I'm dreaming right now — I'd
say you're wearing your pajamas.''
Laughing loudly, Atlas backed away, and his cheeks colored in a rosy shade,
''So...'' Amelie walked after him, ''You're as crazy as me then.''

''I'm not!'' He yelled out, still with laughter as it fled his throat, and he spun
around, running his way to the house standing at the far edge of the beach, ''I
want to go in there!''

Amelie felt a warm feeling as it welled over. Her veins filled with emotion, and
she ran after him, feeling as the dawn welcomed them.

''Careful, Atlas. It's—'' She tried to warn as he dove into the fallen entrance of
the house. Strolling after him as the home stood in ruins, she smiled. Looking at
Atlas as he carefully climbed across the fallen roof.

He examined the surroundings thoroughly for minutes. His fingers brushing over
the dust the furniture still standing inside had collected.

After minutes in silence, both of them peering around, he broke the quietness,
''Why do you like this house? You can't live here.'' Atlas chuckled, making a
slight grimace climb onto Amelie's calm features.

She spun around, gazing through the shattered glass of the window, welling out
over the lake, ''Because it was mine and Teddy's...'' She whispered as he stepped
up next to her, ''It was ours, and that was special to me. I like it here, even if it's
broken.''

Atlas grasped at the worn kitchen counter, his fingers curling around the wood to
peer out the window just like Amelie did. Bending down, her hands gripped
underneath his arms, and she lifted him onto it.

''Well, I like it too,'' Atlas said, a hopeful glint in his eyes, ''I don't have a house.
Mom and I move a lot.'' She could see how his smile faded as he looked up at
her. His curls fell so messily across his head, ''She says it's because we're not
safe,''

He huffed, shaking his head, ''I'd like to have something that is mine too.''

Her heart ached at that, watching as the boy straightened the collar of his striped
nightshirt.
''You know...'' Amelie placed her elbow onto the timber, leaning closer to him, ''I
wanted to ask you something.''

His eyes shone brightly again, so much that her heart swelled in happiness, and
her eyelids glinted in tears, how she mourned the fact of not knowing that he
existed until now.

They could've seized the world together.

''What?'' Atlas asked, tipping his head and rubbing his knuckles in his heavy
eyes. He was still tired after waking up just half an hour ago, only to run through
the forest.

Amelie bit her lower lip as she reached her hand out, helping him jump down
from the counter, walking behind her out the door again.

''Draco and I are buying a house,'' She gazed out over the world around them as a
new day had climbed the skies, ''And I wanted to know if you would feel okay,
moving in with us?''

Feeling as the panic bolted through her the instant she allowed those words to
slip, she kneeled down beside him, and she shook her head, ''Only if you want to,
of course, but you don't have to. If you want to stay here with mother and live in
the cabin, that's alright too—''

She was rambling now, ''I just wanted to ask you because I want both you two to
move in with us, so we all can be safe together, but you don't have to. I like the
cabin too, and I'll come to visit every day if you want me to—''

''You're just like mom,'' He held a serious look, narrowing his eyes in hers, ''You
don't stop talking.''

Pushing her lips together, her eyelids twitched, and her pulse quickened, ''I'm
sorry—''

Atlas burst out laughing, finding it hilarious to joke around with his sister, ''I'm
joking with you...'' He heaved through his laughs, ''Is it Draco's birthday
present?''

Nearly wincing back as she caught those words, ''What—''

''He told me it's his birthday tomorrow, so I'm making him a card. Can we pick
some rocks?'' Atlas peered out over the beach before stumbling down the grass,
over the sand, and Amelie couldn't do anything but shake her head.

Knitting her brows and frowning at how fast the boy changed the topic, ''Atlas,
what—''

He didn't listen. He simply strolled as he began picking up the prettiest rocks he

could find, ''I said, I'm making Draco a birthday card.''

It was frankly adorable to her — how Atlas managed to find a connection with
Malfoy so swiftly. There wasn't much Amelie could be thankful for in this
world, but that she was. Never had she been that grateful that Draco bonded with
her little brother in the ways he did.

At first, she was terrified that he wouldn't want anything to do with her brother,
but she regretted ever believing that. Draco was, just like her — truly kind at
heart.

''Just be careful, please—'' She used slow steps towards her brother, feeling as
the morning sun stung at her bare arms and legs, ''I don't want you to cut your
feet—''

''Ten minutes, yeah?''

Amelie coiled back, spinning around so speedily that she nearly tripped over her
own feet. Her eyes smeared at the blond who stood with his hands shoved into
his pockets, glaring at her.

''I—'' She sought to speak, but Draco shook his head as he let his eyes roll at the
way she once again allowed her mind to slip, ''I was—''

Gesturing towards her little brother, Amelie bit her lower lip, nervously and her
head tilted shyly, ''I'm sorry, we just—''

''Yeah?'' Draco hissed, scoffing slightly, ''You know what I did? I was ambushed
by your damn mother and her bloody tea, Amelie. On that couch while being
half-naked—''

Pressing her lips together, tightly she tried not to laugh at him. His eyes widened
at that, lips parting in disbelief at how she could find him, being stuck with her
mother even a bit amusing.

''You—'' Draco groaned as he, without warning, sprinted towards her. Hunching
down, he caught her thighs, and he threw her unhesitantly over his shoulder,
''You find that funny, yeah?''

''Draco—'' Amelie laughed out, her hands slamming his spine as she hung upside
down, ''Draco, please — I'm sorry—''

Only muttering something back at her, he began to march down to the shoreline,
and his eyes snapped to Atlas, still picking up stones from the beach, ''Atlas!''
Draco shouted, tipping his head towards the lake, ''Your sister wants to swim—''

''No, no, no—'' Amelie choked out, shaking her head as her hair fell tousled
around her. She tried to twist and turn to get out of the grip he held her in,
''Draco, please—''

''Oh, so you're the one begging me now?'' He smirked at her, lacking his hold,
causing her to fall down properly in his arms, ''Wasn't you the one demanding
me to beg you last night?''

''Please—'' Her cheeks burnt out of the exhaustion she felt, and her arms sheeted
his neck, pulling herself into him, ''I'll do anything, please—''

Amelie could feel how his body stiffened at what she said.

Draco cleared his throat, coughing discreetly, ''Anything?'' He mumbled, letting

her down on two feet, ''Are you keeping that word this time?''

Frowning lightly, she cocked her head. Amelie looked up at him from above,
''What happened, Draco?'' She could see the very instant something was wrong,
''Tell me what happened.''

''Amelie—''

''No,'' She took a step back and crossed her arms over her chest, ''What
happened? Is it Teddy? Did he get hurt?''

''What?'' Draco shook his head, sighing loudly at how quick she was to jump to
conclusions, ''It's not about Theodore, but there's something.''

Her gut seemed to be right as always. Sealing her eyes shut for a mere second,
she drew a breath. Preparing herself for what was coming.

''I need to leave today,'' He said as his teeth gritted. He sounded bitter, not
pleased at all, ''I need to go to London, just for a few hours but I'll be back—''

''Are you honest with me?'' She didn't look at him. Her eyes grounded at her feet
as they were dipped in the water, ''Considering you lied to me last time.''

Knowing that she did, too, Amelie rued that comment even before she fired it.
She felt horrible for saying that to him — when she did the precise thing she
accused him of.

''Amelie...'' Draco stretched his arm out, trying to place his palm on her jaw, but
she yanked away as she earned a hurtful dash to flash in his eyes.

It pained him every time she didn't let him touch her.

''Amelie, look at me,'' He didn't want to push her. He didn't wish to touch her
when she didn't want him to, but he needed her to see him being honest with her,
''Look at me.''

Her eyes peeled open, and her face held numb, but she stared up at him, still
with her arms folded across her chest.

''I'm sorry that I lied to you,'' He just wanted to touch her. Draco didn't feel
complete until he had his skin brushing against hers, ''I know I said I was
meeting my father last time when I wasn't. And I am sorry for that, for lying to
you.''

Her eyes flickered as the sun kissed her skin so beautifully.

''But I am not sorry for protecting you, and I am not sorry for keeping secrets
that keep you safe. I have said it before, Amelie, and I will tell you again that I
will not make any apologies for keeping you safe, no matter how I do it.''

Malfoy noticed instantly how her gaze softened and her breaths balanced.
He knew that all he had to do, was being honest with her. They lied to each other
once, and it almost ended in chaos. Never would either of them do that again.

''I'm sorry too...'' She whispered, and with a step closer to him, she let her
forehead tilt to his chest, right where she knew he loved for her to be, ''I lied too,
and I'm sorry.''

Moving his arms around her, he gripped the back of her head, and he held her as
close as he could, ''I know,'' He said calmly, ''But I have to leave. It's urgent.''

''I know...'' Amelie inhaled sharply through her nose as she savored the blond as
best as she could before she knew him to leave, ''When will you be back?''

''Late,'' He mumbled, tipping her head back with his chin. He craved to look at
her before he left for the day. Draco couldn't function if he didn't memorize
every last detail of her, ''But I will take you home first. I need to have a word
with mother.''

He let his eyes drag off her for a second, watching her little brother as he still
played with the rocks, and relief washed over Draco. He nearly forgot that her
brother was there.

Amelie nodded, and she looked at Atlas as she smiled. She knew she wouldn't
have to be away from her brother for long.

She pushed herself up on her toes. Her face leveled Draco's, and her lips brushed
along with his, ''Then let's go home, shall we?''

_____

Draco was exhausted.

He'd been away the whole day — ever since he and Amelie said goodbye to her
mother and brother, he'd been in the wind.

Nothing felt better than knowing that she'd be waiting for him back home. That
she'd be tucked into bed at the late hour and that he would be able to sneak down
next to her, burying himself in all that warmth she so generously poured over
him.
His eyes flickered across their room as he safely landed inside his home. Draco
was late. He knew he was.

He'd promised her to be back in time for dinner, but he wasn't. His father refused
to let him go, and it had bothered him the whole evening, knowing that he wasn't
home when he promised her to be.

His pupils snapped and scanned every last inch between the four walls, and it
took him a second to realize that she wasn't there. Panic struck him like a train at
high speed.

Suddenly Malfoy couldn't think anymore.

She wasn't there.

Amelie was nowhere to be found.

_____
 Eighty-four

This chapter contains mature content along with mention of blood. Please
read with caution.

_____

''Happy birthday, Draco.''

_____

Draco's breaths hitched. He couldn't think. He couldn't work through his mind
properly as he looked across their room, their bathroom.

She wasn't there.

Rushing his way to the living room, he nearly tripped as he ran down the stairs.
His heartbeat swelled in his ears, a thin coat of sweat took over his parched
palms.

Halting in the doorway, he stared straight at his mother as she rested on the
couch, reading a book.

''Where is she?'' Draco snapped, angrily yet his tone laced with so much worry,
''She's not in our room, where is she—''

Narcissa's neck moved, staring wide-eyed at her son's rational behavior,

lowering her book as her lashes battled her hooded hues, ''What are you—''

Draco took another step into the room, raising his voice, ''Amelie, where is she?
She's not in our room, and it's late—''

''She said goodnight about an hour ago. We had dinner, and she told me about
your trip to the cabin, and then she went to bed...'' Narcissa declared, ''Perhaps
she's taking a bath—''
Malfoy didn't bother listing to his mother as she spoke. He simply groaned
underneath his breath as he stormed back upstairs.

It felt as if he couldn't breathe. It felt as if his chest caved in and his bones
crumbled.

Slamming the door shut behind him, his hands dragged through his hair, tugging
it back roughly, and he shot their bed a swift look.

Immediately clocking the piece of folded paper resting on it he'd overlooked

before.

Grasping desperately at it — his chest stilled. Reading the written address and he
recognized the writing instantly.

It was Amelie's.

He'd locate those small curves she made in the ends of the letter A in a heartbeat.

Not wasting a second, Draco hauled his wand up, whispering the magic he knew
would take him to the location on the wrinkled piece of paper, and wind scored
heavily around him as he landed outside a massive mansion.

Knitting his brows, he marched towards the entrance, flinging the door open
with a twitch of his wand, and he shouted, ''Amelie?''

Repeatedly he yelled her name, storming his way through the darkened home.
His steps echoed severely as he marched along the tile floor.

He was scared again.

Draco got terrified every time she left the Malfoy Manor without telling him,
and he was furious with her for doing so.

But not as damned as he was with himself for leaving her the whole day —
giving every sinful soul the chance to get her.

He shouldn't have left her. He knew that. Never should he have left her at home
this morning.
Drops of sweat fled his hairline, and his fingers grasped at the tie he was
wearing, easing the folded knot as his chest heaved roughly.

He couldn't think.

He couldn't form a thought in his worn mind without her next to him, and just as
he was about to shout her name for the tenth time — Draco flinched.

He watched as he halted abruptly in a doorway, leading into a beautiful library,

how the girl his heart she owned, stood in what looked like a sea of lighted
candles.

Amelie spun around quickly the second she caught his breaths behind her, and
the broadest of smiles took over her calm features. Smiling so widely as her hair
spilled messily across her shoulders.

''Finally,'' She nearly chuckled out at the frightened look he carried, ''Took you
long enough.''

Draco's face fell into utter confusion before his brows furrowed, and he scowled
at her, ''Took me long enough?'' He hissed below his breath, ''Yeah, it took me
long enough because I just got back to the bloody Manor, and you weren't there
—''

Her head tilted, wavy strands of her hair followed, ''I left a note,''

''A note?'' Draco almost seethed at her, taking a step into the dimmed room, not
seeing the large object placed underneath a silky cover in the corner of it, ''You
left a scrunched up piece of paper, Amelie. A tiny bloody piece of paper on the
bed — how am I supposed to—''

Malfoy couldn't conclude what he was about to speak until she reached him,
standing right in front of the blond with her hands pushing into his toned chest,
''You're here now, aren't you?''

The way she was looking at him. How she peered up at him so innocently from
below her lashes and how her lips arched into a shy smile — in no reality could
he stay mad at her.

Draco was so weak when it came to Amelie.

''I missed you today,'' Amelie breathed. Her forehead falling to his chest and her
eyes sealed at the feeling of home he brought her, ''You can't leave for that long.
A whole day is too long.''

''God—'' Malfoy chocked out, mesmerized at the way she was speaking to him.
His palms caught her jaws, and he tilted her head back to see her properly, ''You
can't speak like that...''

''Why?'' Amelie smiled, allowing the weight of her head to rest in his hands, ''I
did miss you.''

''Because then I won't be able to go anywhere again,'' He muttered as he bent

down to her level, pressing his lips to hers, ''Hell, I missed you,'' Draco
whispered into the kiss.

The panic he'd felt before when he didn't know where she was, poured off him in
a heartbeat as he felt her arms as they clung around his neck. Pulling him down
to her even more.

''Don't do that again,'' He warned, his breaths heated on her lips, ''Don't leave
without telling me again. Not even with a note.''

Amelie pulled away, her eyes hooked in his, and she saw that worried dash in his
pupils as her chest tightened. She didn't mean to scare him, ''I'm sorry, I didn't
mean—''

''I know,'' He mumbled, cutting her short as her arms slipped off him, ''I know
you didn't, but don't do it again.''

Nodding as she moved her head, looking around in the flickering lights of the
candles standing on the ground and Draco noticed, frowning a bit as it came to
mind where they were.

He'd never been here before.

''Amelie, what is this?'' He said puzzlingly as he took a step back. His icing eyes
swept through the library they stood in before finding their way back to hers,
''Why are we—''

''Come here,'' Amelie whispered, her fingers tangled with his as she led him out
of the library. Malfoy walked hesitantly behind her, peering around cautiously.

Taking him up the stairs, through the hallway, she halted outside a room, turning
around with excitement as it stained her twinkled features, ''So...'' Amelie tried to
hide the smile she possessed, ''I was thinking — this could be Teddy's room.''

Her untangled hand closed around a doorknob as she pushed the wood open,
revealing the room she wished her best friend to have.

It was bright, large windows so that he'd never feel trapped.

Draco didn't have the chance to say a word until she rushed out, her bare feet
tripping across the tile as she yet again halted outside another door, further down
the hallway, ''And this could be Atlas's room.''

Looking inside, he saw how it would be perfect for a child, ''Amelie, what are
you—''

''And this—'' She chuckled as she let go of him, walking down to the door in the
far end of the hallway, ''This could be mother's.''

Malfoy stopped at that, still feeling as the anger ripped through him every time
her mother was mentioned, ''Amelie—''

She took strides towards him in the dark, but just as she closed in on him —
Amelie rounded a corner, her feet quick, ''And down here...'' She didn't falter
once, ''This could be your mothers. It has its own balcony and stairs out to the
garden.''

He felt his heart as she once again took it over. Even his mother she'd thought
about.

''Amelie,'' Draco said, sternly and the intensity in his vocals hewed her off,
''What is this?''

Not intimidated at all by his question he sought to make serious, she smiled,
cheekily, ''It's ours.''

He blinked, quickly at the sudden surprise her words caught him in, ''What?''
Nearly snapping at her, he shook his head, ''That wasn't the deal, Amelie. We
said I get to buy you a house and not—''

''Well...'' Amelie shyly walked closer, standing in front of him as he looked

down at her, ''Don't be mad until you see our room, and if you don't like it —
then you're allowed to be mad.''

Groaning below his breath, he inhaled sharply, and he shot her a swift nod.

''And don't you worry, Malfoy,'' Amelie grinned, biting down her lower lip, ''You
can pay me back later.''

She strode away again, through the corridors, past the stairs to the other side of
the house before she stopped, and she turned to face him, ''Ready?''

His hands shoved into his pockets, and he fixed his eyes on her, giving her
permission to open that door and show him what she'd be wanting to.

And she did. Amelie let the door slide open, and she stepped aside for him to
walk into it.

Malfoy's eyes flickered wildly across the walls of the colossal room, ''Yeah...''
He hummed, studying every square of it.

Looking at him, a proud grimace mounted her, and the skies she carried sparked
in her eyes, ''Yeah indeed,'' She whispered, and her arms sheeted around his
waist from behind. Her head falling to his spine, and she huffed out, ''Nice,
right?''

Rolling his eyes amusingly, he turned around. A smirk tugged at the corner of
his mouth, ''Still wasn't the deal, was it?''

''No...'' Amelie bit down her lower lip, ''But I think you'll like it even more when
you see what I got us.'' She didn't let him heed what she said before she rushed
out, leaving him behind.

''Amelie—'' He tried to shout after her, but it ended in him shaking his head
instead, muttering underneath his breath as he stalked after her, ''Fucking hell.''

Draco marched through the hallway, trying to find the girl, ''Amelie, where did
you—''
He stopped entirely as he stood in the doorway of the library again.

Malfoy couldn't believe what he was looking at, and it stole the air from his
lungs. His pulse quickened.

''Happy birthday, Draco.'' Was all she said, standing in the same sea of flaming
candles in nothing but a pearly sheet as it smeared to her body.

Her collarbones on display, her shoulders bare.

''Amelie—'' He breathed, his face fell into a hypnotized cloak, ''I don't—''

Tipping her head to the side, she smiled at him before she slowly let the fabric
fall from around her, and she was on complete array for the boy she loved.
Nothing but her underwear covered her.

''Hell—'' Feeling as his heart missed a beat, shaking his head, he stormed up to
her, his hands grasping around her exposed skin. Draco lifted her as her legs
wrapped around his torso, holding onto him with everything she had.

''Happy birthday,'' She whispered again, her hair spilling around them, "I know
we say it all the time, but we never said what it meant..."

Her arms tensing around his neck as she talked so closely to his lips, ''I am
yours, Draco. I want to be yours, always, and I want you to be mine. I want us to
be us, and I don't ever want to be without you.''

Not anywhere in this lifetime could Malfoy understand what he'd done to
deserve her. What he'd done to earn the unconditional love she constantly poured
over him.

''Fuck — you're mine. You were mine since I first laid my eyes on you, Amelie.
Even if we didn't know it yet, you were always going to be mine.'' He held her,
speaking with so much honesty, ''You were always mine.''

''Yours...'' Her lips arched, a smile coating them, ''I'm yours, and you're mine.''

Her fingers moved across his clothes chest as she began to unbutton his shirt,
''This is ours, Draco. All of this. This life, everything that happens in it. I don't
care how it all ends because I get to be yours.''
Dragging the material off his shoulders, she left his upper body bare, and she
kissed his shoulders — her lips honoring his exposed skin.

He kneeled down on the covers, placing her gently below him as she clung onto
him, her fingers grasping at his belt, and she unbuckled it. Pushing his pants
down as he so mesmerizingly looked at her.

''I want you,'' He growled at the touch she brought, ''I want you so fucking bad
—''

His lips matched hers as her feet shoved his trousers down, and he slipped out of
them. Spreading her thighs apart for him to be closer, her hands tangled in his
hair.

He couldn't possibly get enough of her as he kissed her fiercely on the floor of
the library now belonging to them.

''I want to taste you,'' He mumbled into her mouth, ''I want to taste all of you.''

She nodded, her hands moving over his head, grasping at his jaws, ''Then taste
me,'' Amelie whispered.

Withdrawing from her lips, he pathed his own over her cheekbone, down her
chin, and across her shoulders.

Lingering over her scars as he praised them. His mouth melting with her skin as
she gasped out, desperately in need of him to have her.

Kissing his way down her bare chest, his hands moved tenderly over her frame,
taking in every piece of her he possibly could until he reached her lower
stomach, and he brushed his nose along the scars still shining rosy in the
moonlight.

Draco curled his fingers around her underwear, looking up at her for permission
to pull them down and Amelie once again nodded.

He shoved them down over her legs, taking her knee as he placed it over his
shoulder and his lips immediately attached to her inner thighs. Kissing every
inch of scars she had.
''So fucking beautiful....'' Malfoy groaned, letting his tongue roll along with the
pink faded marks, ''Every inch of you, so fucking beautiful.''

Amelie held her breath, feeling heated breaths as they fanned over her core,
''Please—'' She begged, twisting her fingers in the blond strands of his hair,
''Please, Draco—''

''Promise you'll tell me if I'm hurting you,'' He said, still looking up at her
through his lashes. His stare carried lust-filled and intense, ''If you feel like I'm
hurting you — you'll tell me.''

''You could never hurt me,'' She heaved, her body twitching underneath him, ''It
doesn't hurt when you touch me.''

Humming, he let his lips fuse with her heat, and she coiled back, her head tucked
into the sheets at the feeling.

''Fuck—'' He growled, tasting her arousal on his tongue in all the ways he craved
to, ''So damn sweet.''

Her head falling back, her fingers intertwined with his over the sheet and covers
on the marble floor, ''Draco—'' She gasped.

The sensation of his tongue against her, the feeling of his lips attacking the
aching pain in between her legs almost ripped her apart. Draco was making her
feel so good. His touch caused her eyes to roll on her breaths to hitch.

''And to think I never tasted you...'' He groaned as he pleased her. His tongue
nearly dancing across her core, taking in every ounce of her he could, ''You
taste...''

She couldn't breathe as he split his mouth from where she needed him to be, and
he trailed soft kisses over her inner thighs, lower stomach before he found his
way back.

''Fucking mesmerizing...'' He kept on going. Fixing his lips and flicking his
tongue across her heat. One of his hands slipping from hers as it coated her
waist, keeping her shaking body tamed, ''I fucking love you, Amelie.''

Her neck arching as she felt her high crashing over her, ''I am so damn in love
with you, and I can't think of a better birthday gift than to taste you.''

''Draco—'' Amelie moaned out again, so softly. It was pure heaven to his ears as
he caught those tiny sounds, ''I'm—''

''I know, let it go for me,'' He groaned against her, looking up at her as he studied
every twitch in the corner of her eyes and every time her lips parted to whisper
his name, yet he let his tongue graze across her core.

''Let it go for me, and let me feel all of you. I want all of you, Amelie—''

Curling her spine, her hips bucked slightly, and he felt as her body trembled —
fingers tensing around his, and she fell apart.

Euphoria took over, and her lashes fluttered as she crashed completely at what
the blond did to her, feeling as he savored everything he could before he kneeled
back up.

Kissing the marks in her thighs as he went. Never did he let a scar go unnoticed.
Draco ever so craved to take every piece of shame or pain she felt — away from
her.

Lowering his body over hers, her fingers clawed at his shoulders, ''I want to feel
you too...'' She whispered, breathy as she was still in the missing of wind in her
lungs.

''I want to feel you, Draco,'' Amelie begged him, needing more of him, and as the
twinkle in his eyes brightly flashed — she could see how he wished for more
too. He just never asked for it.

Diving his head down and brushing his nose along her jawline, he let his lips
melt utterly with her skin, ''I need you...'' He mumbled, ''I can't get enough of
you.''

Amelie let her head tip to the side, and she felt his muscles flexing against hers,
''Don't ever get enough of me,'' She pleaded, shivering at the way he left wet
kissed down her neck, ''Never get enough of me.''

Swallowing thickly, she glanced right into the silver eyes he owned, and she
drowned in them, every time she managed to fall completely lost in him, ''Just
have me, Draco, and don't let me go.''

''I could never,'' He said, propping himself up, ''I could never let you go.'' His
hands gently tucked between her and the covers she laid on, and his arms snaked
around her as he dragged her up to him.

Straddling him as he sat on his knees, ''Good,'' She smirked gently.

He kissed her slowly, emotionally, and he felt how she began to rock against him
— how her body caved into his without question.

''I need you,'' She heaved out, her sweet sounds trapped in his mouth.

''And I need you,'' He whispered, huskily against her throat, and she shivered,
her hands tangled into his hair, ''I need you, all the fucking time I need you—''

Amelie gasped out at the sensation, ''Then have me,'' She said, lowly, ''Have me
like last time and the time before that—''

Her fingers running down his bare chest.

Draco didn't waste a second as he lifted her, threading his arm between them,
and he pushed his boxers aside. Lowering herself over him again, feeling as he
pushed inside her caused Malfoy to groan out.

He could never get used to this feeling. Every time he felt her like he did now.
Every time he felt her hug around him, her inaudible, breathy moans on his
shoulder as her hips began to roll — he was blown out of his mind.

''Fuck—'' He sensed as she stilled above him, allowing herself to adjust to the
feeling as well, ''Just you, always you.''

She nodded, her hair hanging in a mess around them as their body tangled and
her hips began to move again. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her near,
protecting her exposed body with his touch.

Sliding in and out of her, moaning silently every time he did — he looked up,
watching her head as it fell back and he caught her. He'd always catch her.

His palm held large on her jaw, and she tilted her head against it, smiling
graciously at the boy holding her, ''Always you, Draco.'' She whispered, diving
down to kiss him.

Never had Amelie been able to do this — to call someone hers and hers only
before he came along. Her lips moving in sync with his as she gave him every
piece of her. It would always be him to her.

Draco Malfoy might not have been her first love, but Amelie was more than sure
that he would be her last. It was either him, living the rest of his life with her and
never letting her go, or her dying without him. Amelie knew that now.

She'd come to terms with that, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She'd
happily die, allowing it all to end if he wasn't with her. If he weren't hers
anymore — she'd mercifully fade from this life in the remembrance of them.

That was how much she loved him.

That was how gravely she needed the boy, kissing his way down her shoulders
— she'd vanish without him, and there wasn't a thing she wouldn't do for him.

His icing eyes caught hers, realizing that she'd slipped into being somewhere
else. That her mind had crawled to a place much safer than this one. That she
once again was deeply lost in her thoughts.

Malfoy could rupture, by the sight of her, rolling her hips over his, her nails
clawing at his neck, and her body trembled. It was pure heaven to him as he
pushed up into her, helping her reach the place she needed him to be.

Everything moved so slow around them, their breaths heaving, their skin layered
in thin coats of sweat, and he found her mouth, placing soft kisses on her
swollen lips, ''Fuck, you're so sweet for me. My beautiful Amelie.''

Moaning out, her body tensed. Her insides tickling.

Draco kissed her scars again. He'd always kiss her scars. Lingering over every
single one as he groaned against her skin at every thrust he delivered, holding
her body so tenderly in his arms as he pleased her, as he gave her all of him.

Lust stirred in his eyes, and he felt as his high caught up to him, just like hers
did. Feeling her flutter around him, and her breaths shifted so heavy as she came.
''I'm—'' Amelie whimpered, and her hips bucked unsteadily, ''I—''

''I know,'' He muttered, tangling a fist in her hair and bending her head back so
that he could watch her fall apart properly, ''Come for me, Amelie.''

Shaking, her thighs vibrating around him — her head fell to his shoulder,
coming undone above him as he let it go for her too. Filling her up in all ways he
craved to do before he pulled out.

He marked her like that — every time he had her this way, shaking at the tips of
his fingers and him praising her body with his — Draco wished to mark her.
He'd let himself crash inside her, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

''I love you—'' Draco grunted, throaty as he kneeled forwards, placing her on the
sheets again, but she didn't let go. Amelie let her arms stay crossed over his neck
as she pulled him down with her.

''Just don't get tired of me...'' She whispered, having him close, but her head
moved away from his, ''Never get tired of me, Draco.''

Staring at her, his brows knitted and his face shifted worryingly, ''What?'' He
said, propping himself up, ''Never get tired of you?''

Still, with her head tilted, she didn't look at him, simply nodding at what he said,
''Don't leave me, please — never leave me.''

He could feel as his heart dropped, shattered within his chest, and he bent back.

She closed her eyes, ''I'm so scared that you'll leave me. That you will get tired
of me just like everyone else.''

''Don't say that,'' Draco frowned, shaking his head at her and his hand placed on
her jaw, angling her face back to match his, ''Amelie, I'm the last person to ever
leave you.''

Tears formed in her eyes, and she leaned her forehead to his, ''I'm just—'' Her
voice shaking, ''I'm just so scared to love you, it's terrifying to love you because I
don't know if you'll stay with me...''

Her mouth tasted so dry.

''Everyone I love — leaves me. Everyone but Teddy and I don't want you to
leave me, Draco. I never want you to leave me.'' Her breath held thin, and her
pulse quickened, ''I can't live if you leave me.''

Not comprehending a word she said, he scowled at her, his eyes flickering over
her, and a hurtful look grew upon him, ''Why would I ever do that?'' Draco
painfully spoke up, his fingers grasping at her waist and neck, ''Why would I go
through hell and back to have you, Amelie? Why would I risk your bloody life,
my life, Teddy's, my mothers — why would I do that if I wouldn't keep you
forever?''

Her eyes hooded, her lips parted.

''I wouldn't. I wouldn't fight this hard to be with you if I didn't want you, Amelie.
I want all of you, all the time.'' He started to sound desperate, almost as if he
craved for her to understand, ''I will never leave you.''

Draco leaned closer, brushing his lips against hers, ''Don't ever say that again.
Don't ever question me or my love for you. I am yours to have and yours to keep
even if you would wake up one day and not want me anymore — I'd still be
yours. I belong to you, always.''

''I love you...'' She whispered, weakly and worn, ''I love you.''

She wasn't used to it. Even if Draco had brought hell upon this world to save her
— to be with her and to have her. She'd never be familiar with someone fighting
for her as he did. She was aware of what he was doing, and she loved him
tremendously for constantly saving her life, but she was so scared.

Terrified to lose herself in him. To allow herself to be loved and love him to the
fullest.

''And I love you,'' He mumbled, stroking his nose along the spine of hers, ''Don't
ever question me again. I'd give my heart for yours to keep beating.''

Amelie stilled, her brows twitched, ''Don't say that—''

He didn't stop, ''You know I would. I'd stop breathing for you. I'd leave for you,
Amelie. That's how much I love you. I'd tear this whole world apart for you—''
She didn't let him finish his sentence before her arms folded around his neck and
her lips collided with his, ''I'd leave for you,'' Amelie breathed, ''I'd do anything
—''

''You won't because I will never let you,'' He leaned his head back, tucking it
down to the covers, and he studied her, ''I love you, and I need you to be safe.''

She fell down utterly on the floor as well, her face held numb, ''I need you to be
safe too...'' She let out silently, ''I won't be safe if you're not.''

''I'm safe with you,'' He reassured her, over and over as they stared at each other.
His burning sight stung at her skin.

Both of them lying silent in the darkness for moments as the moonlight
glistening around them and the candles flamed, catching their breaths and
gathering themselves for something — they didn't quite know what yet. Still,
Amelie could sense as if something was rupturing, something around them being
ripped apart.

Draco noticed how she shuddered at the cool air around them and how her chest
rose and fell heavily next to him. Squinting in the gloom, his eyes caught the
covered object in the corner of the library.

''What's that?'' He asked, angling his head back to look at her, and her shaking
nerves eased at the gentleness in his tone.

Propping herself up, she dragged a pearly sheet over her body, ''See for
yourself,'' She teased him, and with a grunt, he threaded his cover around his
hips, and he stood tall on two feet. Walking over the sea of candles around them.

The tips of Malfoy's fingers ran over the silky material before he dragged it off,
and his eyes instantly broadened, ''Amelie—'' He breathed, his eyes snapping
across it.

Amelie bought him a piano.

She smiled so proudly at his reaction, nearly sensing from across the room how
his veins filled with warmth, and he dropped down to the bench, ''You didn't
have to.''
''I wanted to,'' Amelie pushed herself up on her feet, and she walked up to him,
standing behind him as the bed-linen fell utterly around her, ''It's your birthday,
and I wanted to give you something — just like you give me everything.''

Draco cocked his head, looking back at her, and if she didn't know better, she'd
believe it was pearls of tears she watched in his eyes.

''I already have everything I want,'' He pushed his lips together, his breath paced,
''I have you, and that's all I'll ever want.''

Her fingers ran along his shoulders, tracing goosebumps down his skin, ''This
can be our room, I can read, and you can play for me...'' She said, so quietly. His
hands trapped her wrist, and he led her around the bench, shifting his palms over
her hips, and he pulled her down onto his lap.

Amelie's knees on each side of him and her limbs locked behind his neck,
cradling them both a bit from side to side.

Draco hesitated to begin with. He hadn't played in years, but it felt like it came
so neutrally to him. With Amelie in his lap, it all seemed so logical.

His fingers skimmed across the keys of it before pressing one down, and he
shivered at the sound stuffing the room. Malfoy played it, his touch rushing
across the piano as the heavenly notes soothed around them.

With her holding onto him, she smiled into his shoulder. Her bones fitting
perfectly with his, and her mind couldn't reach a place further away than this
one.

Even if she knew something was coming, she couldn't bother to care at this time
because it was them. They sat in the darkness, the moonlight once again kissing
their bare skin, and the sphere as they knew it faded.

Somewhere in the midst of all the chaos, they always managed to find peace
within each other.

Amelie felt her breaths as they slowed and her eyes as they battled the heavy
feeling. She failed to sleep properly for days, and she was so tired now. But with
Draco playing for her, his chest fused with hers and her head fallen to his
shoulder, she felt as if she could rest for a bit.
Amelie fell asleep. Her body held, exhausted and her mind drawn.

It was her time to rest now.

''Thank you,'' Draco whispered, letting go of the piano and sheeting his arms
around her spine instead. Knowing that she'd fallen asleep, he'd always
recognize that feeling.

''My Amelie.''

_____

After their first night in the house she'd bought for them — the dawn crawled
above the treetops, and Amelie decided to go back to the cabin. To tell her
mother and Atlas that they'd gotten a house and that they all could stay there,
safe and out of harm's way.

''I'm still mad at you for breaking our deal,'' Draco rolled his eyes, peering down
at her as she smiled, shyly, ''I was supposed to pay—''

''It doesn't matter,'' Amelie grinned, ''What's mine is yours, remember? So

technically, you did pay for it.''

''Hilarious,'' He quirked a brow, shaking his head as they walked across the yard
leading up to the cabin, ''I'm never letting you decide anything—''

''Yes, you are,'' Amelie shot back, stepping up the stairs onto the front porch, ''It's
not like I did a bad—''

''You bought a house for god knows how much money and then you left without
telling me, and then—''

He was hewed off by Amelie turning around in her shoes, and her arms swiftly
coated his neck, pulling him into a warm kiss, ''And then what? What happened
then, Draco?''

Malfoy groaned, gritting his teeth as she kissed his upper lip, feeling his hands as
they gripped her waist, ''That's what I thought—'' She smiled, her lashes battled,
''So don't be like that. I'll let you buy me anything you want but don't be mad at
me for the house.''
''Fine—'' He mumbled, ''But only because I got the best birthday present...'' His
tongue ran across her bottom lip, ''And that I got to—''

''Shhh—'' Amelie pulled away, stepping back over the wood, ''Please, my mother
can hear you, Draco,'' Chuckling at him as he once again rolled his eyes coldly.

Closing her hand around the doorknob, she shoved the door wide and walked
inside. Draco wasn't slow to follow, and just as her eyes flickered, looking
around — Amelie's entire face fell.

Her breaths ragged the instant her sight clocked what was happening. It didn't
feel real to her.

Malfoy pushed himself past her, falling to his knees beside the couch, and
Amelie stood as petrified in the doorway. Watching as her mother was crying
and yelling at her, but she couldn't hear a thing.

Only the ringing sound scored through her ears, and she felt tears pricking in her
eyes.

It was Narcissa, lying covered in blood on the sofa.

_____
 Eighty-five

This chapter contains violent actions and mentions of blood. Please read
with caution.

_____

''Don't make me leave like this.''

_____

Amelie looked at Draco. Her sight bored through the blond as he rested on his
knees, beside his mother. He didn't need to tell her just how upset he was by this.
How his skin nearly fumed in rage as he watched the blood stains on her skin.

Turning to her own mother, her brows knitted questioningly, ''What happened?''
Amelie managed to choke out, holding the tears she felt as they rimmed in her
eyes, ''Was she attacked—''

''I don't know,'' Athena shook her head, her voice laced with worry, ''She just
knocked on the door. She could barely stand.''

''Mother?'' Draco mumbled, gritting his jaws not to cry. Feeling as if he couldn't
let the tears fall. He needed to be strong for her, ''Who did this to you, mother?''

Holding her hand, he traced her knuckles up to his lips, placing a soft kiss upon
them as Narcissa's eyelids fluttered, her hues slowly peeling wide, ''Draco?'' She
coughed out, weakly, ''Draco, what are you—''

''Shhh...'' Malfoy let the spine of his hand run over her forehead, calming his
mother's stressed breaths, ''I'm here, mother. It's alright.''

Amelie could see how Narcissa immediately eased at that — her head rested
against the pillow, and her chest heaved slower, ''Death Eaters—'' She managed
to speak, so lowly that they barely heard her, ''They were looking for Amelie.''
The muscle in Draco's jaw ticked. His face cooled in the lack of emotion,
''What?'' He lifted a brow as his teeth clasped together tightly, ''They looked for
her, and they hurt you?''

''I wouldn't—'' She withdrew her hand from her son's, pushing her palms into the
couch as she sat up properly, leaning against the backrest, ''I refused to give her
up. I didn't know where you went last night and they... punished me for it.''

Amelie watched the rising storm as it dashed in Draco's pupils. His eyes
darkened, viciously, ''Mhm,'' He hummed, calmly yet dangerously, ''Are they
still holding up in the castle?''

Narcissa snapped her neck, her eyes scanning her son as she realized what he
meant to do, ''Draco—''

''Are they still in the castle?'' He asked again, severely this time, his note harsh,
and her mother nodded slowly. She never had the power to stand against her son.

Clearing his throat, Draco stood up. Settling a hand on the backrest of the sofa
and he pushed his lips into his mother's head, ''I'll be right back,'' He mumbled
before he turned around, and his eyes leveled the girl he'd failed to pay any
attention to.

Amelie didn't look at him. Her sight floored as she tried to breathe steadily —
she understood that he was leaving again. That he was leaving to tear the Death
Eaters, responsible for wounding his mother, apart.

Using slow steps, Draco strode up to her, tipping his head and reaching to cup
her jaws in his palms, but Amelie yanked her head back, and it pained him.

Ache rushed through his veins at the way she refused to let him touch her, and
he drew a deep breath, knowing how disappointed she had to be with him.
Understanding that this wasn't something she stood for.

''Amelie,'' He said softly, ''Amelie, look at me.''

She didn't.

Her eyes were glued to the floorboards, and her fingers twitched against her
palms.
''Amelie, please look at me,'' His vocals pleading. Malfoy didn't wish to leave her
like this — her being upset with him, and he shot a swift look across his
shoulder, watching how Athena was seated next to his mother, wiping the blood
covering her cheeks away.

''Come here,'' He took steps past her, striding towards the door as he opened it,
gesturing with his hand for her to follow him outside, ''Please, Amelie, don't
make me leave like this.''

Shivers pathed down her spine, and it hurt her tremendously to treat him the way
she did. She couldn't — even if she wanted to, even if she was furious with him
for once again leaving her to put himself in danger — she couldn't let him leave
without hearing him out.

She folded her arms over her chest, keeping her stare low as she spun around,
marching past him out on the porch.

Draco closed the door behind them, looking heartbreakingly at her, ''Why are
you mad at me?'' He spoke up, his shoulder fused with the doorway, ''Is it
because I have to go?''

''I'm not mad at you,'' She stated, shortly as she peered out over the yard — the
sun glimmering above them.

Malfoy scoffed, underneath his breath, shaking his head at her, ''You're not mad
at me? If you're not mad at me, Amelie — why would you act like this?''

Sighing out loudly, her fingers curved around the wooden fence, keeping her
voice short, ''You said you weren't leaving me.''

Pinching his eyes shut, he swallowed another wave of pain as it scored through
him. It hurt him, hearing her speak in the terms she did, ''I'm not leaving you,
Amelie. But they hurt my mother—''

''They are always going to hurt someone, Draco,'' She spun around, her eyes
finally matching his and that gaze she held, that feeling of betrayal he could see
as it twinkled, caused him to feel sick.

''Someone is always going to be hurt, but that doesn't mean you need to put your
life at risk every time they do,'' Her tone raised, her arms dropping to her sides,
and she felt defeated, ''I know that they hurt your mother. I know that it makes
you furious — it makes me furious, and I know that it makes you feel like you
need to seek some sort of vengeance, but it doesn't Draco. You don't need to kill
to earn revenge.''

Feeling as his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, he shook his head, ''Yeah?
Then what am I supposed to do? They hurt my mother while looking for you,
and if I don't stop them, who will, Amelie? Who will stop them?''

Tears formed in her eyes, and she looked away, clenching her jaws, ''Then go,
Draco. If this is more important to you than to stay here with your mother and
me —'' Amelie's voice cracked as her heart ached, ''Then go, and do what you
have to do.''

''Don't do this,'' Draco pleaded, taking a step towards her, ''Please, Amelie. Don't
do this.''

Her sight leveled the horizon, showing between the trees, drawing a hurtful
breath. It felt like fire in her lungs, and it burnt, ''I want you to be safe, Draco,
but that's hard when all you do is putting yourself in danger. I can't decide for
you. You are your own person, and you are free to do as you please, so if you
want to go — go.''

''Don't do this to me,'' He said, striding even closer than he did before, ''Don't
make me choose, Amelie.''

''Why would I do that?'' She whispered, her spine facing him as she let her lashes
fall shut, ''Why would I make you choose when it's not even supposed to be a
choice?''

Draco had to swallow the lump in his throat. She was right. He should stay with
them. He shouldn't leave them — yet he couldn't manage that stinging anger
boiling within him. He was so angry, furious with the men that laid a hand on his
mother, that he couldn't.

Malfoy couldn't stay.

''I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry,'' He mumbled as he pushed his lips into the back
of her head, ''You're mine, and I love you.''
Malfoy's hands wrapped around her shoulders, pressing his chest against her,
and he waited for moments for her to say it back to him.

But she didn't.

Amelie didn't say a word.

The tears rolling down her cheeks spoke loud enough.

''Please,'' He couldn't leave her when she cried. He didn't need to see the tears
spilling down her cheeks to understand that she was crying, ''Please don't do this.
Don't make me leave like this, Amelie.''

''Then don't go...'' Her voice tenderly and she turned around, burying her head in
his chest, ''Please don't go. Please, please—''

Amelie was so upset — so mad at him for leaving them like this, but at the same
time, she couldn't hold herself from begging him to stay. She was so scared,
terrified that he would get hurt.

Frightened that he'd be overpowered and that something would happen to him.
She was always so scared. Never did she mean to make him feel guilty — she
simply didn't know what to do, what to say to make him stay with her.

She feared for his life in ways she'd never done with anyone else before.

Draco placed his chin on the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her, and
he held her so close. Nearer than he'd ever done before, ''I can't let them get
away with this. I can't let them do this. They were looking for you, and I need to
know why.''

''I don't—'' She swallowed a sob, his shirt stained with her hears, ''I don't care,
just don't leave.''

''My Amelie,'' He tried to comfort her, his hands sheeting her head, and he bent it
back, looking down at her, ''I'll be right back, I promise.''

''You promised not to leave,'' Her chest was heaving, her breaths held shallowly,
''Please, Draco. Don't go.''
''I'll see you in an hour or two, alright?'' He dipped his head, pushing his lips to
hers, ''I'll send for Theodore, and you two can take my mother to the new house
— you can show Atlas his room, and I'll be back before you know it.''

''Draco, what if something happens—'' Amelie rasped out, ''What if you get
hurt?''

Kissing her so softly, he traced his lips up her cheeks, and he kissed her tears, ''I
will always make it back to you — you know I will,'' Pulling away, he looked at
her, feeling as his heart shattered, ''I'm yours, and you're mine.''

Amelie nodded, ''I'm yours, and you're mine...'' Letting it out in a whisper, she
took a step back, making his touch drop from hers.

''I love you.'' He said. With a twitch of his wand, Draco disappeared from in
front of her, and Amelie — Amelie went back inside to heal his mother.

_____

Draco landed safely on the grass of the massive lawn outside the castle he knew
the death eaters took shelter in.

Not once as he strode across the yard did he hesitate. Not one single second
passed that he regretted his decision to move up the stairs, to the grand foyer,
and with his wand, tightly hugged in his fist — the doors clicked open.

The only thing Malfoy did regret was leaving Amelie. Never had his heart ached
as much as it did when she refused to let him touch her, that yank of her head
earlier, not allowing him to feel her — still soared inside. When she held herself
from telling him that she loved him, it broke him, right there and then.

Draco wasn't a fool. He knew why she was upset with him to the point where she
didn't wish his touch to embrace her — no one loathed him more than he
despised himself for this. But he couldn't let them get away with it. He couldn't
allow them to hurt his mother and search for Amelie.

He'd rather have her hate him than her not being safe.

That girl — that doll-eyed, stubborn girl, with her chaotic morning hair and her
hatred for socks was to be protected. Never mind the cost of it. Just like Malfoy
had told her the night before — he'd easily give his life for hers. He'd do
anything to assure her safety.

Amelie was everything to him. She was his reason to keep breathing, the
meaning of his miserable life. She made it all worth it, and he would, without a
second thought, do anything to shield her.

Draco never knew love. He never quite grasped what it meant to have that type
of love in his life that consumed him. That made him go crazy, that made him
the luckiest man on the planet, and at the same time — a love that drowned him,
that broke his heart by her not being close to him.

She was all of that. Always her.

The clouds hovering over the castle shifted darker as Draco snuck inside,
holding close to the walls so if someone indeed saw him — he'd easily be able to
slip through a doorway and disappear.

Not a soul in sight as he silently marched his way down the dungeons, to where
the one person within the darkness he could still trust would be.

His heels echoed along with the stones as he slipped through the gate into the
chambers, hesitating for a slight second until he watched the boy, hunched down
in front of a desk — guarding the prisoners the Dark Lord held.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Draco peered around, making it certain that no
other Death Eaters hid in the shadows.

''Zabini—'' Draco rasped out, stepping out of the gloom, causing the boy to
flinch back, staring frighteningly at the blond.

Blaise's eyes narrowed, squinting to assure himself that he wasn't hallucinating,

''Malfoy?'' He whispered harshly as he slammed his palms into the table, ''What
the fuck are you doing here? Are you bloody mental?''

Striding around the desk, Blaise crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at
Draco.

''I need something from you,'' Malfoy said, lowly as the shouts and screams from
within the cells cut through his ears forcefully, ''Information.''
Blaise scoffed annoyingly as he rolled his eyes, ''Do you know what the Dark
Lord will do to you if he finds out you're here? Do you know how much trouble
I would be in for not calling on the guards right now?''

''But he won't find out, will he?'' Draco fired back, his sight narrowed, keeping
his tone hushed, ''And you won't call on the guards for that matter either.''

''Perhaps I should, Malfoy,'' Blaise's lower back rested against the desk, his
fingers nervously twitching on the hold of his arms, ''Perhaps I should call on the
damn guards, do you know what you've done? How many people you have—''

Taking a rushed step forward, Draco knew just how fragile his timeline is was,
''I'm well aware, Zabini. I'm fucking well aware of what I've done. But I did what
I had to do — they took her from me.''

''So it's still about that bloody girl? Is that what you're telling me?'' Zabini's voice
held accusingly, ''You killed our friends — our family's friends for a fucking
girl? For the girl you were supposed to fool? And what? You fell in love with
Avery instead of taking your damn assignment seriously?''

''Don't you dare address her. I don't want her name on your bloody lips, Zabini.
Like I said—'' Draco's hues darkened, dashes of ruthlessness stained them, ''I did
what I had to do. They should've known better than to cross me.''

Shaking his head, Blaise hissed, not fully coming to terms with Malfoy's
behavior, ''I don't know what you want from me. I think he predicts that you'll
come for me one day — the Dark Lord tells me nothing. Why do you think I'm
stuck down here, watching the prisoners?''

Sighing out loudly, Draco's shoulders sunk. His persona darkened, ''I wouldn't
expect less from the Dark Lord, but that's not what I'm talking about, and I think
you know that. Voldemort doesn't have to tell you anything for you to know
what's happening, does he?''

Blaise stared at the ground, his head tipping forward, ''Even if I did know
anything — what makes you think that I'd ever tell you about it? You're a bloody
killer, Malfoy. I was there once—'' He looked up, blankly gazing at the blond,
''After you paid a visit to one of the safe houses. I saw what you did to them. I
saw how you killed every last man with your bare hands.''
Pinching his eyes shut, Malfoy shook his head, ''You will tell me because you
want this damn madness to end as much as I do. You don't want the Dark Lord
to rule. We both know that, and that's the reason you'll be telling me everything I
need to know, Zabini. I will pay for what I have done, we all will — but until
then, I'll be damned if I don't do everything I can to stop it.''

There was a loop of empathy in Blaise's eyes as if he agreed in silence to what

Draco had spoken, and he shot the gate a swift look, stretching his spine, ''I
suppose you want to know about the visit they paid your mother earlier today?''
He huffed out, his stare leveling Malfoy.

''I do. I want to know who was there and what they wanted from her. What the
Dark Lord wants with Amelie,'' It hurt him to speak her name, being
remembered of what struck between them before he arrived at the castle, ''They
asked for her specifically, and I want to know why.''

Blaise nodded, his hands falling to the desk behind him as he gripped the edges
of the wood, ''I don't know much, but from what a friend told me — they know
you located the child, and they are coming for you, Malfoy. They are coming for
Avery. Did you hear that she attacked them in Edinburgh? They aren't happy
with her and after Dublin — the Dark Lord is furious.''

Feeling as his insides wrenched, his heartbeat pounded roughly, his pulse
stressed, ''Do they know about the cabin?'' Malfoy asked, ''About the house
Amelie bought?''

The boy faltered for a single minute, and he swallowed his delay, ''They know
about the cabin, but I don't know anything about a house. I'd stop apparating
there if I was her, he can't keep track of your magic or Nott's, but she's not a
Death Eater. They are tracking her,'' Another pause scored them, ''That's why
they interrogated your mother because they knew she'd go to you.''

Suddenly, Draco's chest tightened. His throat restrained as he stepped forward,

''So both the Malfoy Manor and the cabin are compromised?'' He urged,
understanding that he needed to get back to Amelie as soon as he possibly could,
''But they don't know anything about the new house?''

''The manor is compromised, and the cabin — but they haven't found out about
any house. Hide it, Malfoy. Hide it with magic, because they are coming,'' Blaise
hushed, feeling an ounce of good as it scored through him, knowing that he was
doing everything he could, ''They are coming for the whole Avery clan.
Voldemort won't spare her or her mother's life. He wants the boy, and the rest is
collateral damage.''

''They are not touching her. Nott is with them now. I told him to take them to the
house, so they're safe.'' Draco growled out, sensing the bolting anger as it shot
through him, ''But that's all you know?''

''That's all I know,'' Blaise held so much agony in his stare. He knew what he'd
done, and he knew himself that he would pay for what he put Amelie through in
her past. That he took Adrian's side and that he'd been nothing but cruel to the
girl, and he indeed regretted that today, knowing that she held the safety of the
wizarding world in her hands.

He pushed himself off the desk, striding around it again as he slipped back down
onto his chair, ''You need to leave now, Malfoy. They come down here every
hour, and if they see you—''

''I know—'' Draco felt sickly within, leaving his friend behind, ''You can come
back with me, Zabini. You don't have to be here. We can protect you—''

''Not a chance in hell,'' Blaise fired back, frustratingly, his elbows struck the
timber, ''Voldemort has my mother tangled into all of this. I can't risk her.''

Draco knew exactly how that felt, being held back by the Dark Lord as he toyed
with the lives of their loved ones, ''I can get her for you. There's plenty of room
in the house—''

''Malfoy,'' The boy spoke severely, ''There's no point in that. I have to stay
behind, but you go do what you have to, and you end this. Now go ahead. You
don't have much time.''

He already knew what Draco had to do. Zabini understood that he couldn't
remember this — that his friend had to take it all away from him, and he didn't
mind it.

Draco marched up to the desk, his wand wrapped in his fist, and he placed a
hand on Zabini's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, ''Thank you, mate,'' He
mumbled as Blaise shut his eyes, ''I'll find you when all of this is over. I
promise.''
Raising his weapon, Draco drew a breath, inhaling sharply, and just as he meant
to perform the magic, Blaise coiled back, something clocked the boy.

''Wait—'' He gasped, ''There's a ball, a masquerade here in two days, the Dark
Lord is holding it for his soldiers. Perhaps you can find something there and
keep an eye on Nott. He's been... around, lately.''

Malfoy nodded comfortably, ''I'll keep that in mind,'' He said, feeling a tide of
pain as it washed over him. He exhaled, whispering, ''Obliviate,'' Underneath his
breath, taking away the past hour from Blaise's mind, and just like that — Draco
vanished back into the shadows.

He didn't have a second to waste. He craved to go back to the new house and to
make sure that Amelie was safe within the walls of it.

_____

Apparating to the house Amelie had bought for them only the day before, he
marched through the gates upon the road leading to their new home.

Draco couldn't help but admire it as he stormed towards it. The yard was
massive — beautiful, and he was already able to visualize his mother in the
garden, Amelie and Atlas playing around on the grass.

It caused warmth to spread within him, feeling as if all of this might turn out for
the better in the end.

Stepping up the stairs, he twitched his wrist, and the door flayed open, revealing
the majestic foyer, and he saw the boxes standing along the walls, along with the
toys already spilling over the floor.

Theodore stepped out from the living room, surprised and shocked that the blond
was standing in the doorway, ''Malfoy?'' A grimace climbed him, ''I thought you
weren't going to be back until later?''

''Is she here?'' Draco ignored the asked question, his head snapping as he peered
around, taking strides across the tile-covered ground, ''Where is she?''

''They brought Atlas and Narcissa here, and they told me to stay with them,
helping them unpack while they got the last things from the cabin, but they
haven't been gone for more than twenty minutes, so they'll be back any minute,''
Theodore's shoulder fused with the wall next to him as he cocked his head, ''It's a
nice house she got, isn't it?''

Feeling as the relief battled the heavy stir in his chest, Draco nodded, ''It is,'' His
voice cold, ''Twenty minutes you say?'' He questioned, ''What could she possibly
need from the cabin? She hasn't lived there for over eight months?''

''I think Athena had a couple of things she wanted to bring, and Amelie didn't
want her to go alone—''

''So you let her go with her?'' Draco lifted a brow, glaring at the brunet with pure
disappointment as it rolled off his tongue, ''Why the hell would you let her leave
with her bloody mother? You know I don't trust her—''

Being cut short, Theo huffed out, ''It's her mother, Draco. Their mother, and
what do you want me to do? Lock her up in your room? Have you ever tried to
tell that girl no? It's not possible.''

Gritting his jaws, Malfoy shifted impatient, feeling his tamed temper as it failed
him, ''I don't care what you do to stop her, but you stop her, Nott. You stop her.
As you should have before you went to Edinburgh and before you went to
Dublin. The Dark Lord is furious with her for attacking those Death Eater's—''

''You mean the Death Eater's you tracked down and slaughtered right in front of
her?'' Theodore spoke back, emotionlessly, ''I know I shouldn't have let her go,
but there's a difference between what you and Amelie have and what she and I
have. I don't question her, Malfoy. I don't stop her — I support her. I trust her,
and I have her back no matter what we do. It has always been like that—''

''Yeah?'' Draco hissed, taking dangerous steps closer to his friend, ''Is that why
she was trapped with Adrian for years? Because you were such a good friend?''
He let his tells out with sarcasm, ''Is that why she was so fucking broken when I
found her that I barely got her together—''

''That's enough, alright?'' Theo spat out, his skin reddened at the blond's
provoking manners, ''I know you think I failed her, and hell, perhaps I did! But
don't you dare try to compare what we have. This isn't a competition. It's not a
bloody battle of who loves her the most or who protects her more than the other.
It's about her, Malfoy. It's about her and the right she has to still make her own
decisions—''

He took a breath, a deep one before he continued, ''That's something so

important to her, that she gets to have a say in what happens to her. Amelie spent
her whole life being controlled by both her father and Pucey, but she's not
anymore. She's her own damn person now — so God forgive me for actually
treating her like one.''

Draco stayed silent, swallowing every word the brunet spoke.

''Was it stupid of us to go to Edinburgh? Yes. Was it stupid of us to go to

Dublin? Absolutely. I never said it wasn't, but there is a difference in how you
deal with it. I let her take control of her own life. I let her do it her way, and did
it go straight to hell? Yes, but at least it was her call. She did it. She learns how
to grow from her mistakes too, Malfoy.''

Theodore shook his head. His sight floored as the messy curls spilled wildly
around him, ''I know what you think, alright? I know you think I am a terrible
friend for letting her stay with Adrian, and I was, but they would've killed her,
and she — believe it or not, asked me not to do anything. I respect what the two
of you have. I know you're trying to protect her and keep her safe and that you're
doing it your way, but you need to respect that she's my best friend too and that I
have my own ways to be there for her.''

Draco gave a sigh, dubiously, ''I know...'' He said quietly, ''I know that. I know
that you tried your best and that you are doing what you can for her, but she's all
I have, Nott. There isn't a reason for me to be here if she isn't.''

''I know,'' Theodore agreed, ''She's all I have too, so perhaps we should stop
fighting about her and start working together to protect her.''

Sensing doubt as it ripped through him, Malfoy squinted, slightly at the

recollection of what Amelie had told him a few nights prior — about a deal
Theodore had claimed to have made with the Death Eater's and how Blaise had
told him to keep an eye on Nott.

His veins soared with loops of anger again, ''Then we'll start off with the deal
you made with the Dark Lord.'' The blond stated, ''Care to tell me about that?''

Theodore froze, utterly in his position, and a ghastly cloak mastered him, ''I don't
—''

''Yes you do,'' Draco endangered, closing in on the brunet as his spine pressed
tightly against the wall, ''And you better tell me about it, right now or I swear—''

''I can't do that,'' Theo admitted, his gaze held in pain, his pupils blown in
disbelief, ''You know I can't do that, Malfoy. Whatever the Dark Lord made me
do — what he forced me into, I can't be honest about. You of all people know
that.''

Gritting his jaws, Draco forced his curved fists into Theodore's chest, pushing
him back into the wall, ''You can and you will, Nott. You will tell me about it, or
what was the speech you just gave me? All for fucking nothing if you can't be
honest.''

''I can't—''

Malfoy gripped the boy by his collar, pinning him against the wall as he
breathed heavily, ''Tell me right fucking—''

''I can't! He'll kill me!'' Theodore shouted. Tears rimmed his eyelids, and he
knew he was so far in over his head that he couldn't be truthful about this, ''You
know he'll kill me—''

''And I have saved your life countless times!'' Draco growled out, keeping the
boy threatened against the wall, ''But I can't fucking protect you if you don't start
telling the bloody truth—''

''I'm saving your lives!'' He whined out, feeling Draco's hands as they tightened
around his collar, ''I made a deal to save your lives!''

Emptiness showed on Malfoy's face. A confused mantle shortly replaced it,

letting go of his throat, ''What the hell are you—''

Theodore fell to the floor, his knees bruised against the tile as his spine arched,
panting out of control. He couldn't, no matter how hard he tried — he couldn't
lie.

''I—'' He coughed, sounding weak, ''He was going to kill you. All of you —
Narcissa, Amelie, you, and I cut a deal. I heal his soldiers, and he spares your
lives. He would've killed you weeks ago if I didn't.''

Draco shook his head, puzzled beyond explanation, ''When was this?'' He urged,
looking down at the brunet as he caught several steps back, ''When did you—''

''When she was still asleep,'' He whispered, fighting the tears, ''He approached
me when she was still asleep, and I didn't have a choice, Draco. He was coming
for you. He was coming for all of us, and none of us would've been able to fight
him. You were still hurt, she wasn't conscious, and Narcissa... It wouldn't have
worked.''

''So what?'' Draco snapped, rudely, ''You have been saving the people I put
down?''

Theo bowed his head, placing his hand on the wall as he rose from the floor,
paralleling the blond, ''I did, and I knew I couldn't tell you. I wanted to, I wanted
to tell all of you, but at the same time, I knew I couldn't. It would've been too
dangerous for everyone, so I just did what I was told.''

Malfoy scoffed, releasing a troubled breath, ''All those nights you left — you
went to save Death Eaters?''

''Yes,'' Theo said, and he looked so remorseful. His note cracked, ''And I'm sorry
—''

''And she doesn't know?'' Draco hewed him off, dragging his piercing stare away
from Theodore, and he had to chain himself not to curse the boy right there and
then, ''She have no idea?''

''She doesn't...'' Theodore felt the lump in his throat as it grew, ''No one but the
Death Eaters knows.''

With a thick swallow, Draco raised his voice, sounding bitter, ''It has to stay that
way. She can't know anything about this, Nott. She's being watched. Her magic
is tracked, and she can't know. It's that simple—''

''What?'' Heard as he was surprised, Theo frowned, ''Is the Dark Lord watching
her? I didn't hear a thing about any of that. Who told you—''

''Blaise,'' He let out, short and bothered, ''I went to see Zabini. He's the only one
of them that's still trusted within Voldemort's inner circle and the one I can trust
in there.''

''I see,'' Theodore lowered, his bones ached as he felt more than guilty for lying
to them, ''But I agree, she can't now—''

''Who can't know? Amelie?''

Both of them winced back at the tiny voice. It struck them unexpectedly. Staring
down at the little boy as he smiled up at them. His dolls hugged to his chest.

''Where is Amelie?'' Atlas said again, keeping his smile as the two boys
nervously glared at each other, both of them unfamiliar with children, ''Mom
said they would be back—''

''Little one...'' Draco cleared his throat. His hues matched Atlas's as he kneeled
down. He glanced at the boy, wide-eyed, ''Your sister will be back any minute
now, and so will your mom. They are bringing back all of your toys.''

Atlas smiled even broader, nodding eagerly, ''All of them?''

Draco rose a brow, feeling as a smile curled in the corner of his lips at the
hopeful glints sparking in the boy's brown eyes, ''Yeah, every last toy but only...''
He knew he needed to tell Atlas that he couldn't tell Amelie one single word of
what he caught, ''But only if Amelie not knowing is our little secret.''

''Yes!'' Atlas chuckled, peering down at his dolls in his arms before quickly
looking back up at Draco, ''I won't tell her. I promise.''

Scowling suspiciously, Draco pushed his lips together, scanning the boy
playfully, ''Do you promise?''

''I do!'' Atlas jumped closer, stretching his elbow out as Draco nearly gawked
frighteningly at the act, ''It's a promise bump, here—''

The boy reached for the blond's arm, bending it as he'd done with his own, and
he slammed their elbows together, ''See, now we promised.''

Huffing out a faint chuckle, Malfoy nodded, ''A promise bump, you say?'' He
tried to sound sharp, yet a string of softness slipped him as he stood tall again,
''Did Amelie show you your room?''

''She did—'' Atlas almost immediately lost interest in the conversation but was
rapidly brought back to it as Draco settled a hand on his head, tousling his hair
slightly, ''She said she's buying me a slide so that I can slide down from my bed.''

It eased all the ache Malfoy carried as he caught that, but it at the same time —
clocked him back to the reality where she still wasn't here. Only a few hours had
passed since he walked out on her, and he already missed her more than he could
come to explain.

''And you like your room?'' Theodore pitched in, noticing how Draco faltered,
''She's pretty good at picking rooms, you know? You should see my room. I love
it.''

Atlas's face lit up in pure joy, looking so excited, ''Can I see your room? Perhaps
she'll buy you a slide too—''

''Why isn't she back?'' Draco mumbled underneath his breath for only Theodore
to hear, ''She should be back, Nott. Why isn't she—''

''Do you—'' Theo shot Malfoy a discrete nod towards the boy as his jaws
clenched, ''Atlas, do you think you can find my room before I do?''

The little boy didn't waste a second as he spun around, so quickly and he
sprinted down the corridor, ''I know I will!'' He shouted, disappearing out of
sight.

Anxiety rocked within Draco as he felt his skin crawling. He let it slip his mind
— that she wasn't here yet. Just for a few minutes, he let it escape his mind, and
it caused his breaths to stress.

''It's alright, Malfoy. She'll be back any minute now,'' Theodore tried to comfort
him from a distance, ''She's with her mother, and it's fine—''

''How do you know that?'' He snapped back, feeling as he began to heave.

Tugging a ring-clad finger through his hair, ''Perhaps I should go there, yeah?
Check so there isn't—''

The wind suddenly scored around them violently. Strokes of it made both of
them step back as it swirled through the front door, still standing open. Cocking
their heads and Draco hauled his wand up, ready to fight whatever was coming.

''What the—'' Theodore breathed at the storm as it gathered in their foyer, ''What
the fuck is happening, Malfoy?'' He had to shout through the rush of air, ''What
is—''

It stopped abruptly as they looked at each other, hearing footsteps in the gravel
from the outside, and Draco didn't hesitate. Aiming his hand, he angled his
wand, and he paced up to the doorway.

His heart dropped, and pearls of tears prickled in his icing eyes.

It felt like his soul left his body.

Like every reason, he had to breathe, faded.

He watched Amelie, clutching her stomach as she struggled to stand straight.

Crimson red blood stained her dress, her arms, her legs.

She was completely covered in blood.

Time slowed as he, without a second thought, threw himself out the door, down
the stairs. Malfoy almost tripped as he ran his way to her.

His breaths held none existent, and he was shouting her name so loudly that it
echoed through the woods, but Amelie barely reacted.

Her head tipped back, her mouth hanging open as blood slipped the corner of it.

Draco ran faster than he ever had hurried before, and his heartbreaking gaze
crossed hers drained, lifeless one for just a second until her lashes fluttered
closed and her knees caved.

And the next thing he knew, Amelie fell to the ground.

_____
 Eighty-six

This chapter contains mentions of death, along with blood and emotional
trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

''I need to hurt you.''

_____

''Will you be back soon?'' Theodore muttered, not pleased with the fact that
Amelie was going back to the cabin, alone with her mother, ''I don't like this, and
if Malfoy comes back before you — he'll kill me.''

Amelie frowned, still with a glint in her eyes, ''What is it with you and your
obsession with Draco hurting you, Teddy?'' Chuckling slightly below her breath,
she peered around in the room they were standing in, ''Do you like it? Your
room, I mean?''

''I do—'' He hushed, looking around as he stood, leaning against the massive
windows, ''If I actually will be able to live here after Malfoy rips my head off.''

''Teddy, it's enough,'' Her voice shifting quite seriously. The constant mention of
Draco wounded within.

She failed to let go of their argument earlier, and the acts shared between them
still soared through her, ''He won't hurt you. He left himself, so he can't be mad
about this.''

Theo watched as her shoulders sunk, her persona twisted frustratingly. Taking
slow steps up to her, his arms wrapped around her small frame, and Amelie
smiled because of it — he always seemed to know when she was in need of
comfort.

''Did you have a fight?'' He mumbled as she nodded against his chest, and he
held her just a little tighter, ''It will be alright. If he left, he had a good reason for
doing so — just like you. You guys really need to trust each other.''

''I do trust him,'' Amelie huffed out, her voice held thinly, ''I'm just scared that
he'll get hurt. He's not careful enough, Teddy. He's always out there, putting
himself in harm's way, and it scares me.''

Resting his chin on the top of her head, Theodore muttered, ''I know you're
scared and that you think that he's putting himself in harm's way, but Malfoy has
proven that he can take care of himself, hasn't he?''

Hesitantly, she agreed, bowing her head as her cheek brushed along his shirt,
''He has, but I'm still scared. I'm so scared that he won't make it back to me.''

''He will always make it back to you,'' Theodore spoke with honesty, ''He'll
always make his way back to you, Amelie. You just have to believe it.''

She knew him to be right.

Amelie understood that he would never do anything to risk not being with her.
He was reckless, thoughtless at times, but when it came to being with her —
making sure that she was protected and safe, he'd never do a thing to toy with
that.

''I know he will...'' Her arms sheeted his waist, ''I just didn't like the way we left
things. Sometimes — I just think we're so consumed in everything that's
happening, so we forget that we're young too. I mean, we had a conversation the
other day, after you made that joke about him and another girl,''

Theo's eyes pinched shut. He still felt ashamed for that comment.

''And it was the first time in so long we had a normal conversation like normal
couples do. Just me asking him if he was with anyone while I was away felt so
strange even if it's such a typical thing to ask and when I took him here last night
—''

She drew a breath, still resting the side of her face against his chest, ''When I
showed him around, and he played the piano for me — it was just so... normal.
Like any other couple when they get a house together or just the fact that I
bought a house, we don't do those things, Teddy. We have never been the people
to do those normal things, and it felt good, being someone that buys a house and
has a boyfriend that plays the piano.''

He stayed quiet, enjoying listening to her as she rambled. She didn't do that too
often anymore.

''And not just talk about missing mothers and brothers we never knew about, or
me being held captive in a room or Draco seeking vengeance or you
disappearing in the middle of the night. It was just us, being young and normal,
and it felt good, Teddy. Sometimes, I wonder who I'd be if I weren't born into
this life... but then I hate myself for thinking that because I am happy. With you,
Draco, Narcissa, and Atlas — I am happy between all the misery.''

It caused warmth to flood through him as she spoke, her actually knowing and
understanding the world she was living in now — not her existing in pure denial
as she'd done for most of her life. Amelie wasn't in denial anymore. She wasn't
angry as she'd been months ago either.

''Thank you,'' She tilted her head back, staring up at her best friend, ''Thank you
for making me happy, Teddy.''

Pushing his lips into her forehead and cupping her cheeks, he whispered, ''I will
always try to make you happy. Thank you for making it all worth it.''

''Amelie!''

Both of them winced as her mother called her name from downstairs, and she
drew back from the hold her friend had of her.

Tucking a curl behind her ear, she forced a fraud smile, attempting to be okay
with all of it, ''I'll see you in a bit—'' She began to back away, ''And if Draco
comes back before me, just tell him that I left without you knowing. He can be...
Draco sometimes, but he means well, you know that.''

''I know he means well, but he has a hell of a way of showing it,'' He fired back
with a quirked brow, nearly mocking her from a distance as she lingered in the
doorway.

''You're funny,'' Amelie held a dry look, taunting him right back, ''You're a funny
guy, Teddy. Too bad I failed to notice it before.''
''Oh yeah?'' Theo scowled, playfully as he reached for a pillow on his bed, and
he threw it, ''We'll see how much fun I'll be when Malfoy is ripping me apart for
letting you leave with your mother—''

''Goodbye, Theodore,'' Amelie scoffed, throwing the pillow over his head. She
shot him a grin, ''If you're not nicer to me, I might just have to get myself in
trouble, and then you can worry about Draco.''

Theodore's face fell into a pale cloak, his skin drained of color as he had a
difficult time realizing if she was serious or not, but the severe dash in her eyes
faded into a soft one as she let a smile coat her lips.

He felt like he could breathe again.

''Be careful,'' Theodore smirked at her, cocking his head as he watched her slip
out of the doorway, yet a doubtful waver scored through him, and he couldn't
help but feel as if something bad was going to happen.

_____

Amelie and Athena landed outside the cabin. The summer breeze felt heavy
around them as they walked inside. Looking around, Amelie smiled to herself,
taking in every last memory of this place while she still could.

She'd spent her childhood in this cabin. Her mother and Theodore's father took
them here every summer, and sometimes at fall when they needed to get away,
seize a slight break from reality.

It carried so many of her happy memories — not that she owned many of them,
but this spot, hidden out in the woods, indeed kept her heart.

Every time she and Teddy rushed through the woods in the morning, running
their way, competing with each other all the way down to the beach for just a
little glimpse of the sunset. They always did that, and after a while, they snuck
into the abandoned house and played around for hours until her mother got
worried and she came looking for them.

Or the time when she was forced out of the Malfoy Manor — she and Teddy sat
down on the sand, and it was the first time she realized that she missed Draco.
That he made such an impact on her, even in that fragile state of mind she was a
prisoner in — he meant so much to her.

Even when she took Draco down to the beach the first time clocked her mind in
a fusion with the night they had a couple of days prior when they went
swimming in the moonlight.

Amelie missed it. She missed all of it as she stared out through the kitchen
window, watching the tiny path leading into the forest and down to the
mountain, where she once stood, on the far edge of it, and as the sun rose across
the tips of the treetops — she grasped that she won over Adrian's abuse.

The massive tree standing in the middle of the yard caught her attention, and she
couldn't help but smile even broader. She remembered the cold evening as if it
was yesterday — when she was outside, reading, and Malfoy came back for her
after being apart for a month.

Shaking her head, she strolled into the living room, her eyes trapped the couch,
and her heart overwhelmed in warmth. The morning after Draco found them
struck her, how he fell asleep on her lap from the exhaustion of looking for her.

All the times she, Teddy, and Draco had been playing cards after dinner or her
reading while Teddy taught Draco how to heal wounds.

There were too many memories in this tiny house for her to just let it all go. Too
much had happened around that concealed property for her to leave it without
coming back — at least, that's what she thought.

''Do you have something you'd like to bring with you back to the house?''
Athena's voice came unexpectedly from behind, and Amelie flinched back, ''Oh
no, I'm sorry— I didn't mean to scare you.''

''No, no—'' Amelie let a faint smile smear to her lips, ''I'm just easily spooked,
but yes. I have a box underneath one of the beds I'd like to bring.''

Her notes. All the small notes she'd been writing while being away from the
diary Narcissa once granted her.

''Of course, I'll just pack this box up,'' Athena smiled widely as she gazed
around, letting her eye catch everything she knew she'd miss, ''It's a beautiful
house.''
''It is...'' Amelie's voice came out low, ''But we have to hurry. Draco won't be too
happy if I'm not home when he gets back.''

''He's very protective over you, isn't he?'' Athena asked, bending down over the
box as she placed Atlas's toys inside of it, ''Not in a bad way, of course, but he's
very cautious with everything surrounding you.''

Amelie nodded, leisurely, ''He is,'' She said, ''I know it can come off as a lot
when it comes to him, but he's been through more than any of us, and he has a
past with losing me, so I don't blame him for keeping an extra eye on me.''

''I'm very thankful that he does that. That he's keeping you safe,'' Her mother
bowed her head towards the bedroom, ''But off you go, before he indeed gets
back to the house before us.''

Amelie rolled her eyes, amusingly away from her mother as she slipped into the
bedroom, seating herself on the floor, and she reached below the bed, grasping at
the little red box underneath the mattress.

Opening it right away, she began to flip through her notes, and it felt peaceful
around her. Just understanding how her life had eased and how much more she
knew now, in comparison to then.

''Are you ready, Amelie? I think we need to get back—''

A loud crash scored through the cabin as the ground shook underneath her.
Amelie flew up on two feet. Her eyes grew wide at the soil as it quaked.

''Mother, what was—''

Another collision struck as the glass coating the windows began to shatter. Her
veins iced at the way magic was being thrown outside.

It was the exact thing that had happened in both Dublin and Edinburgh — Death
Eater's found them, and it hit her as she squinted at the fog, rising darkly around
the house, what all of this must have been about.

How Narcissa was attacked — there wasn't a way that the Death Eaters would
raid one of their own, especially not Lucius's wife, unless they needed Draco to
lash out.
They wanted him away from Amelie. They craved Draco to leave her so they
could capture her mother and Atlas, and there wasn't an easier way for that to
happen — than for them to assault Narcissa, in the believes that they were
looking for Amelie.

It didn't make sense to her until now. How well planned it was of the Dark Lord
to play it this way. To fool Draco into leaving her so Voldemort could have full
access to finding them. She felt her throat as it caved in on her at the thought,
how the boy she loved might be in danger because of it.

Amelie had no idea if the Dark Lord was aware of Draco knowing about their
castle, but she didn't believe that he did. If he for one second thought that Malfoy
had entry to his shelter, he'd make sure that Draco never stepped a foot inside it
again.

Thunder began to strike outside as the Death Eaters hauled spells at the facade of
the cabin, shots of it ripping through the walls and porcelain in the cabinets,
along with portraits hanging on the walls.

''Mom!'' Amelie yelled, diving down to the floor every two seconds to avoid the
thrown magic, ''Mother!''

''Here,'' Athena pulled her wand out, reaching down as she snatched Amelie's
wrist in a sudden move, ''We need to apparate away from here, right now—''

''We can't!'' Amelie knew it wasn't possible to apparate until the Death Eaters
had fled the scene. It was like all the times before this one, they barricaded the
magic of leaving, ''We can't. They are blocking the magic—''

''How—'' Her mother frowned as she watched her daughter level her wand out
on the air, and she whispered tiny spells in the midst of the chaos.

Amelie stood solid on her shaking legs as she performed magic that would
harbor them, giving them a chance to find a way out of there.

''Amelie, that's not going to stop them,'' Athena sounded defeated, her eyes
flickering as she ever so arched her upper body to shun the shots of magic,
''They're too many, look—''

Spinning around, looking out the diminished glass of the living room window,
strands of Amelie's hair dwelled on her face. Fear rose through her body, sensing
her veins as they iced in panic.

At least a dozen men stood across the yard. Masks firmly glued to their heads as
another dozen swirled in the wind around the cabin, attacking them with the
cruelest of magic.

Her heartbeat swelled in her ears, and her head tipped forward to watch the
ground. Sealing her lashes for a second, Amelie sought to think. She felt the
scenarios as they splayed her mind.

There wasn't a way out.

Not with the men standing on the ground. They had nowhere to run — certainly,
she thought. They could make a run try to escape through the forest, but then it
would've been in vain because they couldn't apparate.

''Amelie—'' Her mother shouted, a heartbreaking scream as a gigantic explosion

hit the cabin and the girl, standing next to a wall, flew across the room, ''No, no,
no—''

Athena dropped to the floor, crawling her way over the messy pieces of timber,
''Amelie—''

She was hit badly.

Amelie felt her head as it spun and her ears as they pounded. Her chest heaved
out of control at the pieces of glass, tearing through her skin, ''Mom—''

Athena sensed tears rolling down her cheeks at the sight of her daughter,
wounded and hurt on the floor. She couldn't let this go on any longer. She
couldn't allow her daughter to be put at risk for her.

''Amelie...'' Her mother whispered, her hands wavering above the girl's frail body
and with a curl of her fingers — the glass faded into Amelie's skin, and it poured
off her like liquid. She tried to ease the pain.

It didn't hurt as much anymore.

She laid, with blood stained all over her skin as she carefully began to pull
herself up — but Athena was rapid to push her hands into her daughter's chest,
making her lay down safely on the ground.

Feeling how weak she was, Amelie whispered, so lowly through the explosions
outside, ''Go—'' She choked. Her bones crushing inside her from being thrown
into the fireplace, ''Please, mom—just go, make sure—''

''I'm not going anywhere,'' Athena stated, harshly and she couldn't believe that
Amelie was speaking in the way she was, ''I would never leave you behind.''

''Go back to—'' Amelie heaved violently as the devilish magic drowned her from
within. She was being ripped apart, inside out, but even if she was — all she
could muster was for her loved ones to be safe, ''You need to go back to them, to
Draco and Teddy—''

Athena shook her head, tears spilling from her eyelids, ''I could never leave you
like this.''

''I'll go outside, cause a distraction, and you can run—'' Amelie's tone held so
faintly. She could hardly talk, ''Hide them, mother — please—"

"I think I'm dying, mom — It feels like I'm dying, and you need to save them.
I'm dying, and I can't—''

She was stuttering, blood slipping the corner of her mouth as she was coughing
the words out, her lower lip quivered, and it got Athena thinking.

She needed to end this.

''Wait here,'' Her mother mumbled bluntly as Amelie's wide, frightened eyes
followed her mother's doings, watching as she crawled into the kitchen, hearing
how she looked for something before she came back, whispering spells as she
went.

''I need to get you into the bedroom so that I can seal the entire room,'' Athena
gripped her daughter by the shoulder, and she helped her shove herself into the
room, ''There you go...''

Giving her mother a pained stare, she felt hot, burning tears fleeing her eyes.
Amelie was crying.
''I will do something to you now, Amelie. I will do something that will hurt you
a lot, but it's the only way. They need to think—'' She gasped at the roof as it
caved in, flames alighted around them, ''I need to hurt you.''

Tears rushed down Amelie's cheeks, with no mercy as her entire body shook
uncontrollably, ''Please—'' She couldn't hurt anymore. Everything hurt her so
much all the time. She didn't want to hurt anymore, ''Please, just go—''

''I'm so sorry for this, Amelie. I'm so so sorry...'' Her mother pulled out a knife
from behind her back, and she watched how her daughter's face fell into an
aching grimace.

Amelie understood what this meant.

''But they need you more than I do—'' Athena nearly sobbed, feeling as her hand
shook around the handle, ''You'll be okay, dear. You'll be okay because
Theodore will heal you. The second they take me away from here, you'll
apparate—''

Panic laced her voice, '' You need to be strong for this, Amelie. You need to be
strong, and then you'll make it. You need to be with Draco and Atlas—'' She
slowly traced the knife up to her daughter's stomach, ''They need you, so so
much, Amelie. I can die, and it won't make a difference, but you — you need to
live.''

''Please—'' Amelie whimpered, her hands lengthening to grip Athena's hand, to

grant her mother some comfort in what they both accepted to be done, ''Please,
don't—''

''I'm so sorry,'' Athena felt how Amelie's body vibrated underneath her, ''It will
only hurt for a little while, Amelie. A little, little while, and then you'll feel
better, I promise.''

The girl arched her neck slightly, using all the strength she still carried inside,
''I'm not—'' Taking a deep breath, she trembled, ''I'm not scared of the pain. I
don't want you to go—''

Her mother shut it out. She couldn't listen to those words because it would cause
her to change her mind, and she couldn't do that. She couldn't let Amelie suffer
anymore.
''I'm sorry—''

Amelie cried out the second her mother pushed the knife into her stomach. Her
insides were stinging in torment, and her body jerked and writhed.

''I'm sorry—'' Athena could barely see what she was doing, and the muffled
sounds of her daughter screaming in pain caused her to turn absolutely numb,
''But they need to think that you're dead. If they come in here, they need to
believe that you're dead, Amelie or they will kill you.''

It was the only way. If the Death Eaters managed to pass through the spell she'd
sealed the room with, they needed to see Amelie lying almost lifeless on the
ground. They needed to think that they'd killed her.

Otherwise — they would never let her go. They would capture Amelie, just like
they were about to do with Athena, and it all would've been in vain.

Atlas needed his sister, and Draco would most likely slaughter the whole
existence of the wizarding world if Amelie were taken from him again.

Athena did what she believed was right to do — to save all of them from misery.

Thunder echoed around them, spells being thrown as the cabin stood in flames,
fire spreading quickly, and Athena knew she was running out of time.

Pulling the knife out of her daughter earned a gasp of relief from Amelie, her
lungs burning and blood welled out of the wound, ''Please—'' She begged,
quietly through the tears streaming down her cheeks, ''Mother—''

Athena nodded, placing Amelie's wand in her fist, knowing that her daughter
would be able to apparate back to the house once the Death Eaters had taken her
away.

''It's going to be alright, Amelie. I promise,'' Her mother stroke the spine of her
hand along Amelie's cheek, ''Do you remember what I told you about time? That
you'll know when it's time to stop fighting and give in? Before I left you all
those years ago?''

A weak nod tipped off Amelie's head as she laid, bleeding on the wooden floor,
and her mother smiled faintly, ''This is my time. It's time for me to give it all up
for you and Atlas. He'll be safe with you, and you'll be safe with him.''

Amelie whimpered, her hand grasping at the tear in her skin, ''Don't do this,
please...'' Her voice crackled, ''We can make it out of this, both of us—''

Coughing up blood, Amelie tilted her head back, closing her eyes and breathing
through the pain.

''He will never stop, Amelie. The Dark Lord will never stop searching for me,
and if I let him catch me — I can keep you safe. I need both you and Atlas to be
safe. If he gets his hands on your brother, it's all over. He wins, but if I can stall
that — if we can put this off, just for a little while to figure out a way to beat
him, I will do everything for that to happen.''

It felt like Amelie couldn't breathe. The ringing sound in her ears tore through
her forcefully, her throat tightened.

Athena could see just how much pain her daughter was in, tears fleeing her
waterline. She knew it was time — time indeed for her to sacrifice herself for her
children's well-being.

The house was on the tipping point of falling into ruins. The Death Eaters, flying
around the cabin, never ceased with cursing the property. The glass shattered,
walls were blown apart.

''I'm sorry—'' Athena said quietly as she pushed her lips into Amelie's forehead,
kissing her daughter goodbye, ''We will see each other again. I promise, love. I
promise that I will make this right, all of it. Take care of Atlas for me...''

Amelie wanted to shout. She craved to scream and stop her mother. To ask her
to stay, to stop her from what she was about to do.

Standing tall on her feet again, Athena reached for the tiny vial on the floor, and
she traced her wand up to her head, whispering inaudible spells underneath her
breath.

Strings of silver light flooded in the air, stretching from her skull all the way to
her wand as it lingered across the tip of it, and she dropped the light into the
small flask, closing it with the stopper. Keeping her memories secured inside.
Athena kneeled, placing the vial in Amelie's hand as she huffed out, ''Be safe,
Amelie. All of you, be safe, and we'll see each other when it's safe,'' She didn't
want to let them go, but there wasn't another way this could end, ''You'll apparate
back to the house, and Theodore will heal you and then — then you have to hide,
Amelie. You have to hide.''

Amelie tried to speak, but the taste of blood in her mouth caused her to falter.
Her eyes pleaded her mother's, and she was begging her in silence not to do this.
Not to leave them again, not to abandon her as she'd done seven years ago.

But Athena knew that this wasn't the same girl she'd left behind nearly a decade
ago. This was someone else. This was Amelie. The girl who'd overcome
everything in her life. The girl who was beaten, tortured, and torn to pieces, only
to live to be the strongest one of them all.

If anyone could do this, it was her.

Amelie sought so desperately to move, but the tear in her stomach stopped her
from doing so. She couldn't lift a finger if she so tried, and that drained her —
being stuck on the floor, in a pool of her own blood as the world around her
crumbled.

She drew a breath, as deeply as she could, ''Mom—'' Was all she said. Her tone
was barely audible, and her body shook uncontrollably.

Her mother saw Amelie's skin as it shifted ashenly. Her lips were parched and
blue as her pupils looked like they'd blown. She was dying, the shade of her
blood darkened, nearly a fatal color.

Not wasting another second, Athena straightened her spine, and she sealed her
eyes, ''I love you, Amelie.'' She whispered, and then — then her mother walked
out. Handing herself over to the Death Eaters.

Amelie heard as she laid crying, in her own blood on the floor — how they
captured her mother, how they screamed and yelled and cursed her with
unforgivable spells, how her mother shouted in pure torture of what they did to
her until it turned absolutely quiet.

Only the sparks of fire around her blared, the cracking of the walls of the cabin
as it was seconds away from caving in on top of her.
The tips of her fingers shaking and just for a moment — a mere second, Amelie
thought of her dying. What would've happened if she simply stopped breathing?
What would happen if Amelie gave up? If she refused to fight anymore?

She was so tired, so exhausted of all of it, and this — her resting with her
stomach ripped apart, could've been an out for her.

The scent of honey trapped her.

To think her lying on the doorstep of death — she'd be feeling the scent of her
Teddy.

This could be it, she believed. She could finally rest now, but as she thought of
that. As she dreamt of reaching the light as it so alluringly trickled in front of her
hooded, heavy eyes — the aftermath of it struck her.

How Theodore would never smile again, how no one would ever make sure that
he was okay.

How Narcissa wouldn't find any joy out in the garden anymore, how she'd be
alone and empty out in the shallow world they were living in.

How Atlas would be at risk and alone — she promised him a slide to his room
and how he'd never get it.

But what made her fight wasn't the thought of them.

She knew that Theodore would learn how to live without her. That he'd turn all
of his sorrow into strength and that he would become even more remarkable
because of it.

She knew that Narcissa would find happiness in the shattered sphere. That she
would live with the loss of Amelie and make the world an even brighter place.

She knew that Atlas would have them, that he'd be guarded and shielded with the
unconditional love they all carried for him. That Theodore would build him a
slide and play with him in the sun.

Amelie knew that they would be okay in the mourning of her.

The thing that made her fight — the thought that caused her lungs to crowd with
the thick, smoke-filled air and her eyes to battle the weight of death as it so
urgently craved to welcome her, was Draco.

Her Draco.

The way he'd never forgive himself, and the truth of him, most likely fading
from this world as she did. The reality of him, never living to see another day all
because she wouldn't be able to — caused her to fight.

He'd die without her. He would leave too, and she couldn't have it. Amelie
couldn't let him go with her.

Draco had been fighting for so long, and he had earned that happy ending he
never believed he deserved.

Amelie refused to give up even if every cell in her body told her to do so. Even
if her drawn mind starved for peace and her figure thirsted for the calm afterlife
— she couldn't leave them.

She understood that the magic she was about to cast would tear her apart even
more, but she couldn't wait any longer. She'd bleed to death if she did.

Amelie had to take that. She had to swallow the aching pain as it blasted through
her, and with her wand hugged in her blood-stained fist, she whispered the
words to take her back to safety.

Landing on her feet as the wind scored so heavily around her, she stumbled
forward across the gravel-covered ground.

Amelie tried to scream, she tried to plead for help and mercy, but not a word fled
her dry throat. Her head was dizzy, her mind clouded by the pain of the wounds
she carried as she felt how she was tripping. Her steps were so slow.

Her eyes flickered across the yard, up to the house, and it felt like a dream to her.
Seeing the blond boy standing in the illumination of faint sunlight.

He was back.

He wasn't hurt.
It made her feel as if she could let go — as if she was allowed to close her eyes
and rest just for a little while.

Watching as she saw his lips move, shouting her name at the tops of her lungs,
but she didn't hear it.

Amelie couldn't hear a thing.

The world around her faded, slowly, peacefully as she felt his arms wrapping
around her, and it all turned utterly dark.

_____
 Eighty-seven

This chapter contains mention of emotional trauma and blood. Please read
with caution.

_____

''One day, all of this will end. All of this will be over, good or bad, and I want
you to make sure she's still on your side when it does.''

_____

Draco was hovering her body, towering over her from her side of the bed. Not
once since he caught her numb body in his arms did he leave her.

He watched as Theodore healed her wounds and strengthened her soul with tears
in his eyes. Feeling as the guilt drowned him within the coat of his own body.

He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't take the sensation of being at fault for
everything that happened to her.

The fight they had before he left her haunted him. He didn't understand how he
could be so foolish that he left her in the middle of it — that Amelie had begged
and pleaded with him not to go, and he did it anyway. Simply the fact that he
failed to go to the cabin the very instant she wasn't back in the house.

He failed her tremendously this time.

Not earning a clue as to why she was supposed to leave a few short minutes with
her mother, only to come back with a bleeding cut in her stomach and bruises
covering the entirety of her frame.

Huffing out, the boy leaned forward, stroking her stilled arm, ''What if I search
her memories? What if I just look to see what happened, and I'll be back before
she wakes up?''
Theodore sighed out, annoyingly from across the room, seated on the armchair
next to the windows, ''Not a chance in hell, Malfoy. No one goes anywhere alone
anymore. I can't keep doing this. Enough is bloody enough.''

''You can't do this anymore?'' Draco hissed angrily, his fingers trancing
goosebumps across her skin, ''How come she comes back after being
somewhere, fucking stabbed, every damn time, and you can't do this anymore?''

''You know that's not what I mean,'' Theo muttered, his fists clenched around the
material of the chair, ''I can't see you hurt. I can't see both of you leave and think
that everything will be fine, only for you to come back wounded — besides,
she'll wake up any minute now. Her injuries weren't as fatal as last time.''

''What about her mother?'' Draco questioned, sounding severe, ''If she has
anything to do with this — I'll kill her, Nott. I've had enough of that fucking—''

''Don't—'' Theo warned, cutting him short as he shot him a glare, ''Amelie might
be able to hear you.''

''I don't care if she hears me. She knows exactly what I think of that pathetic
excuse of a mother. She's not worthy of the bloody air she's breathing. If it were
up to me — I would have handed her over to the Dark Lord the minute we found
her,'' Draco lowered, fixing his stare onto Amelie again.

He didn't carry the strength to look away from her for more than a mere second,
''She's hurt, Nott. Yet again, it's her coming back with cuts and marks, never
anyone else, and it fucking kills me. I can't see her like this.''

Theodore knew precisely what the blond was talking about. After seeing Amelie
hurt for years in her vow with Adrian, he knew exactly how much pain Draco
was in and how viciously it could suffocate him.

''I know, Malfoy. Trust me — I know, but we need to wait for her. It's her
mother, her life, and I'm done making decisions for her when she's not aware. It
hasn't played out well up til now, and I can't do it anymore,'' Theo shook his
head, pushing his palms into the armrests as he stood up, ''I don't care how all of
this ends, but she needs to be a part of it. Keeping her out of the loop will never
work.''

''Yeah?'' Draco leaned back in his seat, letting go of her arm and frustratingly
dragging a hand through his hair, fingers tangled into the long strands, ''Is that
why you've been working together with Voldemort without telling either of us?
Because you're so good at including her?''

Theodore's face fell into a pained cloak, his brows resting as he pushed his lips
together, ''No, it's because I'd be dead if I did and no matter how much you want
to kill me — I'm no use to her—'' He gestured towards the sleeping girl, ''If I'm
dead, or if she's dead, so excuse me for once again putting all of you above
myself.''

Draco rolled his eyes away from the brunet, feeling as it sickly rocked within
him.

''It's not exactly fun for me, being the Dark Lord's errand boy if that's what you
think. Healing those bloody Death Eaters isn't easy — but you'd know, wouldn't
you? Since it's your damn massacre I am cleaning up every time.''

Theodore felt so beaten, it wasn't a point for him to hold it in anymore, but it left
them in silence. Malfoy taking in the spoken words, and Theo feeling the pain of
them.

''I need something from you,'' Draco huffed out, sealing his eyes closed as he
seized a breath, ''Do you know anything about a masquerade being held at the
castle? Zabini told me that it's being arranged for tomorrow and—''

''Yeah,'' Theodore began to stroll over the floor, ''I heard about it. Death Eaters
are gathering to celebrate the death of Harry Potter.''

Draco's eyes widened, his breaths hitched for a slight moment, ''What are you
talking about? When did Potter—''

''A few days ago apparently, and I wasn't meant to tell you this, or Amelie, but...''
Theodore's eyes grew with agony, ''There were other deaths...''

Feeling as his veins iced, Draco shot up from his chair, his hands nervously
shoved into his pockets, ''Who?'' He questioned, urgently, ''Who died?''

Gritting his jaws, Theo slowly shook his head, ''Malfoy, it's not—''

''Who?'' He asked again, harshly as he shot Amelie's resting self a dubious

glance.

''It's not known yet, but they were looking for Horcruxes, and they got caught—''
Theo felt his eyelids as they rimmed with tears, ''They stood no chance. They
couldn't do a thing. The Death Eater's showed up at the Burrow, and it didn't
even last five minutes—''

''Fuck—'' Draco spun around, quickly as his chest began to heave, ''Fucking hell,
Nott.''

''The Weasleys. All of them, no one could do anything...'' Theodore sensed the
tension of the room as it drained, ''And Granger, she didn't stand a chance. She
was killed instantly—''

''Don't,'' Draco swallowed the pain as it bolted through his every nerve. Not for
his sake but for Amelie's. She adored Hermione, and it was her last standing
piece of Pansy, ''Damn it.''

''It wasn't a fair fight, but none of them suffered, except for Potter — he was
taken back to the castle and tortured to death,'' Theo couldn't see properly
anymore, ''It's not fair.''

''I know it's not,'' Draco muttered, his fingers balled into fists, and his heart felt
like it had dropped to the pit of his stomach, ''I know it's not fair, Nott. None of
this is fair, but there isn't a thing we can do.''

''I just thought you should know and I think—'' Feeling nervous, he hesitated for
a moment, ''I think you should tell her, Draco. She deserves to know.''

''I know she deserves to know,'' He kneeled down next to the bed, tipping his
forehead to her arm as he drained her of comfort, ''I'll tell her when she wakes
up, but I need to attend that ball, Theodore. I need to be there, in disguise, of
course, but I need to see what they know. They knew about the cabin, and they
can easily know about this house as well.''

''And what do you want from me?'' Theodore asked, on his way out of the room,
leaving them both to mourn the loss of their friends in silence, ''Do you want me
to stay here? With her?''

''Yes, I can take care of myself, but you need to stay here. Not run away in the
middle of the night,'' Draco hushed, arching his neck as he placed a kiss on her
hand, ''You need to protect her while I find out what the hell is happening in this
bloody world.''

''I can do that,'' Cocking his head and nodding towards Amelie, ''If you promise
me, you'll be quick because she won't settle for you being away. She told me
about your fight yesterday, and she's not doing well with you leaving her all the
time, Malfoy.''

His chest strained, his throat tightened, ''I know, but I can't just leave this. We
need to end this, Theodore. All of this bloody madness needs to stop, and in
order for that to happen — we need to find a way to kill him. The Dark Lord
needs to go. Otherwise, we'll never be free, not you, not me, not her — or Atlas.''

Theodore didn't say much more. His shoulder fused with the doorway as he
turned around to watch two of the people he cherished more than anything, ''I
know we do, Malfoy. I'm just telling you to think about what you're doing to her
while being away, because—''

Drawing a deep breath, Theo's eyes pained in agony, ''One day, all of this will
end. All of this will be over, good or bad, and I want you to make sure she's still
on your side when it does.''

Draco gritted his teeth, his sight flickering, ''She's always on my side,'' He spat,
growing inflamed, ''And I will always be on her side.''

''Just make sure you're fighting for the same thing in the end, because if it comes
down to killing the Dark Lord or protecting her brother, Draco... I hope you
know what she'll choose. There isn't a way to beat Voldemort when the kid is
still a Horcrux.''

It left Draco with an empty feeling — he'd never seen it like that before, that
they might be struggling for two different things, not certain if he would be able
to sacrifice his cause for hers.

The hatred he held for the Dark Lord was overwhelming. Everything Draco had
to go through before he approached Amelie soared within. He was trained as a
young boy how to kill and slaughter. He was manipulated and toyed with to fit
the wishes of Voldemort.
He'd been through hell and back to earn his way of being a worthy Death Eater,
and he truly didn't know if he was equaled enough to give his craving of slaying
the Dark Lord of life — up.

All the things he put Amelie through. How he'd let Adrian loose to capture her
for months, how he'd threatened Draco to search and abuse her mind — he
couldn't ease the burning rage of revenge he felt.

Draco cleared his throat, loosening himself from the thoughts he held, ''Where is
he, anyway? Atlas?''

''With your mother, in the garden, but he's been asking for Amelie all morning,''
Theodore admitted, ''He was upset that she didn't tell him goodnight yesterday
and I didn't want to tell him about her... being hurt again.''

''Wise,'' Draco muttered, still resting on his knees, ''Leave it that way, and she
can tell him if she wants, but about tomorrow—''

''I'll stay with her, Malfoy,'' Theodore spoke, sending him a faint smile before he
marched out of the room, leaving them alone as he went out to Narcissa and
Atlas in the garden.

Draco remained there, next to her side for hours until the buckets of paint in the
far corner of the room trapped his attention, and he recalled the conversation he'd
held with Amelie the night they went to her childhood home.

How she craved that her bedroom would be painted in a bright shade, to not let
the light fade into darkness, and he couldn't help but smile.

Their new bedroom was light indeed, but not in that precious fair yellow shade
the buckets contained. Knowing that she wished to paint it their first night
sleeping in there, but she never earned the chance.

Standing straight on his feet, he marched up to the buckets, and he sighed loudly
to himself at what he'd become. Never did Malfoy think he'd be painting the
walls of his bedroom yellow, but he would always cave for her.

Picking up a paintbrush, he ripped the lids off the cans of color, and he began to
stain the walls.
It took him hours to work through the entirety of their room, and just as he was
washing his hands — drying them of the cream color, he flinched at the figure
standing in the doorway.

Theodore was back after playing with Atlas, his warm eyes meeting Draco's
icing ones through the mirror in front of them, ''Still nothing?'' Nott asked,
silently not to disturb Amelie.

Shaking his head, Draco turned around, the soft material of the towel wrapped
around his fingers, ''She hasn't moved a muscle.''

''She will,'' Theo said, confidently, ''Perhaps she just needs the extra rest, but I
was thinking....''

Draco's eyes broadened, throwing the cloth into the bin, ''What is it now?''

Theodore looked bothered, concerned almost, ''What are we telling her? When
you're leaving tomorrow? Because there's no chance in hell, she'll let you leave
without a valid explanation.''

''I'm not telling her,'' Draco was quick to reply, his answer laced with annoyance
at the brunets questions, ''I'll leave when she's going to bed, and I will be back
after a few hours. She won't notice.''

Nodding, Theo looked suspicious, not agreeing at all, ''And you think she won't
notice?''

''She won't, and if she does, you'll send for me, and I'll come back, but she can't
know,'' Marching past Theo as he strode up to the bed, he hunched in his seat,
''It's for her own safety.''

The two Slytherin's were so caught up in their plotting that they failed to notice
the small twitch of her fingers.

Amelie could feel the slight strokes of the sun as she drew a deep breath,
faltering a bit in her wakening as she caught the conversation.

''And you won't get caught? You're absolutely sure about that?''

''Of course, I won't. It's a bloody masquerade, Nott. I'll be wearing a mask, and I
won't be there for long.''

''I'm certain Zabini told you that they wouldn't grant you any mercy if they catch
you there. The deal is still in place, but that won't matter to them if you're
trespassing. It's their territory, and they are free to deal with you however they
please if they catch you.''

''I'm not a child, Theodore. I know damn well what they'll do to me if I'm caught,
but I won't be. I'll be quick.''

''You'll be alone. You won't have any backup.''

''Aren't I always?''

''I can come with you. Keep an eye out for you? I know that castle like the back
of my hand—''

''And you don't think I do? I have been one of them for years, Nott. I practically
grew up in that castle. I need you to stay with her.''

''Not even your mother? She's still trusted. Perhaps she can be of use?''

''Don't bring my mother into this. She won't be going anywhere. Did you forget
what they did to her yesterday? It might have been a scheme to fool me away
from Amelie, but they betrayed my mother to get to me, Theodore. She's not safe
anywhere near that castle.''

''I just don't like the idea of you going there by yourself. What if they capture
you? What do we do—''

Amelie flayed her lashes wide, shifting a bit in her position as they noticed the
movements she made along with the crispy sheets.

''Amelie—'' Draco shot Theodore a shaking of his head, cutting their

conversation short as he threw himself forward, ''Amelie, can you—''

Coughing out, she could still, despite the cleaning spells Theodore performed,
taste the metallic tang of her own blood on her tongue.

Her eyes flickering, taking in every piece of where she was and for a moment, if
so a short one — she was still terrified. Not truly grasping that she made it out of
that cabin alive and well.

Amelie's body coiled as she pushed her hands into the mattress, jolting up as her
spine straightened, ''Draco—'' She breathed out, finally looking at the blond, and
her verity calmed.

He failed to answer as he stood up, tucking his arms underneath her, and he
lifted Amelie in the air to seat himself in the bed, with her on his lap. The
scarred girl clung onto him with all she had, her fingers grasping at his shirt.

''Do you mind?'' Theodore spoke lowly as he bowed his head to his wand,
meaning to cast a spell to see how her body was recovering. Draco nodded,
quietly and his arms wrapped so tightly around her shaking figure.

Amelie needed a moment to collect herself, to gather her mind from what she'd
been through the day before. Azure light shifted in the air, spinning around her
frame as Theodore hummed to himself, making sure that her body was healing in
the way it was supposed to.

''How are you feeling?' Draco's voice braided with worry, yet he so desperately
wished to appear calm for her sake.

''I'm—'' Amelie let her head move, feeling his lips as they pushed into her hair,
''I'm feeling okay. I think.''

She believed she felt okay despite what she'd been through. It eased all of her
senses to know that she was safe inside their house.

Theodore and Draco looked at each other, both distressed of what she'd been
through, ''Amelie—'' Theo hunched down onto the edge of the bed, ''What
happened? Where is your mother?''

She could feel how Draco's jaws tensed and his hold of her tightly secured. He
kept her so close on his lap, firmly pressed to his chest.

''How long—'' Amelie swallowed the bitter taste in her mouth, ''How long was I
out for?'' She let her hands trace underneath the oversized shirt she was wearing,
the tips of her fingers brushing at where her mother had stabbed her.
It still ached, lightly. Not as much as it did before she fainted, but her skin was
sore.

Draco inhaled sharply, ''Since you came back, yesterday so... almost a day.''

Her eyes grew wide as she nodded, weakly against him. Her knees hugged to her
chest, ''For that long?'' Amelie's voice was barely heard, ''Was I that hurt?''

''No—'' Theodore made clear, shaking his head at her, ''You had a wound in your
stomach, but it wasn't too deep. If you would've returned later than you did — I
don't know what would've happened, but you got here just in time.''

''I'm glad,'' She whispered, closing her eyes as she was still adjusting to the
bright light. Something within her caused her to feel numb, like the energy of
fighting wasn't there.

''What happened?'' Draco asked now, tilting his head to watch her, ''Amelie—''

''My mother...'' She let out, tears stinging in her heavy eyes, ''She—''

Both of the boys could tell that it was more than hard for her to speak about what
had happened, ''Amelie,'' Malfoy mumbled, ''It's alright to tell us.''

She caught the tear of pain in Draco's voice, but she stayed clear of his stare.
Amelie would break apart if she watched that glint of torture he carried.

''My mom—'' She felt the lump in her throat as it ached, painfully, ''I was picking
up my notes, in the little box underneath the bed, and they came out of nowhere
—''

A sob hewed her off, feeling so weak, ''Death Eaters, they ambushed us, we
didn't even stand a chance. They were too many, and they threw spells
everywhere, and one hit me and I—''

It hurt so much to speak. The air filling her lungs felt as if it was on fire, ''I was
hurt, pretty badly, and I tried to make her leave. To let me cause a distraction so
she could run because I knew I couldn't—''

''You did what?'' Draco snapped but was quickly countered with a cautious stare
from Theodore.
''Not now, Malfoy. Let her speak.''

Amelie was crying. Tears streamed down her ashen cheeks as her breaths
trembled, ''I knew I wouldn't be able to run, and they blocked the magic, so it
had to be like that. One of us had to be captured for the other one to escape, and
I tried to talk her into letting me stay—'' She knitted her fingers together, easing
the waver of them, ''But she refused, she wouldn't leave me, and she—''

Her insides wrenched, still being able to feel how the knife ripped her apart, how
the blood tickled her skin as it poured.

''She didn't see another way out. She said she needed to do this because if they
went in to look for me — they had to think I was dead,'' She was stuttering, her
voice breaking.

Theodore placed a hand on her thigh, but he looked away, seeing how Draco
rested his chin on the top of her head. His eyes were closed.

What Amelie was telling hurt them so much.

''So she stabbed me, she stabbed me, and she took away her own memories. She
said she couldn't risk us, and she—''

Draco held onto her, his arms shielding her body when all he wanted to do was
to lit the world on fire. He wanted the entirety of their world to burn for what she
had to go through.

''She gave herself up for us to be safe, and I couldn't do a thing. She told me to
hurry home and then she left....'' Amelie's voice faded, leaving them all
speechless.

''So she stabbed you?'' Draco scowled, out of her sight, but the dismay in his
vocals and the anger as it pitched tore through the girl, ''She just stabbed you? In
the stomach? With a bloody knife?''

''Draco—'' Theodore tried to calm him, but the boy didn't falter.

''No, I won't fucking accept this. I refuse to be alright with her stabbing you. I
can't accept it, Amelie,'' He stated, sounding more than severe, ''That's... just
cruel.''
Draco was so angry. So infuriated with Athena for putting her daughter through
that misery, even if he deeply within knew that it was the only way for her to
escape.

Every single person that ever hurt the girl he loved died in his eyes instantly.

''She didn't have a choice,'' Amelie shifted around, lastly facing the damned sight
he carried, ''She didn't have a choice. It was either that or us both being caught.
Don't blame her for doing what she had to do to save me.''

Pushing his lips into a firm line, Draco couldn't stand against her. She was
breathing, and even if he would make Athena pay for what she did to Amelie —
he couldn't keep his ruthless act in front of her.

He melted the very second he felt her palm caressing his jaw, her thumb tracing
across his pale skin, over the dark circles underneath his eyes.

''I'm here, and I'm okay,'' She assured him, over and over, forcing him to believe
that she wasn't as hurt as she actually was. She didn't want him to know just how
scared she'd been.

Amelie wished to save him from the agony it brought.

''But we need to get her back,'' She uttered, her fingers lingering on his skin as
her eyes hooked in his, ''We need to get her back, Draco. I know you don't want
to. I know you hate her so much, but the Dark Lord will kill her.''

Theodore looked at Draco, their eyes crossing, and they both knew that the
masquerade would be the perfect opportunity to look for her mother.

''We will get her back,'' Draco pushed his hand into her head, leaning his
forehead against hers, ''I can't say that I like it. But you know I'll do anything for
you, even get your mother back. I will bring her back to you. I promise.''

Tears still drenched her chin as he tipped his head forward, gently kissing the
drops away.

''But you need to rest now, Amelie,'' Draco hushed her inaudible sobs, brushing
his nose along the spine of hers, ''You need to heal.''
Theodore nodded, stroking his hand over her bare thigh before he forced himself
off the bed, ''Well, I'll come to check up on you later. I still need to look at you
properly, but I promised Atlas that I'd cook dinner with him.''

Amelie's eyelids widened, her head snapping in Theo's direction, ''Is he okay? I
didn't get to see him—''

''He's fine, don't you worry about that right now. I'll look after him, and he can
come to say good night before he goes to bed,'' Teddy smiled at her, granting her
solace from afar, ''But he misses you, and I think we should tell him about
Athena—''

''I will...'' Amelie nodded, her head falling back to Draco's chest, ''And there's—''
She cleared her parched throat, ''Mother left a vial for me, with her memories, so
she can have them back when we find her, but I think I left it at the cabin—''

Reaching down into his pocket, he hauled the flask of her mother's remembrance
up, putting it on full display for her, ''You brought it back with you. I found it
out on the ground when we carried you inside.''

Smiling, faintly, she stretched her hand out, taking the glass in her hand, ''Thank
you.''

''Anything for you,'' Teddy's note held so soft, grateful that his healing worked
and that she seemed to be alright after all, ''I'll see you in a bit, get some rest,
both of you.''

Closing the door as he stepped outside, Amelie turned to the boy holding her,
''I'm sorry—'' She whispered, ''I'm sorry that I didn't say I love you back
yesterday and I'm sorry I got so mad—''

Cutting her short by pressing his lips to hers, Draco kissed her. Savoring every
inch of the girl in his arms, ''You have nothing to apologize for,'' He said,
sheeting his arms around her as he leaned against the headboard of the bed, ''I'm
sorry that I left. I shouldn't have left you.''

''Draco—'' She pleaded, her heart shattering at the way he was constantly
blaming himself, ''You don't have to apologize to me.''

''But I do,'' He let out a sigh, his silver eyes snapping across her worn features,
yet she was still beautiful to him, ''I have everything to apologize for. I shouldn't
have left you. It's that simple. I shouldn't be so damn stubborn all the time, and I
should've listened to you when you asked me not to go.''

Allowing her body to cave into his, she sealed her eyes, ''I don't feel like that,''
Her limbs slightly shaking, ''I think you did what you had to do, and I trust you
with that. I don't think you'd do anything to hurt me, Draco.''

''I shouldn't have left...'' It was as if he was speaking to himself. His heart
hammered, his blood boiling, ''You got hurt, again and I wasn't there to protect
you—''

''It's not your job to protect me,'' Amelie spoke back, raising her voice, ''I know
you feel like it is, but you didn't make me go to the cabin. You didn't tell the
Death Eaters where to find us. This isn't your fault.''

''But I wasn't there, Amelie,'' Draco leaned his head against the pad of hers,
huffing out quietly, ''I wasn't there to protect you when you needed me, and that's
the thing I'll always blame myself for. I hate myself every damn time it
happens.''

Amelie pulled him down with her, lying properly on the bed as she nestled up to
him, dragging the covers over them, ''I don't,'' She said, with so much honesty
that it shook him, ''I could never hate you, no matter what you do — I could
never hate you, so don't hate yourself, Draco. You always look out for me. You
have made it your life mission to make sure I'm safe, and I am. I am safe with
you.''

Her words eased his demons. They always did.

''I love you,'' She yawned, her neck arching to look up at him. Her lashes battling
her heavy eyes, as did his, ''I love you even more for painting the walls.''

His pupils glistened at that, feeling proud that he at least did something right, ''I
love you so much more,'' Malfoy kissed her forehead, and he watched as she was
on the far edge of falling asleep.

Amelie did just that, her body resting close to his as she slipped into slumber.

_____
''Is she asleep now?'' Theodore mumbled from the doorway, poking his head in
carefully not to let the lights in the hallway outside wake her up, ''You can't go
unless she's asleep—''

''She's asleep,'' Draco whispered harshly as he gripped his suit-jacket from its
hanger and strode close to the brunet, ''And she won't wake up until the morning.
She didn't sleep much yesterday.''

''Why?'' Theo frowned, opening the door a bit more, ''Was it hard to tell Atlas
about Athena—''

''Of course it was!'' He rasped out, sending the boy a glare, ''What do you think?
He had no one but his mother for seven years, and now she's gone. Of course, it
was hard. It was bloody painful, Nott.''

Theo gulped, nodding hesitantly, ''Well, at least he knows, and we can go from
there.''

Draco didn't say anything else, it was with a lifted brow, his eyes locked in
Theodore's, and he shot him a slight bow of his head, threading his coat on and
putting his mask in place.

''And you'll be back soon?'' Theodore still didn't like the idea of it — Malfoy
going out there by himself with no one to cover him as Theo was meant to guard
Amelie, ''And I'll just send for you if she wakes up?''

''How many times are we supposed to go over this?'' The blond snapped rudely
as he was growing impatient with his friend. His shoulders strained underneath
his jacket, ''I'll be back in a few hours, and if she wakes up — you send for me.''

''We're going to hell, Malfoy. I hope you know that.'' Theodore muttered as he
stepped past Draco into their room, aiming to sit down on the armchair next to
Amelie's side of the bed.

''I know we will,'' He gritted his teeth as he as well walked up to the bed,
bending over Amelie and pushed his lips into her head, ''I'll be back,'' Draco
whispered, hushed so that he wouldn't risk waking her.

The instant Draco marched out of the room, dressed in his all-black suit, with a
mask covering half of his face, Theodore sighed, frustratingly. He always
seemed to get caught in both Amelie and Malfoy's acts, but at the same time —
he didn't mind it.

It gave him the chance to keep an eye on both of them as they shared their
doings with him.

But it didn't take long until the boy gasped, wincing back as he clocked back to
reality — Amelie was sitting up in the bed, shadows of darkness around her.

''Amelie—'' Theodore choked out, confused and scared. Lowering the book in
his fist as he felt dread flushing through his veins, ''What the hell—''

Jumping off the bed, she at once strode into the closet, flicking the lights on as it
spread across the carpet right outside. Theodore's lips parted, breathing
shakingly, ''Amelie, what the hell are you doing? Didn't care to tell me that you
were awake? You scared me—''

Amelie huffed from inside the closet, ''Didn't care to tell me the suicide mission
you let Draco go on?'' She shot back, making him frown from the chair as he
watched her pull out a hanger with a mahogany red suit glued to it, ''It's a shame
you didn't tell me about that, isn't it?''

He had no clue how to defend himself, frightened that she'd hex him if he tried
to justify holding the truth from her, ''How do you—''

''I heard you when I was waking up, Teddy,'' She said as he combed his fingers
through his messy curls, trying to wrap his head around all of it, ''You weren't
very discreet.''

''I don't—'' Theodore sought to speak, his eyes traveling across the suit, looking
to be a perfect size for him, ''He asked me not to tell you—''

''I know he did, but you'll make it up to me,'' Amelie's pulse stressed as she threw
the suit onto the bed, nodding her head towards it before she hurried back into
the closet again.

''I'll make it up to you?'' Never had Theodore been so confused as he was now,
standing up, he caught her small grunts, the noises of things being thrown
around before the clinking sound of heels took over, ''How am I— oh wow,''
Blinking quickly, Teddy nearly lost his breath as Amelie strode out of the closet
after long moments, turning the lights on so that he could see the dress she was
wearing. It was shining in the same color as the suit on the bed did.

''Amelie,'' He breathed, his eyes flickering across the gown smeared to her body.
He was blown out of his mind at the look of her. Her hair falling perfectly across
her spine, her face dolled up.

Theodore always saw his best friend as the most beautiful human being to walk
on this earth, and he'd seen her at many gatherings, danced with her in all the
different dresses she'd worn, but this was something else.

She had grown up. She didn't look like that confused girl, chasing after the devil
in her life at the parties they used to attend. She wasn't the girl who faded into
the crowd of people anymore.

Amelie robbed him of his breaths, and he felt his cheeks as they heatedly
blushed by the stunning look of her. Theodore was left speechless. He didn't
know what to say.

Shortly noticing the two masks in her hand. Her wand hugged in between her
fingers, ''What are you—''

''Get dressed, Teddy,'' Amelie smiled gently, tilting her head as the soft curls
framing her angelic face followed, ''We have a masquerade to get to.''

_____
 Eighty-eight

This chapter contains scenes of blood, violent actions, mentions of rape,

death, and other disturbing themes. Please read with caution.

_____

''You're fucking crazy.''

_____

Her dress fluttered in the wind, the red material dragging behind her as she
strode up the path leading to the castle.

The warm summer wind danced through her hair, the strands of it playing
graciously in the air.

Theo wasn't far behind her, fixing his black tie. His eyes flickered to the girl, and
he reached his arm out, meaning for her to take it.

''Such a gentleman,'' Amelie forced a smile, a troubled curl upon her lips as she
folded her arm around Theo's, her fingers tangled with his, ''But don't forget the
mask.''

His untied hand hauled the mask up, sheeting his doubtful features with it, ''He's
here, Amelie. You know that. I can't believe we're doing this again. If he sees us
—''

Theodore was scared to death. He knew that he wouldn't live to see another day
if Draco caught them in the castle. He understood that the blond would rip him
to pieces for letting her go to a gathering where hundreds of Death Eaters took
place.

''He won't,'' She stated, noticing his shaking limbs and the hesitant tremble in his
tone, ''He thinks I'm asleep, and he would never think that we're stupid enough to
come here.''
''But we are—'' He muttered, displeased, ''I wouldn't be so sure, Amelie. We
have been reckless lately. Nothing slips past him anymore.''

''I know,'' Amelie whispered, her shaking fingers moored the material coating
her face, ''I know you're scared, but I can't just stay at home when he's putting
himself in harm's way. Believe me. I know this is stupid, Teddy. It's so reckless,
but I need to do something.''

''I just wish we could've been honest with him—''

''Like he was honest with me?'' Her neck snapped, peering up at the brunet from
below, her heels sinking into the soil as she walked, ''He lied, again. Draco
always lies to protect me, and I'm not mad about that, so he can't be upset with
me for doing the same thing.''

Theodore huffed out a sigh, tightening the grip he had of her, ''I just don't like
you being here. We don't know who will attend the ball, and if we get caught—''
He knew exactly who would be here, but he couldn't reveal that to her. He
couldn't spill his secrets, ''Then it's done, Amelie. No one will look for your
mother, and Atlas will be alone.''

''I won't get caught,'' She said, her tone laced with courage, ''I'm not the same
person I was before. I'm stronger now, and I know I can do this, Teddy. I need to
find her.''

Humming in response as they reached the tree line, Theo looked around. People
were dressed in the most stunning gowns and suits as they strode their way up to
the entrance. Light flickered across the darkened lawn, and muffled sounds of
music thundered around them.

Amelie was scared as well. Terrified, to say at least.

This wasn't a good idea. Amelie wasn't foolish. She understood that, but she
couldn't sit by and wait for the Dark Lord to cease her mother of life. Draco had
indeed given her his word to bring her mother back, but she couldn't rest and do
nothing.

Stepping through the massive doors, the music leveled higher, the notes of
classical vocals tore through her ears.
Peering around anxiously, a thin coat of sweat layered her palms, and she
gripped Theodore's arm tighter.

It was beautiful. She couldn't lie.

The castle wasn't anything she'd expected it to be. It shone breathtakingly in dark
shades. Inky curtains draped the walls, and candles lit up the cold embrace.

Flinching, as a man suddenly stood tall in front of them. The Death Eater mask
she recognized framed his face. He stretched a plate filled with glass out,
gesturing for them to take the drinks, and they did.

Amelie felt her fingers shaking around the crystal, forcing an arch on her lips as
he bowed his head before vanishing in the crowd around them.

''I don't like this,'' Theodore looked down at the moonshine in his fist, a grimace
climbing him, ''I don't like you being here. What if they recognize you?''

''I'm wearing a mask, Teddy,'' Amelie uttered, doubt scored through her voice.

''I think we should leave, Amelie. This wasn't a good idea—''

The crowd began to move forward. Bodies pressed to theirs caused them to
follow the movements as she held on to Theo with her life.

''It's a little late for that,'' She whispered, keeping her head low, and she traced
the drink up to her lips, taking a sip of it, ''Besides, there are so many people
here. We won't get caught.''

''How do you know that?'' He snapped, his head held high, ''You don't know
what they'll do to you if they find you here, Amelie. The Dark Lord is furious
with how we handled things in both Dublin and Edinburgh. If he gets his hands
on you, he'll kill you.''

''Then we better make sure that he won't, don't we?'' She whispered harshly, her
heels clicking along the floor, her dress smeared to her figure, ''No one will
know I'm here. Do they have someplace where they keep prisoners?''

''What?'' Theodore mumbled, trying to seem clueless, ''How would I—''

''You were here with Draco, weren't you? The night I woke up?'' Amelie
questioned, her arm still linked with his as they both sought to seem unbothered,
''He told me you went—''

''Yeah—'' Theodore felt relief as it washed over him, not ready for her to know
his sins yet, ''There's a basement where they keep people locked up, but I don't
think he'd take your mother—''

''I need to see it for myself, Teddy. Not a place can go unnoticed,'' Her tone
lowered, not for anyone else to hear, ''I'm just scared to run into Draco.''

Clenching his jaws, Theodore's heart pounded again, ''I know, but he won't hurt
you. It's worse if someone else found you.''

''I know—'' Her body stiffened every time she felt another person body pressed
to hers, ''I just need to find a moment to sneak off—''

Stepping through the doors to the ballroom, her eyes widened. The crystal lamps
hanging from the roof, along with the orchestra playing the softest yet most
dramatic of tones, trailed shivers down her spine.

There had to be hundreds of people here, she believed — her sight flickering,
heeding every detail she possibly could as they stopped. Everyone turned to the
front of the room.

The music hushed, so did the chatter around them and a man, looking familiar,
strode up between the tables, halting in front of the mass of guests.

Amelie felt her veins ice as she met the damned eyes, her skin paled, ''Is that—''

''Welcome...'' The man threw his arms wide, putting himself on display and
earning every ounce of attention there was to catch in the room.

''And thank you for joining us on this very special occasion....''

Her knees trembled as she tried to stand solid, but she couldn't help but notice
just how much Atlas looked like him.

Somewhere she'd hoped that it wasn't true. That her little brother wasn't the son
of the devil — that he wasn't truly doomed to this life. To an entity in hiding and
fear, but this simply settled that it was.

Atlas was indeed the Dark Lord's son.

He didn't look like she expected him to — he didn't portray as frightening and
cruel as she believed him to be. Voldemort looked like any other man.

''Today, we've gathered to celebrate the most outstanding deaths of them all....''
Clenching his fingers around his glass, he raised it, ''The death of our dear Harry
Potter.''

Amelie felt weak, her hands shaking.

She never knew Harry. She didn't have a connection to him, but she knew
Hermione did. Hermione loved that boy with her entire heart, and hearing that
he'd fallen at the sword of the Dark Lord caused her veins to ice and her blood to
freeze.

''It's with the greatest pleasure I can inform every single one of you that this is a
milestone. Something marvelous for our world.''

Looking around shyly, she tried to find a way out — when no one was paying
any attention to her, she knew it was the perfect opportunity to search the
residence, to look and see if her mother was anywhere to be found.

''With that boy gone. With that boy dead, deceased, and no longer breathing...
We have what it takes to rule. Every single one of us has the power to take over
the ministry and overcome the wizards and witches standing in our way....''

It was a door in the back of the room that trapped her immediate attention, and
she moved so slowly that Theodore didn't realize her leaving. Backing through
the crowd, she made her way to the far edge of the room, and not thinking
clearly — Amelie slipped out that door.

Her spine collided with the wall next to it, and her chest heaved. This wasn't
easy for her. Never had she done something similar to this before, but she
couldn't stop now — she couldn't give in to the fear. Atlas needed their mother.
She couldn't do this without her.

Her eyes gazed through the hallway she was standing in, and she pushed herself
off the rocks. Hesitant steps echoed as she strode through the dimmed corridor.
Shadows of the torched candles coating the walls made her flinch.

Amelie looked down every staircase she passed, her head poking in every door
she marched by, and just as she meant to round a corner, voices began to clone.
Panicking, she pressed her back against a tiny space, hiding in the doorway to a
different room.

Pinching her lashes shut and holding her breath, she wished that no one would
discern her. She couldn't afford to get caught.

As the voices faded, the sound of severe steps mirrored further away — she
stepped out again, her fingers grasping at the skirt of her dress, and she tugged it
up, sneaking down a gloomy companionway.

Her heels vibrated along the floor, and just as she took her last step, watching the
cells in front of her with dread-filled eyes — someone placed a hand over her
mouth, and she was pulled into a muscular chest.

''Not a damn word,'' The voice seethed. Her breaths hitched, knowing that she'd
heard that tone before, somewhere that felt like a lifetime ago.

Amelie's hands clawed at his, and she tried to pry him off her, but without luck.
The arms around her waist kept her firmly in place.

''What—'' She gasped against his palm as she stilled, not finding a reason to fight
anyone. He had the upper hand on her. She knew that.

''Can I let you go without you making a sound?'' The hoarse voice asked behind
her, and she nodded, her hair spilling wildly around her, ''Okay, calm, Avery.
Calm and easy—''

Letting go of her, Amelie spun around, ripping the mask off her face. Her eyes
were broad as she felt like she saw a ghost. Someone from another life, ''Blaise
—'' She choked, her head shaking.

''Avery,'' Zabini muttered, narrowing the brown hues in hers, ''It wasn't yesterday
that I saw you.''

Feeling as if she was held in a state of shock, she gulped, taking a step back, ''I
don't—'' She stuttered, ''I don't understand — what are you doing here?''

''Isn't it obvious?'' Blaise tilted his head, glaring at her, ''I'm one of them.''

''I know you are,'' Amelie's sight flickered to the doorway, making sure she
would have a way out of she needed it, ''I know you're one of them, but why
aren't you upstairs, why—''

''I was told that you might show up here.''

Her chest tightened. Her throat strained.

''What?'' She blurted, ''How could anyone—''

''Over a year with him, and you still can't understand that he'll always be one step
ahead of you?'' Blaise said, sounding amused, ''Malfoy was down here, half an
hour ago, looking for your mother.''

Shame burnt through her vessels and she felt caught, even if the blond hadn't
seen her yet. Never should she have doubted the possibility of Draco knowing
she'd be here.

''He said you'd most likely find your way down here and asked me to stay behind
to make sure you didn't run into someone you're not supposed to,'' Zabini took a
step towards her, aiming to sit down at his desk as the scream from a prisoner
made her turn around, looking away from him.

Amelie walked, step by step up to the bars, seeing nothing but darkness behind
the cells, yet it pained within to hear people call out for help, ''Who are they?''
She whispered, surprisingly at the aching pain inside.

''Muggles,'' He stated, nonchalantly, ''We don't keep wizards and witches down
here, it's far too easy for them to escape even without wands, but muggles can't.''

Nodding, she backed up from the fence, facing the boy instead, ''And you?'' She
questioned, her tone low, ''What are you doing here, Blaise? The last time I saw
you, you said you'd stay in school—''

He scoffed, dryly shaking his head at her, ''School?'' He hissed, but somewhere
she caught a slight pitch of hurt in his vocals, ''Hogwarts doesn't exist anymore,
Avery. The second they killed Potter, they stormed it. There weren't many
survivors. Most of the teachers were slaughtered on sight. A massacre if you ask
me.''

It turned hard to breathe. Her head clouded, and it struck her that she'd been so
captive in her own world — her own misery that she barely paid any attention to
the world around them.

Her breaths trembling as her lower lip quivered, ''Do we know if anyone
survived? Do you know if Hermione—''

''You didn't hear?'' Raising a brow, he stared at her from his desk, fiddling with
his quill between his fingers, ''She was killed, with Harry and the rest of the
Weasley clan. The Death Eaters stormed the burrow... They didn't stand a
chance.''

Amelie looked away.

Tears pearled in her eyes as she closed them, fighting it with all she had.

She couldn't cry. Not now. She couldn't risk getting caught. Still, it stung so
violently in her chest, and Amelie turned furious. She never felt this much hatred
before.

Hermione was her only link to Pansy, and now — now she didn't have that
anymore.

Once again, she didn't get to say goodbye.

Her eyes darkened at the thought of always losing someone, of always being the
one person to have a dear one taken from her, and she nearly unconsciously
lifted her wand, pointing it directly to the boy in front of her.

''I know—'' Blaise swallowed thickly as he forced his chair back, creating a
horrible sound over the stone-covered floor. He was scared of her.

Zabini indeed knew Amelie back in school. He was one of Adrian's closest
friends, and he had a thought of what that boy was doing to her — but he'd also
gotten the word of what she was capable of. How she almost took out twelve
Death Eaters at once in Edinburg and how Draco slaughtered them for
approaching her.

He was intimidated but what Amelie and Draco could do together.

''I know I didn't treat you fairly back in school—'' He gulped, his hues hooded, ''I
know I seemed like a complete fool for speaking to you like I did and protecting
Adrian, but I want you to know, Avery — that I will do everything I can to help
you and Malfoy.''

Shaking her head, Amelie felt the burning tears streaming down her cheeks as
she kept her wand aimed at him.

''I know I hurt you by looking after you when Adrian was away, and I regret that.
I do, but he held things over my head. He was so powerful back then, and I—''
He took a step closer, ''I couldn't speak against him, no matter how much I
wanted to, but I want to make it right, Avery. I gave Draco the information about
this ball tonight. I don't want this to continue—''

''Where is my mother?'' Amelie breathed out, wiping the fallen tears off with the
spine of her hand, ''Do you know where he's keeping her?''

Clearing his throat, Blaise shook his head, ''They don't tell me that. The Dark
Lord doesn't trust me enough to let me in on any of it, but he's still looking for
your brother. Ever since they caught Athena, they've been looking none stop for
the child.''

''But not closing in on anything?'' She asked, quietly and her eyes continuously
flickered to the gate, scared that someone would catch her, ''They don't know
where he is?''

''No, they don't,'' Blaise peered over to the door too, growing nervous, ''But that's
all I know, Avery, and you have to go — you need to leave before they find you
down here.''

Amelie let a nod tip of her head, and she watched the boy with sorrow in her
eyes, ''You can't remember this, Blaise, but I want you to know that I forgive
you, everything you've done — everything you said, I forgive you.''

That was all it took for Zabini's lower lip to quiver and his hands to shake. He
wasn't worthy of her forgiveness. He knew that — yet she granted him with it.
She pardoned him without a second thought.

He'd been nothing but cruel to her, but Amelie could never let that convict a
person. She believed in kindness and redemption, even with someone like
Blaise. Someone that stood entirely on Adrian's side and someone who was
meant to watch over her, guard her like a hawk.

''Wait—'' Blaise breathed, his hands running across his skull, ''Save him from
this,'' He pleaded, his pulse stressed as she once again swallowed the tormenting
lump in her throat.

''Malfoy...'' Zabini held his low note, ''He's not going to make it, Avery. The
second the Dark Lord gets to him, no matter what he promised Nott — He will
kill Draco. He has a plan for it. He'll make a spectacle out of it, torture him to
death in front of everyone just like he did with Potter.''

Amelie felt the tears as they smoldered in her eyelids, her field of vision blurred,
''I won't—'' Taking a deep breath, her fingers quaked around her wand, ''I won't
let them, Blaise. They won't get him.''

''They can't, Avery, because the second they do and the second he's not here to
be feared anymore, we'll die. All of us,'' His hues bored at her wand, and he gave
her a nod, confirming that he was ready for what she craved to do, ''Save him,
Avery.''

''I will. He's safe with me, I promise,'' Amelie tried to breathe through the pain,
shredding her apart from the inside, ''Obliviate.''

Disappearing up the stairs before Blaise had the possibility to wake up properly,
Amelie strode back out into the hallway, hearing as the coarse tone of the Dark
Lord's speech was still mirroring across the castle.

She knew that Draco was somewhere in the crowd of souls and was well aware
of her plan to sneak her way into the ball. She needed to leave before the boy
had any chance of finding her.

The carpet running down the corridor eased the sound of her heels, and just as
she meant to haul her mask back up — Amelie fell, her knees bruised against the
mat she landed on.
Cursing to herself, she picked up her pouch, and she forced her palms into the
floor.

Amelie winced back roughly. Nearly tripping over again as she watched a man
standing tall in front of her.

He came out of nowhere.

Alarmed, her fingers moving across her own frame to straighten her dress as she
realized she didn't have her mask on. The man could see her, perfectly in the
shadows they were standing in.

He didn't speak a word. He simply stared at her. The damned eyes he carried
behind the metal mask caused her skin to shiver. Amelie had never seen him
before, yet she could almost place her finger upon the fact that she'd indeed
spotted him prior to this.

''I'm—'' Her voice was light as feathers, and the man coiled because of it. Not
that he showed it — he didn't, but Amelie felt it. The slight ounce of wind
swirled between them by the sudden change in his breathing.

''I was just—'' She choked. Not once was she capable of tearing her eyes from
his. It was something that detained her in them, something keeping her there, ''I
didn't mean—''

Tidying his shoulders and sprawling his spine, the man clenched his jaws,
looking down at her with distaste as it crammed his pupils, ''You're not supposed
to be here.''

She recognized him — Amelie knew she did. His voice she'd never heard, that
she knew for sure. It sounded strange, tampered with, but the way he was
looking at her was indeed something she'd been used to once.

''I got lost....'' Her chest rose and fell heavily as he inched closer, his eyes trailing
down her chest over her dress and back up to the broad sight she owned, ''On my
way from the bathroom, I'm—''

''If you're here, it means that he's here,'' The man didn't look away from her, not
once did he ransom her eyes from his, ''He's here, isn't he?''
''Who—'' The hair leaking over her shoulders tickled her skin, ''I don't—''

''And to think you'd grown up. To think that you'd actually change, that's a whole
lot of disappointment to see that you didn't, darling.'' He said darkly. A chuckle
fleeing his throat.

''What are you—'' Taking a step back, she shook her head confusingly, not fully
grasping the verity as it passed, ''What do you—''

''You're still nothing more than an ungrateful bloody witch—''

Amelie took another heel back, and just as she did, her spine collided with
something, a toned chest pressed into her from behind, and she could recognize
that scent from anywhere.

The man in front of her pierced his stare through her savior, and just as his lips
parted to speak.

''My witch,'' Draco gritted, his hands tucked into his pockets as he rolled his
tongue on the inside of his cheek, his sight flickered down to Amelie, ''She's my
bloody witch, and if you as much as look at her again — I'll kill you.''

The figure moved away, backing up, but he still looked at them, both of them,
''No, you won't,'' The mask over his face glimmered in the dimmed lights, ''You
won't kill me, Malfoy. Want to know why?''

Amelie's veins iced, her bravery failing her as she turned around, so quickly that
Draco couldn't follow, whispering 'lumos' underneath her breath. Icing light
coated the tip of her wand, and she gasped, seeing all the Death Eaters closing in
from the shadows around them.

Amelie's hand caught his, fingers tangled as they faced different directions.

''Draco—'' Her voice heard so low, seeking comfort in him, but before she knew
it, a wand was aimed at her, and everything shifted in complete darkness.

_____

Amelie's head felt so heavy.

Her eyes rolled to the back of her head the very instant she wished to peel her
lashes wide, and it stung. Her chest ached uncontrollably.

''Let her go,'' She heard a voice shout, but it felt like a dream to her — something
from far away.

''Let her go, or I swear to God that the second I'm out of here, I'll find you, and I
tear you to pieces—'' The voice was cut short as a loud scream took its place,
and that shout brought her back to being.

Arching her spine off the floor she was lying on, she gasped out, her eyes
snapping across the gloomy, horrifying room. It was an oval shape, the walls
smeared in bricks, almost like a cellar.

Tears prickled the second her gaze fell upon the blond.

They had torn his shirt off, his arms chained above his head as he was placed on
his knees. Tracing her hand up to her mouth, she sobbed out at the sight of his
skin, cut and carved, blood gushed down his torso.

But the man from the hallway wasn't there. These two men were different.

His head hung, the blond drenched strands held damp in both sweat and blood.

Amelie needed to do something. This was exactly what Blaise had warned her
about. They would kill him, the best chance they'd get — they would tear him to
pieces, and she couldn't do one single thing to stop it.

Hearing his scream again, the sound of chains rattling together, Amelie's whole
body coiled.

She didn't care if there wasn't a thing to do. She didn't bother to seek the logical
reasoning in this — Malfoy saved her every time, no matter where she was or
what situation she'd gotten herself into, and it was her turn to rescue him now.

''Let her go—'' He tried so hard not to shout, not to give them the satisfaction,
but it was impossible, even for Malfoy.

''She won't be going anywhere, mate,'' One of the men snickered, amusingly as
he backed up with a sword in his hands, ''Except for my bedroom, of course —
or she won't be going there to be blunt. I'll carry her there. God knows she won't
be able to walk after—''

Draco breathed so harshly through his teeth, doing everything he could not let
their words get to him.

''Right. We promised each other we'd take turns, ruin her a bit for each other,
ease the thrill if you know what I'm saying,'' The other one taunted, ''She already
got with two Death Eater's, a few more wouldn't harm her, right?''

Draco yanked, so violently at the tied up grip, feeling the blood as it dripped
down his features, ''Don't you fucking dare touch her—''

They tore the sword across his chest again, causing him to growl out.

One of the men kneeled in front of Malfoy, tipping his chin as his hand arched
Draco's head back, making the blond meet his eyes, ''Does she sound nice?
When you fuck her? Does she make those pretty little noises when you force
yourself inside her?'' The man rose a brow, ''Does she feel good, Malfoy? Your
little witch? Do you even please her correctly or do you—''

Draco spat in his face, hewing him off as he grunted out of the soaring pain,
''You pathetic fucking cunt,'' Malfoy heaved, ''Think you could talk about my
witch like that, yeah?''

''You disgusting—'' The man crawled back, wiping Draco's saliva from his face,
and he looked up at his friend, holding the sword, ''Cut him deeper this time,
puncture a lung. He's getting way too cocky now.''

''There's a reason she never spared you as much as a glare in school, mate,''
Draco smirked, ''You can never compare to me, not then, not now, so go ahead.
Go ahead and puncture my lung, hurt me some more, it still won't make you
more of a man if that's what you was aiming for.''

''You fucking—''

The other man held this one back, gripping him by his shoulders from killing
Draco on the spot.

''She'd still never look in your direction,'' Draco kept going, mocking them right
back, ''So come on, big guy — hurt me, make me bleed before I kill you.''

The Death Eaters standing around Draco had no idea that Amelie had woken up,
too distracted by her boyfriend as she pushed herself up on two feet, staying
close to the walls as the light gloomed from the center.

''You can't fucking touch me, Malfoy. That's the beauty in having you chained
up. You can't fucking—''

Draco twisted his upper boy, throwing himself forward a bit as all of the Death
Eaters around him flinched, ''Looks like I don't have to touch you, for you to piss
yourself. You're so fucking pathetic, scared of someone in chains, yeah?''

Amelie shook. Her whole body wrenched within as she tried to stay calm.

Her eyes flickering to the table on the far side of the room from her, seeing her
wand as it splayed out on the wood.

Her steps hurried now, yet so tender. She couldn't risk getting caught.

''You'll never compare to me. I will always be his favorite, no matter how much
he loathes me. That's why you haven't killed me yet, yeah?'' Draco rose his chin,
spitting out blood, ''You can try and match up to what I was to him, but you'll
never get anywhere close to me, mate. I was his favorite. The Dark Lord never
found another like me, did he?''

Both of the Death Eater's stoned.

''He tried, I presume?'' Malfoy laughed out now, pearls of sweat rolled down his
neck, his hands ripped at the bonds around his wrists, ''He tried to form and
shape every single one of you to something he could use like he used me, but
you didn't even get close, did you? You'll never be of as much worth to him as I
was.''

Amelie tried not to listen as her bare feet scraped against the ground. Draco was
talking in terms she didn't know.

He usually didn't talk about his time as one of Voldemort's loyal servants. It was
too difficult for him — too much pain and regret.
''So go ahead,'' Draco dared them, ''Go ahead and do what you please to me, I
promise I'll make you hurt ten times worse when you're done.''

One of the boys gripped the other by his shoulder, ''Perhaps we should stop, it's
not—''

''We can't stop now!'' He countered, evilly as he shoved his friend back, kneeling
next to Draco again, ''You might not hurt, you know,'' He laughed out, ''But I can
make your little whore of a girlfriend hurt.''

Malfoy's smirk faded. His eyes darkened.

''That's right, Malfoy. If you don't fucking behave — I'll take her right here, in
front of you.'' He spun around, gesturing to where he believed Amelie would be,
and his face dropped, instantly with the reality of her not being there, ''What the
—''

''Drop it,'' Amelie breathed, her wand pushing into one of the Death Eater's
throats, ''Drop that sword, right now, or I'll kill him.''

''Amelie—'' Draco growled out, yanking his arms in the chains he was trapped
in, ''Amelie for fucks sake—''

The Death Eater scoffed nonchalantly, ''Go ahead. He's disposable.''

She could feel how Draco's stare burnt through her, and she understood that the
vicious boy in front of her wouldn't bother if she indeed hurt his friend, so she
did the next best thing she could think of.

Amelie pushed herself back from them, and she traced the wand up to her own
neck, scratching the tip so deeply against her skin, ''What about myself?'' She
said, her dress still hugging around her, ''What if I kill myself?''

''You wouldn't—''

''I would. It wouldn't be the first time, but you already know that, don't you?''
She questioned, being more terrified than she'd ever been, but not once did she
show it, ''And there's a reason why you threaten to hurt me but never to kill me,
right? It's because you can't. You're not allowed to.''
''Amelie, get the fuck out of here—''

The two men looked at each other before looking back at Amelie.

''That's the real beauty in all of this, isn't it?'' She kept her wand, firmly pushed
into her throat, ''That you can't touch me, because the Dark Lord needs me,
doesn't he? I'm the only link back to the child.''

Cocking his head, the man took a step closer to her, but Amelie didn't falter, not
once.

''Perhaps I should do as my mother? Erase my memories? Obliviate myself? But

the Dark Lord would kill you if I did so, wouldn't he?'' Her tone intimidating
now, her hair spilling wildly around her.

''That's it, correct?'' Amelie studied the two men in front of her, neither of them
wore their masks, and she could tell they were at least two years older than her
and Draco.

''Don't you fucking dare—'' He spat at her, still so hesitant of how far he'd be
able to push before the girl, standing in her red dress, would push just as hard
back, ''Isn't it funny, thinking you're the smartest person in the room—''

''Why would it be funny?'' Huffing out, her brows raised in question, ''You're the
one who'll be losing either way. Why would that affect me?''

''How am I the one losing?'' The Death Eater's hands curled into fists.

''Because either I kill myself, or I take my memories away, and you'll probably
be facing death for failing your task in bringing me unharmed to the Dark Lord
—'' Sighing out, Amelie narrowed her sight in his, ''Or you hurt me in all the
ways you said you would, and if the Dark Lord doesn't kill you for doing so, I'm
certain that Draco will.''

The man stayed quiet, his breaths ragged as he caught onto the meaning of her
words.

Amelie was right. There wasn't a way he could turn this for him to win.

''So it looks to me that you indeed are losing no matter how you play it,'' She
lowered her voice, shooting Draco a swift look over her shoulder, ''So either you
let us go, and I'll convince Draco to spare your lives, or you don't and face the
consequences of the Dark Lord and what he'll do to you for ruining all chances
he has to find my brother.''

Draco weakly coughed out a peel of laughter as he still rested on his knees in
chains. He couldn't shape a word to express just how proud he was of her.

''Your choice,'' Amelie proceeded, blood slipping out of the wound she was
creating on her own neck.

''No one besides us know you're here—''

''No one?'' She tilted her head, ''What about the people I brought here? The man
in the hallway?''

The Death Eater's eyes flickered, looking down at the stone-covered ground. Just
as he did, when he wasn't in his clear mind, and he battled the fight within
himself, Amelie quickly yelled a spell at the two boys, making it bounce
between them.

They fell to the ground, and she threw herself at Draco, her arms clinging around
his neck, ''I'm sorry—'' She heaved, feeling his heated breaths on her shoulder
before her fingers grasped at the chains holding him up.

Amelie freed him, and Malfoy wasn't slow to follow.

He rose from the ground, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her up with
him.

Staring in a fusion of rage and relief at her, he pushed his lips to hers. Draco
kissed her fiercely before he let her down.

''You're fucking crazy,'' He mumbled against her lips, ''You amaze me, but you're
fucking crazy.''

Her arms falling from around him, her skin stained in his blood, ''You make me
crazy,'' She whispered before she stepped aside, ''Here,''

Reaching her wand towards him, but he merely shook his head.
Malfoy grinned viciously, ''I don't need that,'' He stated, rolling his neck and
gathering his strength.

The Death Eaters on the ground regained consciousness, and both of them
crawled back over the rocks, realizing that their wands were thrown across the
room by Amelie's magic.

''Draco—'' Amelie understood what he was going to do. The air in her lungs felt
restricted, ''Please, don't. We don't have to hurt them—''

''Yeah?'' He hissed, looking right at the men, ''No one talks about you like they
did. No one.''

''Draco—''

''Go upstairs, find Theodore and meet me outside,'' His eyes were so dark now.
He couldn't tame himself any longer, and he couldn't have her here to watch as
he'd rip their bodies apart for threatening her.

''Please—'' She begged, ''Come with me, Draco. Don't do this—''

Malfoy wasn't human in this state. They threatened his Amelie, and he couldn't
leave without their insides smeared to the walls.

''Get out of here—'' He growled, still not looking at her, ''Get out of here, right
now, Amelie or I swear—''

She backed away, her feet hurting, and her heartbeat swelled in her ears.

''Now!'' He shouted as she ran, her legs trembling as she ripped the door open,
and she fell to her knees outside it. The second it slammed shut behind her —
Amelie heard the screams of the men as Draco tore them to pieces.

She couldn't listen. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she forced herself off the
ground, hurrying her way through the corridor. She followed the music, finding
her way back to the ballroom.

Eyes snapped to watch her, how her dress was slightly ripped and blood covered
her bare arms.
''Teddy—'' Amelie could recognize those messy curls from anywhere, but she
halted. Freezing in her tracks as she saw who he was speaking with.

It was the same man that approached her in the hallway before she passed out,
and yet again, Amelie felt the strongest bond of recollection to him.

She knew him. Still not being able to place her finger upon from where, but he
was so familiar to her.

The way he stood, the way he looked around, scanning the area, and how his
jaws clenched.

Theodore flung around quickly as she met the gaze of the man in the mask, and
he turned fully to face her.

Excusing himself, awkwardly — Theodore marched toward her, ''What the—''

He gasped at the way she was looking, blood dripping down her arms, ''What
happened?''

''We need to go outside, now,'' Her fingers grasped at his suit jacket, the crimson
color on her fingers shading the white shirt.

She tugged him with her through the crowd, keeping her head down, not for
anyone to recognize her without a mask.

''Amelie what—'' Theo stopped on the yard, yanking her back from walking
further, ''What the fuck—''

Dragging her hands through her hair, she peered around, searching for the blond,
''Draco found me and we—'' She stilled, trying to focus, but she couldn't stop
thinking about the man Theo was seen with. Meeting her best friend's hues,
''Who was that?''

Theo scratched the back of his neck, hauling lightly at his collar, loosening his
tie, ''What?'' He pretended to seem clueless, ''Who?''

''Don't lie to me,'' Amelie hardly breathed, her head clouded by the fact that
Draco had yet failed to show himself, ''Stop lying to me, stop keeping things
from me—''
The darkness swallowed them, her skin shivering as she heard someone shout
her name, her eyes growing broad at the sight of Draco storming towards them.

''Amelie!'' His voice was muffled by the orchestra. His bare chest wounded,
blood gushing across his frame, ''Leave!''

Timed slowed for her as she noted how Draco turned around, facing the sea of
masked men.

''No...'' Amelie whispered, ''No, Draco—''

Trying to run to the boy she loved so deeply, Theodore stopped her, his arms
wrapping around her as she screamed out, ''Let me go! Let me go — they will
kill him, they will kill him Teddy and I—''

''Amelie, go—'' Draco yelled, the desperate tone in his vocals drowned her,
''Leave, now, and I'll be right there—''

''No,'' Amelie cried. Her feet didn't touch the ground anymore as Theo held her,
preventing her from throwing herself on the sword for Draco.

She would do that. Amelie would easily sacrifice herself for Draco to stay
unwounded.

''Theo, take her out of here, now!'' Malfoy's voice held so dangerously low as he
sought to stop the Death Eaters from getting to them, ''I can't have her here. She
can't watch this, Nott. Take her away, right now!''

Tears drenched her cheeks, her breaths none consistent as she fought Teddy's
hold of her, tossing and twisting — kicking and screaming. She did everything
she could to earn her way to Malfoy, but it was for nothing. Her best friend
didn't let go of her.

''For fucks sake,'' Draco roared. He knew he couldn't stall the dark magic being
thrown at him any longer, and he couldn't risk Amelie see him die.

She'd leave this world if he did.

''Take her out of here now!'' Falling to his knees by a curse, striking the blond in
his chest, Draco's body was forced into the soil.
Even when he was tortured with magic, he didn't protect himself. He shielded
them.

Always them.

Amelie couldn't leave him. She couldn't leave him to fight for himself — Malfoy
was already injured, he wasn't strong enough.

''Teddy, let me—''

''Now!''

Reality looped around her vividly, and it felt like she couldn't breathe. Daggers
ripping through her throat every time she took a breath.

The sphere stilled, hugged in Theodore's arms, Amelie cried.

Her tears staining his shirt as he kneeled to the floor with her, resting safely
within the walls of their home.

She didn't dare to peel her eyes open. She didn't want to see their room, knowing
that they had left Draco behind. Not knowing if he would make it.

_____
 Eighty-nine

This chapter contains mentions of death, emotional trauma, sexual assault,

and other disturbing themes. Please read with caution.

______

''I miss you, darling.''

______

''Let me go—'' Amelie tossed and turned in his grip, her whole body twisting, ''I
need to go back. I need to help him—''

''You can't!'' Theodore held onto her, tightening the hold of her figure as she
shoved, pushed, wrenched to get herself loose, ''You can't go back there! It's too
bloody dangerous. They almost caught you—''

''He killed them, he killed two of them in their own castle, Teddy. They will kill
him, they—'' She was hyperventilating now, feeling as if her insides lit on fire,
''He'll die if we don't save him—''

Tears rolled down her cheeks, uncontrollably and her chest strained. Amelie
couldn't breathe.

''He won't, love. He won't die. They still need him, they still need him to find
you—'' He was holding her solid, even if she didn't want to, Theo's arms around
her shaking frame was the only thing stopping her from shattering to pieces,
''He'll be back, I promise.''

''You can't promise that!'' She cried out, ceasing from prying him away from her,
''He won't make it. They'll kill him, and I can't—''

''Look at me,'' Theo said softly as he gently let go of her, moving his palms up to
cup her jaw, ''Look at me, Amelie. Listen—''
She tried. Indeed she tried to listen, but the ache bolting through her veins
caused her to feel sick — nauseous almost.

''It's Malfoy,'' He whispered, stroking her chin with the pad of his thumbs, ''It's
Malfoy, Amelie. He said he'd be back, and he will. He always finds his way
back.''

That earned her attention, her trembling limbs calmed, and her body caved into
him, ''He always finds his way back to me....'' She breathed, shockingly, her head
in a clouded mess, ''But what if he doesn't? What if we just left him there to die
—''

''He wouldn't let us stay,'' His knees bruised along the floor, ''He would never let
you stay to watch that. You know he wouldn't.''

''I don't care—'' Amelie's head tipped to his chest, her knees dragged up in his
lap as her dress spilled messily around them, ''I don't care if he wouldn't let me
stay. We left him. We abandoned him to die!''

Theo closed his eyes, inhaling so sharply that it stung his lungs, and he prepared
to tell her what Malfoy wished he'd do.

''He won't,'' It was a pained pause in his talking, ''He won't die because he
wanted this to happen. It was his plan all along.''

Jolting in his lap, Amelie's eyes leveled his, and disbelief grew upon her, ''What
are you—''

Huffing out loudly. Theodore shook his head, knowing just how much he would
be breaking her heart for telling the truth.

''How do you know she heard us talking about the masquerade? And why do you
want to leave when she's aware of it?'' Theodore frowned, his face held in an
utter grimace, not clear as to why Draco in any lifetime wished that Amelie
attended that ball, ''I won't agree to that, Malfoy. It's way too dangerous. She
can't get out of there if she's caught. They'll—''

Draco's eyes bored through his, and a slight shift in the darkened pupils hewed
Theo off. Realizing that he wasn't asking.
Lowering his voice, Draco whispered within the walls of the bathroom, ''She
needs to understand that her mother isn't there. There's no way in hell the Dark
Lord is keeping Athena in that castle. She fooled him for years, he wants her to
himself, and he wants her to suffer—''

''What does that have to do with Amelie?'' Theo yelled in a whisper, rising
furious, ''I won't put her life on the line for you to prove a bloody point. Besides
— they'll most likely be expecting her. They will catch her and when they do—''

Draco slammed his fist into the tile wall, nearly cracking it, ''They will be
expecting me, Theodore. Me, not her. They know I'd never let her go there.''

''And yet, here we are, discussing how you want to trick her into going—''

Groaning out, annoyingly, Malfoy cocked his head, ''I'm not bloody tricking her
into doing anything, but she needs to be there. Amelie needs to be there, and she
needs to see it for herself — that her mother isn't held there. Otherwise, she'll be
running off a night when both of us doesn't have a clue, and she'll get herself
even more hurt, killed even.''

Pinching his eyes shut for a second, he took a hurtful breath. Only the thought of
her being harmed shattered him, ''There will be hundreds of people there
tonight, she'll be safe in the crowd, and the Dark Lord won't recognize her, but if
she runs off, you need to call on me, and I'll—''

''You're out of your damn mind, you understand that, right?'' Theodore heaved,
his chest tightened, ''And then what? I take her there, keep an eye on her while
she looks around in the caste, and then what, Malfoy? Does she leave? Comes
home here and pretends as if nothing happened? When she understands that
Athena isn't there, what stops her from sneaking out tomorrow? Looking for
another safe house?''

''There's where I need you to stop her, Nott,'' Draco's jaws clenched firmly.
Gritting his teeth and exhaling, ''Because I will get caught.''

Scowling at the blond, he rose a brow, ''What are you on about—''

''They need to capture me because they'll take me to where her mother is

imprisoned. They have a place where they keep all the dangerous inmates, and
they'll take me there. It's the hardest place to escape,''
Regretting his decision to do this already, Draco looked away, out the door and
straight at his heart, lying tucked in between the sheets.

''This is bigger than all of us, Nott. Her mother stabbed her, she pushed a bloody
knife into her stomach, and believe me — I loathe her more than any of us, but
we need her back. She knows something. I think she has the way to kill the Dark
Lord without the kid being harmed.''

''Draco, think about this, it's not worth it if Amelie gets hurt—''

''She won't,'' He stated, cooly, ''I'll be there, and I'll protect her. You can tell her
when you return here, but she needs to see me get caught. Her reaction needs to
be real. They can't understand that I'm letting myself being caught, then they'll
kill me on sight.''

''It's not—'' Theodore peered down at the floor, ''We can't do that to her. She'll
be heartbroken if she thinks she can't save you, even if so for a minute.''

''We have to. It's the only way for me to locate her mother. It won't take more
than a day until I'm back, and I'll tell her all about it, I promise, but it has to be
done this way.''

''So tell me if I'm wrong — you want to fool Amelie into going to that ball, and
you want her to search the castle even if you know her mother won't be there.
Then you want her to see you get caught only for you to fool the Death Eaters to
take you to the same location as her mother, even if you can't be sure that they
indeed take you there? Why can't we just tell her and make her go—''

''Because she'll never settle for that. If she knows about what I plan to do, getting
myself caught — she'll never let me leave that bed.''

''So? Don't leave the bloody bed, Draco. Don't leave her?'' Theo blurted out the
words, trying to keep up with this himself, ''If this isn't proof enough of you being
a complete maniac, Malfoy. I don't know what is.''

Both of them hushed at the sound of Amelie turning around in her sleep, resting
heavily after explaining to them what happened in the cabin.

''So what if I am a maniac?'' Draco spat harshly, ''I don't care. I need this to end.
I need this to be over with, so I can be with her, freely without all of this and if
finding her mother is the answer to that, then so be it — no matter how it's
done.''

He shifted slightly, backing away from the brunet, ''You owe her this, Nott.
You're lying to her about your little trips to that castle. This is the least you can
agree on.''

Battling the idea within his mind for minutes, Theo unwillingly nodded. He knew
the methods Draco used to earn his way through this life, but even if he could be
vile. He'd never put Amelie at risk without owning a way to fix it.

Theodore simply had to trust him.

''Fine,'' He breathed unsteadily, ''But she can't be put at risk. I can't have her
injured, Malfoy. That can't happen again. Her body is weak as it is after the
stabbing.''

Scoffing, the blond strode past him into the room he shared with the girl, ''If you
think I'd ever do anything that could get her hurt, you clearly don't know me.''

_____

''So he did that on purpose?'' Amelie whispered, her knees hugged to her chest as
she sat in the window, on the ledge of it. She moved over the floor as Theodore
told her everything Draco had planned, ''He got himself caught willingly?''

Theo swallowed the pain he felt as it ached wildly within, ''He did,'' He
mumbled, leaning against the wall next to her, ''He needs to find your mother.''

''They will kill him,'' She kept her low tone, peering out over the treetops as the
night held dimmed on the other side of the glass, ''They will kill him. You didn't
hear what he did to those Death Eaters. He ripped them apart, Teddy.''

''I didn't expect any less from him,'' He said, sternly now, ''They tortured him
with a bloody sword, Amelie. While saying that they would force themselves on
you. If that was me — I'd rip them apart too.''

She couldn't argue that. If someone treated either of the boys in the way she'd
been handled in that cellar, how she was talked about — she'd most likely lose it
as well.
''And what do I do now?'' She questioned, her airy note breaking through the
hovering silence, ''Do I wait for him to come back? Do I look for him? It's been
hours, Theo. It's been hours, and he's not back yet.''

''He will be,'' Shoving himself off the wood he was tipping against, he took a
stride closer to the girl with dried tears stained across her cheeks. The skin of her
arms was still covered in Malfoy's blood, ''He will be back, I promise. He
thought this through, properly, every little detail of it—''

''Oh, so he counted on being tortured in that chamber?'' Her brows rested, and
she was speaking evenly. Attempting to hold onto her sanity in all of the
madness, ''He just figured he'd get himself tortured in front of me, so what — so
that he'd be free to kill even more—''

''Don't question him,'' Theo stated, his hand gripping her shoulder as he gave it a
comforting squeeze, ''Don't do that. I know you're upset that he did this without
you knowing, but there's no reason for us to doubt him. He's not dumb, Amelie.
He's not foolish, he's smart, and if he felt the need to do this, then he did, and it's
our duty to trust him with it—''

''Our duty?'' Amelie raised her brows now, her mouth twitched disgracefully,
''It's our duty to what? Agree with him killing himself for us?''

''That's not what I said—''

Spinning around in her position, her legs hung over the ledge she was seated on,
''I don't doubt him, and I'm not mad at him. I just don't like the way he did this. I
don't appreciate being fooled while he — yet again, puts himself on the line for
me. It's as simple as that. I don't want to say this, Theodore, but finding my
mother isn't worth it if he dies.''

Theodore coiled back, wide-eyed, staring at her now, ''Amelie, what are you—''

''I'm not going to lie,'' She said, her fingers grasping around the marble, ''I won't
let him die for her. I won't let him die for any of this — I would never agree to
what you two did, and that's not for my own safety but his, Teddy. He's been
through enough, don't you see that?''

Her heartbeat swelled in her ears, ''There's barely anything left of him, nothing,
and he keeps putting himself in danger for me,'' Sighing out, she felt tears
brimming in the corner of her eyes, ''And it's all my fault. I did this. He was
forced into my life to find her. If I just would've stayed clear of him, not being
charmed so easily—''

''He would've been dead, right now,'' Theodore cut her short, crossing his arms
over his chest, ''You can't say things like that just to hurt yourself, to make you
feel at fault. This isn't your fault. Even if you stood against Malfoy a year ago —
he still would've found a way into your life. He'd still be forced to search your
mind and betray you, but the difference, Amelie....''

He pathed his palm up to her jaw, tilting her head back and looking at her, ''The
difference is that if you didn't let him in, he wouldn't have made it. Then he
would've died because you wouldn't have saved him. You saved him. Just like he
saved you — you saved him, and without you, he wouldn't be here today. He'd
still be forced to do all the horrible deeds he did for the Dark Lord, and he
wouldn't have fought his way out of it.''

Tears rolled down her features again. She couldn't stop them.

''You can blame yourself all you want, but that won't change the fact that you
indeed are all the good in his life, all his good days, all his happy memories,'' He
leaned forward, and he pushed his lips into her forehead, kissing her gently,
''Think about that the next time you believe that you made his life worse. That
you saved him, and he saved you. There isn't a thing stronger than that.''

"I can't live without him, Teddy. I don't want to....'' She melted right into his
touch, her fingers landing on his arms as she grasped at his suit jacket, ''He can't
leave me, he can't—''

Her voice leveled in a sob.

''He can't leave me,'' Shaking her head and looking up at Theodore, she pleaded,
''Promise me he won't leave me. Promise me we'll get him back—''

Nodding slowly, he wiped her tears away, ''He'll be back. He'll be back, Amelie.
I promise.''

And god, how Theodore wished he could keep that word.

______
Three days.

Three days had passed since the masquerade, and Draco had yet failed to return.

The boy was nowhere to be found. Teddy and Narcissa took turns in visiting the
castle, hoping that they'd catch someone spill the secret of where he was, but
absolutely nothing — every day, both of them returned without a clue.

The Death Eaters were cautious around them. Not leaking any information of
Malfoy's whereabouts when they knew that Narcissa and Theodore were present.

It was killing her. Amelie hadn't slept for days. Not once did she close her eyes
longer than the mere second it took for her to blink.

She couldn't risk not being awake when he came back.

She tried to spend time with Atlas, occupying herself by playing with her brother
out in the yard during the days and hoping that Draco would appear on the lawn
out of nowhere.

He would always find his way back to her. She held onto that with everything
she owned, but it began to fade from her mind.

It felt to her as if she was walking around in a nightmare, drifting through the
days with no purpose. Nothing mattered to her when he wasn't here.

Draco had given himself up to find her mother, planning a scheme to be taken
from her in order to end up at the same place Athena was captured, but she
couldn't know if he did.

Amelie didn't know if he was alive or not. She didn't know anything. She was
kept in the utter dark of a puzzle she didn't know if she'd be able to solve.

She began to master just how helpless Draco must've felt when she was gone.
Every time she left without him knowing — how much it drowned him not being
able to find her.

Anything carried more mercy than this, she believed. Even death would've been
kinder than being unaware of her reason to live was still breathing, and she made
a promise to herself, something she'd promised him before but never kept.
If she ever got him back, she'd never leave him again. Never would she run
away, nor try to fix things on her own.

Thinking that she'd seen every type of evil this life could bring was a clear lie
because this was worse than any torture could ever be.

Not only did the imagination of Draco not breathing anymore sore through her
head, but the thought of what they were doing to him if he was still alive. How
many sins they were pouring down onto him for keeping her safe — and there
wasn't a thing she could do.

She was as helpless as ever.

Amelie laid on his side of the bed. Their bed. The bed they only managed to
spend one night together in, and it felt like she was suffocating — like she
couldn't breathe.

Like she didn't want to breathe.

Like her chest didn't heave until she was so lost for air that she held on to the
tipping point of passing out — just then, at that moment, when her mind was
ready to cave, and all she wished to do was to fade from this world — the
daggers in her lungs stung, and the wind hit her.

Restlessly turning, she huffed out, and she pushed herself up on the mattress at
the late hour. Nearly scared to fall asleep, she didn't want to wake up without
Draco being here.

Amelie strolled her way out of their room, through the hallway until she reached
the stairs, and she stepped down to the main floor.

Dimmed lights flickered through her home, and it was warm. The candles
shining brightly made it feel safe — yet it had never felt so empty. So cold and
meaningless.

Walking into the library, where she stayed all night, every night since he'd
vanished, her feet stumbled up to the piano, and she placed her wand upon the
inky coat of it.

She slipped down onto the bench, crossing her legs and lifting the lid up. Amelie
traced her fingers over the keys, just like Draco had done the night she gave it to
him.

The tones leaking from the instrument would've been heard as heavenly to
anyone around, yet it was the most heartbreaking notes she'd ever listened to.

She cried again. Tears dropped from her eyes, and she didn't think it was
possible to cry more than she already had.

Being as exhausted as she was, she was surprised that she hadn't turned numb.
That she yet failed to give up and let herself fade away in her misery, but she
could never do that.

Spite the feeling she carried so heavily within the fragile cage of her chest, the
sense of him never coming back to her — the torch of him actually doing so,
mastered.

Letting go of the keys, she sobbed out, tilting her head forward as her hair
followed. She hid from the world, banned herself from existence, and she made
herself tiny.

Crying on that bench for hours before her eyes finally earned the strength to
flicker, she thought of it. Her worn mind overworking itself to remember all the
things he'd done for her when she was the one in the wind, but she was weak.

Never had she been so weak. So frail that her mind wasn't working.

Looking out over the bookshelves, something caught her attention. Something
she'd neglected in the missing of her heart, and she flung up, marching over the
marble floor until she reached a shelf.

His diary.

The diary she gave him for Christmas so that they'd never feel apart.

After Draco allowed her to read it, the night before her memories were restored,
she held onto it. She kept it safe, and she made sure that it was always close to
them.

That little, leather-bound book meant the world to her, and she slipped down
onto the floor, hugging her knees to her chest as she read what he said about her.

All the things he wrote he loved about her. All the reasons he missed her. All the
time, he said he was hers, and she was his. Everything. Every little thing she
read, over and over.

Drowning herself in the missing of him as she reached where she knew the end
would be and just as she meant to turn the last page — it came across her that
she didn't remember where her diary had gone.

If it was still in the Pucey residence, or if it had been thrown away to a place,
she'd never been able to find it. Not that it mattered to her where it ended up. She
didn't need it cause she always had him.

Her Draco.

''What are you doing?''

Amelie flinched, her body jolted off the ground as she habitually hid the diary
behind her back — all her lost patterns, all the ways she learned to overcome
with Draco seemed to be back when he wasn't.

''I'm sorry—'' She choked out, blinking quickly at the little boy standing in the
doorway, ''Did I wake you?''

Atlas scratched his knuckles against his eyes, yawning lightly as he stepped up
to her in his nightclothes. He could see the dried tears underneath her eyes and
how sad his sister portrayed.

His head instantly fell to her stomach, ''I like when you play the piano,'' He
mumbled, wrapping his arms around her, ''Draco played for me when you were
tired and couldn't say goodnight. He said you were asleep, and I was sad, so he
played for me.''

Feeling as the ache nearly turned immense within, she let the diary rest on a
shelf, and she sheeted his messy curls with her hands, ''He's pretty great like that,
isn't he?'' She felt a faint curl on her lips, ''He takes care of everyone.''

''I had a nightmare, and he read to me,'' Atlas yawned again. His body felt
weighted around hers, ''I like him.''
''I do too,'' She whispered, ''I like Draco too.''

Atlas bent his head back, peering up at his sister from below, ''Then why isn't he
here? If you like him so much?''

Her heart dropped, crashing in the pit of her stomach, and if she didn't know any
better — she'd believe that someone ripped it out.

''He's coming back soon....'' Amelie's voice held thin, and her fingers combed
through his locks, ''He'll be back any day now.''

''I miss him,'' He said, and he stretched up on his toes, meaning for her to lifting
him, and she did. Amelie picked up her little brother as he wrapped his legs
around her waist, ''Is that why you're crying all the time?''

The tips of his fingers brushed over the dark circles below her eyes, ''Because
he's not here?'' Leaning his forehead to hers, he sighed, tiredly, ''I cry because
mom isn't here sometimes. I miss mom and Draco.''

Amelie had to swallow the lump as it abused the back of her throat, doing
everything she could not cry, ''Why aren't you sleeping?'' She asked, lowly,
wanting to change the topic before it caused her to sob out, ''It's the middle of the
night.''

''I was feeling lonely,'' His head tipped to her shoulder, his breathing slowed,
''I'm tired....''

Amelie gripped the diary and sheeted her arms around the boy firmly. She began
walking back upstairs, ''You can sleep in my bed if you want?'' She hummed,
feeling as he was falling asleep in her hold, ''So neither of us will be lonely.''

''I'd like that....'' Atlas gasped out, his arms hanging around her neck as he fell
into the world of dreams in her embrace.

She placed him on her side of their bed, tucking him in properly and kissing his
head before she laid down next to him, listening to the calming sound of his
breaths echoing.

But her mind couldn't rest.

She couldn't stop thinking about that last page of that diary now resting on her
nightstand. She, as quietly as she could — lifted it, flipping the pages, and as she
did, it began to sore through her chest.

A strange sensation wavered her, almost causing her to throw the book away. It
was pure evil — something so vile trying to reach her through it.

Scared as she was, she didn't hesitate to turn to the last page and how she wished
she wouldn't have.

It made her whimper. It slammed the air out of her lungs, and she tried so hard to
shut it out. That avowed sensation she'd felt at the masquerade a few days prior
when she stumbled into that Death Eater she later watched Teddy interact with.

And suddenly. It made sense to her.

Her fingers shook as she traced the tips of them across the written words she'd
failed to notice before, and it was the same letters he'd always tell her.

'I miss you, darling.'

That word — darling.

That specific word could be the death of her. It caused tears to pool and her chest
to tighten because only one person called her that, and that person she believed
was dead.

Yet, it made all sense in the world to her. The way he stole her diary from her
the night both her and Draco was meant to die. The night she thought she'd
escaped the darkness in her life.

Shooting a quick look across her shoulder, peering down at her sleeping brother,
Amelie made sure not to wake him, and she prized that both Narcissa and Teddy
were home, so if he would need anyone, he had them right here.

But she didn't. She didn't have the person she needed, and she craved to get him
back.

Her feet were upon the floor, and she marched into the wardrobe, dragging her
clothes on. She shouldn't be doing this. She knew that.
It was way past midnight, and there was a high chance of her getting caught, but
she couldn't stall it.

Amelie needed to know if what she was looking at indeed turned out to be true
and if it was — she wouldn't be surprised that he played a part in Draco not
returning to her.

She'd do anything to have her Draco returned to her.

Her wand firmly gripped in her fist, and she inhaled sharply with the words that
would bring her back to the castle.

To the person that would live to be either her gravest devil or her savior in this,
nothing in between.

Amelie didn't know where to go — where she'd find the person she spent years
to escape, but she couldn't falter now. So she marched across the yard in the
moonlight as it shone bitterly on her.

She used to adore the moon when everyone was asleep, and she felt free, but she
didn't anymore.

Aiming her weapon ahead of her, the diary in one hand as her wand shook in the
other, she whispered a spell to make the entrance unlock, and it did, with a click.

Her footsteps mirrored along with the stone she stormed over, and this time —
this time, she didn't hesitate. She didn't sneak through the corridors. She strode,
without remorse. Not holding back.

All that blurred her head was Draco and how she'd happily die rescuing him.

Voices mumbled around her, but she managed to void them at all costs. Slipping
down the stone-covered stairs to where she knew a known boy would be, she
stopped. Her eyes narrowed in his, and he looked startled at the sight of her.

''Avery?'' Zabini frowned, pushing his palms into his desk and standing up,
''What the fuck are you—''

''I met you the other night. You apologized to me for being a horrible person, and
you told me to protect Draco. I know that you don't remember, and that's
because I took your memories away. I couldn't risk you telling anyone that I was
here, but I need you now, Blaise. Draco needs you—'' She heaved, talking so fast
that her throat burnt, ''I need you to tell me where they keep prisoners, the highly
dangerous people.''

''Avery,'' Blaise shook his head, not understanding a thing she was spitting at
him, ''I have no idea what you're on about—''

Pinching her eyes shut, she inhaled, and with that gasp, she traced her wand up
to her head, humming inaudibly underneath her breath.

Along with those tiny words, she withdrew an icing light from her skull, letting
it linger around the tip of her wand as before she marched up to his desk,
fiddling with the vials on the wood and just as the light meant to slip into one of
them — Amelie snapped her fingers and the swirl of blaze, turned into a pearly
liquid.

''Drink—'' She handed it to him, nodding towards the small flask, ''It will make it
all so much clearer, drink.''

Blaise looked at her, wide-eyed and shocked. Not once in his life had he seen her
like this as he dubiously took the vial from her, and he pathed it up to his lips.

Pouring the silver fluid down his throat in one go. He didn't blink. He didn't
doubt her, he knew she'd have the upper hand with him, and he simply did as
told.

Zabini didn't have anything to lose.

Coughing out, roughly he bent over his desk, gripping the edges of it as he
breathed heavily, ''What the—''

He stilled. His limbs sinking into his mind. Blaise remembered. He recalled the
night of the masquerade, when she had snaked her way down into the cellar he
was seated in, and the talk they had, ''I see....'' He muttered, displeased that
they'd toyed with his head, ''I don't know what you want from me, I can't—''

''I suppose Theodore and Narcissa have been here, asking you questions?''
Amelie snapped, her voice impatient, ''And I guess you're aware of Draco being
missing?''
Zabini nodded slowly as a pained dash showed in his pupils, ''I heard.''

''I think I know how to get him back, but I need your help. I need to find
someone, and I believe he would be locked up, somewhere in here where he
can't escape,'' She said, confidently, her shoulders straightened, ''Draco needs
this, Blaise. He's in danger, and he needs us—''

''Fuck—'' Rushing his hands across his short-cut hair, locking them behind his
neck, he nodded rapidly, ''Fine, I'll take you there, but then you need to leave,
Avery. Even if he's missing right now — when he finds out you were here in the
middle of the night, and I helped you, I'm dead.''

Blaise shot the cells a swift look. His skin layered in a thin coat of sweat as his
head tipped towards the stairs, and he stormed ahead of her. Amelie blindly
followed.

She didn't think anything of it. Only the fright of not getting to Draco in time
haunted her.

''In here,'' Blaise gripped her arm, leading her into a different corridor, a darker
one, ''And here—'' Rounding another corner, he stopped in front of two massive
metal doors.

Feeling shivers as they stabbed down her spine, she looked at him. Her eyes
crowded in fright, as did his. Zabini hadn't been down here before, not without
guards and soldiers protecting him from the monsters inside.

If it were possible, her heart would've hammered out of her chest.

Hoping with everything she owned that she'd be wrong about this. That this
wouldn't be what she thought it would.

If he indeed lived, just as she did — if he survived, he'd be here.

If they found him and brought him back to life, he'd be locked up in chains to
keep track of him. He was the most immoral sadist, yet he could be Draco's
ticket to freedom. Her chance to get her heart back, and she couldn't wait to have
it beat in bearing with his again.

''Are you sure?'' Blaise licked his lower lip, easing the shuddering, ''If the person
you're looking for is here, I can't save you.''

Gulping, her fingers tugging at the edges of her dress, she nodded, ''I'm sure.''

His hand closed around the handles, and he stepped back, opening the doors for
her, and the screams echoing from inside tore through their ears.

''I'll wait here,'' He faltered, but she didn't. Amelie walked inside. Wincing back
by the thud of the door slamming shut behind her.

Hearing the most skin-crawling sounds, Amelie sauntered past the cells. Limbs
poking out from behind bars in the attempts to get a hold of her, but she was
quick to pace her way through it.

Following the stinging feeling the diary in her hand brought, she stopped. Never
had her body shaken as much as it did now.

Her eyes flickered, her breaths shallow as she felt the stare burning into her.
Similar to how it had done at the masquerade.

A spooked mantle ghosted across her features as she turned to her left, her soul
splitting from her body the instant her sight crossed the damned one.

Amelie was right.

''Darling...'' He grinned, ''Took you long enough.''

His hands grasping at the metal bars, and he leaned his forehead against it,
raising a brow as he scanned her aghast self.

Her teeth shattered, her lips quivered as she parted them, and a frail breath
escaped her strained throat.

''Adrian."

_____
 Ninety

This chapter contains mentions of abuse, rape, blood, death, self-harm,

suicide attempts, emotional trauma, and other traumatizing subjects. Please
read with caution.

_____

"You're alive."

_____

Theodore marched through the doors to the castle, like he did every night the
Dark Lord had summoned him. Carrying no choice in this at all, he simply
needed to do as Voldemort wished.

Nodding to the Death Eaters he passed, he made his way down to the basement
of the castle, where they'd set up a room for him. Somewhere he could heal
wizards and witches without the intrusion of the horrible surroundings.

It truly was terrifying in that cellar.

Screams and shouts echoed from the most vicious creatures there were to
imagine. It didn't feel safe out in the corridors, but in there — where he had all
his herbs, potions, brews, everything he could possibly need, it felt secure.

For months, he'd been assisting the Dark Lord in getting his soldiers back.
Whenever a battle had been in place, they took the wounded Death Eaters down
there, to his room where he worked his magic on each and every single one.

Theodore did that every night, for months.

It was the deal he'd made with Voldemort in order to protect his friends.

When the Dark Lord approached him, they couldn't defend themselves like they
could now, present day.
Amelie had been asleep for a week, and Draco was in the midst of his own
chaos. He focused all his hatred on slaughtering guilty Death Eaters, but he
didn't know that Theo lived to be the one healing them when he did.

He didn't have a choice. The Dark Lord would've killed everyone in their lives if
Theodore didn't obey, so he did. He had been carrying the mark for a few days
now, and the alliance that came with the ink in his skin caused him to heed.

The Dark Lord explained it to him — why Theodore had to become one of them,
and it was simply because of loyalty.

The night they'd ambushed him and Draco in that safe house was the night
Voldemort decided to make him a part of his troupe.

He made a deal with the devil to save his friends, and this was his way of paying
for it.

That didn't live to be the only unrevealed skeleton in his closet — him healing
the most unforgivable people wasn't anything compared to what he'd done.

Day 1.

Grabbing his keys, he stalked out of his office for the 6th day he'd been assisting
the Dark Lord. Marching through the massive metal doors that lead into the
most detached place of the castle, where all the monsters held imprisoned — he
tried to stay calm.

Theo had a mission to complete, someone that needed healing from within. A
human that the Death Eaters tried to heal themselves, but there wasn't anything
else they could've done.

It was a lost cause. They'd figured that Theodore earned a shot to work on him,
and if he failed, then they'd let him go.

The brunet stared at the two guards outside the door as one of them reached a
folder out to him, ''All the information you may need,'' The solider muttered,
''We'll be right outside. Call if you need assistance, he can be... a bit much.''

Gulping, Theodore nodded unsurely as he took the sheets of paper in his hands,
and one of the guards opened the door for him, ''And just so you know, his face
is a bit... out of place.''

They slammed the metallics shut behind him as he winced. His eyes instantly
falling across the bed as it stood chained to the wall, rattling against the stone.
The body, lying on top of it, tossed, wrenched, and turned violently into the cuffs
being secured around his fists and wrists.

Swallowing the fear he carried, Theodore looked down onto the papers in his
hands, and he hummed to himself.

Patient 012.

20-year-old male.

Death Eater since 12 months, an obligation by blood.

Blood status, clean. Pureblood.

Spouse, deceased.

Deformed magic to the head.

Slowly bleeding out from within, attempts to heal the injured organs failed.

Theodore looked back up at the frame, shakingly struggling to breathe on the

bed, and he hesitantly strolled closer, placing his papers on the desk. He hauled
out his wand.

''This won't hurt you. This won't hurt you in the slightest. I have to see what
happened to you — I need to understand, so I know how to save you.''

The body fought Theodore's magic. It yanked, wrestled, and heaved up to a point
where Theo had to numb it, and he read the signals.

Still being exhausted from healing his best friend at home after she tried to take
her own life, he nearly fainted by the harsh senses he got. Shades of dark azure
colors sparkled, looped, and swirled lively in the air around them.

Something horrifying, skin-crawling had occurred to this boy, he thought, and he

watched as his body had been ripped apart, how his organs had been carved,
and just how haunted the boy's mind seemed to be.

With a gasp — Theodore pulled away, breaking all the magic between him and
the patient, stumbling back as his spine struck the door.

This was no ordinary Death Eater — what this body had been through, healed
from, was far from anything he'd seen before.

Amelie had gone through hell, and her wounds were indescribable, but this —
this was worse.

Day 3.

The second time Theodore was meant to see the body he was now terrified of
was two days later. He'd been excused from it due to the frightening truth it
carried.

Never could Theodore understand where a person could get tortured in the way
this boy had been. Never had he seen anything similar to this, and that caused
the brunet to be scared beyond explanation.

He tried hard to heal him and the wounds he had melted into his skin, but
sometimes it felt like it all was for nothing, as if something kept holding the boy
back from allowing him to mend him properly.

Patient 012 simply screamed and shouted as he came close. He was in the most
massive loss of his memories, and nothing Theodore did seemed to help him.

Nott was tired himself. He still had a tremendous loss of his own back home. His
best friend was still in a coma and had been for over a week. The boy he cared
for back at the manor was kept afar from salvation at this point. Draco was a
chaotic mess without Amelie, and that hurt Theodore more than he'd be able to
speak.

Still, he did everything he could to save them. To heal Amelie during the days,
keeping a close eye on Malfoy only to leave at night and cure Death Eaters. He
didn't look after himself anymore.

The body he was healing in this room was growing on him. It had only been a
couple of days, but he couldn't help but feel the same kind of protective instincts
as he did with Amelie.

Patient 012 had been tortured in a similar way as she'd been. He could tell by
the way his magic worked on him.

Day 4.

''How are you today?'' Theodore muttered as he stepped inside the door, placing
his papers on the desk and hunching down next to his patient, ''You feeling any
better?''

''I am—'' The boy rasped out, coughing as crimson blood stained his palms, ''I
think I am.''

''Good, good,'' Theodore hummed, pulling his wand out and getting ready to
perform his healing as he'd done every time he was assigned to check up on the
patient, ''You know the drill.''

''Unfortunately, I do,'' The boy kept coughing out blood, and Theodore numbed
him. Giving the dark soul a bit of peace in his misery.

Fading away, Theodore got started.

Patient 012 finally began talking to the brunet after three days of complete
shouting. He had to yet failed to reveal his name, yet Theo couldn't help but own
a feeling of familiarity.

His face was deformed, indeed, but something about those eyes he carried.
Those green, intense eyes. He felt like he'd crossed them before.

Shrugging the sense off, the blue shades looped around the body, and once
again, Theodore felt sick.

Watching every crawling thing his organs carried, the way he'd been abused and
tortured beyond reason. Never could he understand how this boy was still alive.

This happened a long time ago. Theo could sense this from the way the scars
within him had shaped over time — the way he'd been torn apart from the inside
only to heal slowly.
Humming the words he knew would ease his pain and, piece by piece, bring his
insides back together.

Day 7.

''Are we feeling any better today?'' Theodore looked straight at the boy,
watching his eyes as they had tears running in the lids of them, ''What
happened?''

Patent 012 sat up, curled into the corner of the bed as his body shook
uncontrollably, ''I had this dream — this memory, I think,'' He choked out,
''Someone hurt me, a lot. Someone—''

Sobs interrupted the boy's words, and Theodore rushed up to the bed, kneeling
down beside it, ''It's alright,'' He whispered, reaching his arm out, and he let his
fingers run along the shivering skin his patient possessed, ''You can tell me
about your dream if you want to. It can help me understand what happened to
you.''

He felt incredibly bad for the boy in chains. He couldn't imagine every horrible
act he had to go through as a child to end up this way.

''It was my father,'' The boy whispered, nearly fainting from breathing so
heavily, ''He hurt me. He hurt my mother and Theodore...''

It was a pause, a pained one, as Theo nodded for the boy to keep going.

''I think I hurt my father.'' The boy shook, wildly now and his eyes began to roll
into the back of his head as Theo brought his wand out, mumbling the magic for
the boy to get some sleep.

Seeing how his patient slowly became unconscious, Theodore stood tall in front
of the bed, yanking at his arms and legs to have him lay flat on the mattress.

Once again, Theo rose his healing, but this time — this time, he was allowed
more of the boy's mind.

Seeing how his father beat him senseless, how his mother was both raped and
tortured in front of him when he was a young boy, over and over. How the man,
calling himself his father, justified it all with love.
Repeating the words, how he loved the both of them so much that he had to do
this. That this was the way it all had to be, and it was the way he had to learn
how to love.

He was creating a monster out of that child, manipulating and shaping his son's
mind to his own wishes — to who he wished his child to be.

Day 8.

His body was slowly coming together but not as close to being utterly healed.

Patient 012 still had the most painful way to go, and Theodore fought his
demons at home. Struggling with the way Amelie yet had failed to wake up and
how Draco still killed mercilessly, but he stayed intact. He fought to remain
strong as he did his duties back at the manor, only to come to the Castle at night.

''It's looking better,'' Theodore muttered, stepping away from the bed, ''A day
more or two and your body will be healed. I just need to get some things from
back home, some herbs and then—''

''How is your friend?'' The boy asked, stroking his palm across his deformed
features, ''The one sleeping, I mean?''

''She's...'' Theo huffed, slipping down onto the edge of the bed, ''She's still
asleep.''

''I'm sorry to hear that,'' His patient answered, ''She seems like a sweet girl, from
what you've told me.''

He clutched at his stomach, feeling the magic as it faded and the pain rushed
through his veins yet again, ''I think I had someone once,'' He whimpered, trying
to neglect the ache, ''I think I had a girlfriend, someone I was meant to spend my
life with.''

''You did?'' Theo asked with a raised brow, his foot stamping nervously at the
ground, ''Do you remember anything else about her? Something she'd have told
you about yourself? Her name? Your name?''

The boy shook his head, his eyes falling to watch the chains wrapped around his
limbs, ''I remember loving her a lot, just like my father taught me. He had this
saying, I think, that love is meant to hurt and if they're not willing to bleed
themselves dry for you — they don't deserve you.''

Theo swallowed thickly as he knew exactly what the boy's father made love look
like, ''Did you...'' He anxiously whispered, not knowing if he wished to go there
— if it was too soon for the boy to reveal such secrets, ''Did you love your
girlfriend like your father loved your mother?''

The boy looked up, his eyes began to darken, ''I don't— I don't know—''
Stuttering as Theo noticed how his mind tried to close it out, not to deny or
admit to doing anything to hurt someone he loved.

His body wasn't ready for it yet.

Day 9.

''I have somewhere to be tonight,'' Theodore said urgently. He was meeting

Draco at the Manor in a few minutes. They had a terrible fight, and he had
forced the blond to take him along on his mission. He'd come to the castle to
give his patient the last herbs he'd need before his body was ready and healed.

''Where are you going?'' The boy asked, his legs hung over the edge of the bed
before he tilted back, lying plain on the mattress, ''What happened? You seem a
bit... off.''

Theo pushed his lips together, and he gritted his teeth, ''I've been... You know the
boy I told you about? My friends, the one in the coma — her boyfriend?''

The patient nodded, wincing a bit by the herbs Theodore poured across his
exposed chest.

''Well, it's a never-ending fight between us, let me tell you that. He never lets me
be close to her,'' He huffed, placing the lid upon the vial and reaching for his
wand instead, ''I know he's going through a lot. Those two really love each
other, and they were apart for months before she ended up in a coma — I
understand that, but she was my best friend for my whole life before he came
along, and he doesn't get that.''

''Perhaps he's just worried about her, overprotective?'' Patient 012 asked,
concern grew in his inky pupils, ''It can be like that with boyfriends. I was very
protective over my girlfriend when I still had one.''

''I don't know...'' Theodore sighed out, humming in between the words to keep his
magic afloat, ''I just don't think it's fair. We're supposed to be a team, all of us,
but it's him taking all the responsibilities for her, and I'm left out. I don't know.
Perhaps I'm pity about it.''

''I don't think you—'' Gritting his teeth as he drew a harsh breath, the patient's
skin crawled at the healing magic, ''I think it's human of you, and I think it's
sweet that both of you are looking after her.''

''Yeah, I don't know,'' Theo kept his nonchalant act as the herbs floated in the
air, and with a snap of his fingers — they dusted, ''There you go, I have to run,
but I'll come by tomorrow and check up on you. I think you should be healed
until then.''

''Theodore!'' The boy called out for him as he threaded his shirt across his body
again, ''Don't fight them. It's easier if you all just stay friends. I know it's hard,
but I see it as a good thing. She just has one more person in her life that protects
her. Besides, if him looking after her means that you spend more time here, I'm
fine with it.''

Theodore blushed at that, and he closed the door behind him.

Day 11.

''She's awake!'' Theodore shouted as he stepped through the door, looking right
at the patient he'd grown utterly close to, ''She woke up, and she—''

Theo lowered his voice immediately, seeing how beaten the boy seated on the
bed had sunken. His persona didn't glisten as much anymore, ''What happened?''

''I remembered something...'' He said in a whisper, dread coated him, ''About my

girlfriend...''

Striding up to the bed, unhesitatingly, the brunet slipped down at the end of it,
''What did you remember?'' Feeling scared at how his patient was acting,
Theodore withdrew a bit, ''Is it something bad?''

Tears formed in the boy's eyes, and he didn't look at Theo. His sight glued to his
lap, ''I hurt her, I think,'' He whispered, lowly as if he was ashamed, ''I think I
hurt her, a lot.''

''What do you mean?'' Theo asked, concerned and bewildered, ''Hurt her like
your father hurt you?''

They had talked about it, how his father treated both him and his mother.

''I think I hurt her worse than that...'' The boy was on the tipping edge of tears,
and he crawled back over his bed, into the corner of the mattress, ''I had this
dream where I did horrible things to her... I don't know why. I don't understand
how I could do that to her...I loved her. I loved her so much—''

Patient 012 broke down completely as he hugged his knees to his chest, and he
cried. He sobbed out so loudly that it bounced heavily in between the walls of his
cell.

''How could I do that to her?'' He whimpered, not clearly understanding how

manipulated and ruined he was from his father's abuse, ''I loved her so much,
she helped me, and I hurt her, Theodore. I hurt her so much.''

He began to scratch his own face, his nails clawing at the deformed features as
he panicked. Not owning a thought of why he did what he did.

Theodore couldn't bear seeing the boy as he wounded himself, and he, without a
second thought — shoved closer across the bed, wrapping his arms around the
boy and bringing him to his lap.

He held him so closely as he cried, ''If you hurt her, that's more than wrong. I
had a friend once that was very hurt by a loved one, and there's no excuse for
that, but you know—'' Clearing his throat, Theodore reached for his wand,
wishing to numb the boy, ''You know what you told me about your father. He
hurt you too, he hurt you so much, and you were so—''

Just as Theo meant to cast his spell, to free the boy some rest — he jolted back,
voiding the magic.

His eyes crowded in torture, ''Don't make me fall asleep, please. I deserve this. I
deserve to be hurt like this. I hurt her, and I have to hurt too.''
Day 12.

Theodore had begun to feel something, some urge to see the boy he was meant to
take care of. Even if this was a secret like no other and an unforgivable one at
that, him working for the Dark Lord without his friends knowing. This particular
patient brought him some sort of comfort in the miserable truth he was trapped
in back home. Amelie had indeed woken up but without a memory intact.

She didn't recollect what had happened to her or the past three years of her life,
which caused the brunet to drown in his own verity.

The things he was forced to do to her, to search her mind and body to figure out
a way for her to regain her lost memories, weren't easy. Draco was viler than he
had been, and he had begun to disappear during the days as well.

Theodore didn't question it more than he had to. He knew the blond did what he
believed to be right — just like Theo did.

He stayed behind with his best friend, knowing that she needed the comfort more
than anything. All she managed to recall was him and their friendship.

In the midst of tall the chaos he'd been dealing with — he found shelter in this
room, together with that broken boy he was healing. It felt good to him, being
cared for by someone that didn't know his heartbreaking past.

''And today?'' Theodore smiled as he stood bent over the desk, scribbling down
what they'd been doing, ''Did you dream of that girl last night?''

''I did,'' The patient said, fiddling with the edges of his sheets, ''But this was a
good dream, I think. She was happy with me this time.''

''Really?'' Theodore spun around, smiling broadly at him before striding across
the floor and taking a seat at where he'd usually sit, ''That's amazing. What did
you do?''

''It was summer, and I took her overseas... I know she wasn't happy. I don't think
she ever was happy with me, but I remember that I wanted to try and make her
happy between our... fights.''

Theo nodded, tilting his head and looking at the boy, ''And where did you take
her? Did you have a good time?''

''France, I think. She had a thing for libraries, so I think I took her to one... I
hope I made her happy there,'' He dragged a hand through his hair, smiling
back at Theo, ''Do you think I ever made her happy? Even when I hurt her? That
there is a chance, even a small one — that she actually loved me back?''

Sighing out, he thought back to the times Amelie had told him about Adrian and
how she indeed loved that boy — perhaps this was something similar to that, he
believed.

''I don't know...'' Theodore mumbled, ''Did she say she loved you?''

''All the time,'' He whispered, falling back onto the bed, ''She said she loved me
all the time, and still, I hurt her.''

Day 13.

''He's healed, sir,'' Theodore spoke up from his seat across the massive wooden
table, ''But he still has a severe memory loss, so if I just could—''

The Death Eaters around him began to snicker, and a frown climbed the brunet
as he peered across the masked men.

''Perhaps it's time for us to fill you in on why patient 012 has no recollection of
his being?'' The Dark Lord uttered with a smirk as it curled upon his features, ''I
think you've owned it. You have shown me loyalty, and I plan to reward you for
doing so.''

Theo looked more than puzzled, confused to a level he failed to explain, ''What
are you...''

''Don't tell me it never struck your mind, boy?'' Voldemort rose from his seat,
sauntering across the floor until he reached the back of Theodore's chair, ''Don't
tell me you never realized the similarities I've been leaving behind for you to
find?''

''I don't—''

''How is your friend? The girl...what was her name?'' Voldemort tipped his chin
to the man seated next to Theo.

''Amelie, my Lord,'' The man spoke, lowering his gaze, ''Amelie Avery.''

''Right... Amelie, when did she wake up, boy?'' He looked back at Theodore,
''Four days ago, perhaps?''

He froze, remembering what his patient told him about the girlfriend he once
had. It was right there. The truth he'd failed to see — the verity as it crumbled.
He didn't once think that the two were connected.

It made sense now. Amelie woke up the night his patient was fully healed.

''And the dreams don't ring a bell?'' The Dark Lord pushed Theodore's limits,
''He told you about his dreams, didn't he? Amelie, doesn't have any memories
left either, does she?''

His patient's memory held in the exact missing as Amelie's did, and he didn't see
it.

Theodore began to feel dizzy. His insides lit on fire, ''No...No, it can't be—''

''I took his memories away and that of course, as the bounded souls they are, she
lost hers as well, didn't she?'' He chuckled darkly, ''And to think you didn't see it,
boy. That you didn't understand that you all along saved the boy she killed
herself to escape.''

''I didn't—'' Tears rimmed in his eyes, ''I didn't know it was — I wouldn't have
done anything—''

''You let your feelings for that boy come in the way!'' Voldemort shouted, making
him coil back in his chair as he tugged his messy curls back, ''It's a pattern, boy.
You fall for the people you believe you can protect, but you can not save. It's the
same way with that girl. You were in love with her when she was at her darkest.
You thought that you felt something for Malfoy when he was the one in need. You
are weak for that. You are nothing more than a weak boy, and especially now
when you have earned feelings for that girl's gravest nightmare.''

''I can't do this—'' The tears he fought so hard, failed him and rolled down his
pale cheeks, ''I didn't mean to do this—''
''But that only works in my favor. It means that you'll stay with the boy, and
you'll keep helping him become the Death Eater he once was.''

Shaking his head, Theodore hid it in the palms of his hands, ''It can't be true.
This can't be true! He can't be alive—''

''Didn't you feel the magic, son?'' The Dark Lord growled, staring viciously at
him, ''You had to feel it at some point, that bond they have. That unbreakable
chain resting between Amelie Avery and—''

''No!'' Theodore forced his chair back, wiping the tears, ''It can't be true! That
boy downstairs is nothing like—''

''He is. He is just at the loss of his sanity. Right where I want him to be. He needs
to remember his roots, what his father taught him,'' Voldemort slipped down
onto his own seat again, ''You see, son — he was one of my most clever soldiers,
and I need that boy back. I need the ruthless soul his father taught him to be.''

''It's not true! He can't be—''

''It can, and it is,'' The Dark Lord raised his voice, ''Adrian Pucey is indeed
alive, thanks to you.''

Day 15.

Theodore tried to fix this again. He tried to use magic to restore Amelie's
memories, and he was close — close enough to feel them, but Draco had
stormed in, interrupted her with it, and he didn't know what to do anymore.

He didn't know what to do with anything.

He was lying to his friends, and he had saved one of the worst people he'd ever
known. No one would forgive him for this — he wouldn't forgive himself for it.

The Dark Lord was right.

Theodore had grown to feel something he shouldn't with Adrian. He'd seen the
haunted mind he held behind all that evil.

He'd seen the reason as to why Adrian grew up and became that horrifying boy
he lived to be and why he hurt Amelie beyond explanation.

''Your girlfriend?'' Theodore asked as he looked at him from the doorway, his
eyes scanning Adrian's, and he saw it in a different light now, ''What happened
to her, do you remember?''

Even if his face was deformed, Theodore could see what it was he recognized
over two weeks ago. It was Adrian. He saw it so clearly now.

''I had a dream about her again,'' Adrian had his spine tilted against the wall,
his legs stretched out across the mattress, ''I wasn't a good person to her,
Theodore. I was horrible.''

Theo knew that already.

''I don't want to speak out loud what I did to her... but I hurt her, very much, in
all ways I could,'' There was so much remorse in his voice, something that
begged for mercy, ''I loved her. I really did love that girl. She meant so much to
me.''

''Do you remember her name?''

Adrian iced, snapping his neck as he looked up at the brunet, ''I—''

''Do you remember what you did to her before you had to forget?''

''I can't—''

''Do you remember that you locked her up in a cell for months and that you
tortured her in the most inhumane ways I have ever—''

''What are you—''

''Do you remember that you raped her?''

''I don't—''

''Do you remember how you killed the girl carrying your baby?''

''Please, what is this—''

''Amelie is my friend!'' Theodore yelled out, his arms thrown out in the air,
''She's my best friend, and you—''

His chest heaved so violently, barely drawing enough air down his throat, ''You
took her life from her. Five years of her life, she spent hurting with you, and I
just saved your life.''

Adrian tried to stand up, but the chains kept him from doing so, ''I don't know
what you're— I don't remember—''

''You don't deserve to remember her,'' Theodore spat angrily before he marched
out and he slammed the door shut behind him.

Day 17.

''I killed my father,'' Adrian blurted out of nowhere as Theodore was seated at
the desk. The confession made him spin around, abruptly in his chair as he
stared ever so blankly at the boy, ''I remember killing my father.''

''What?'' Theo sounded so confused. Amelie always told him that Adrian's father
died of natural causes, ''How do you know that?''

''It comes back in small pieces, every time I come to terms with something
horrible I've done — something new comes back to me,'' He had his knees
pressed to his chest, ''I remember you, I think.''

''What—''

''You hated me,'' He said, vacantly, ''I think you were the one person hating me
more than I hated myself.''

''I don't—'' Theodore began but quickly hushed, only looking at him as his heart
felt heavy.

''It's alright. I can't blame you for hating me.''

Theo didn't dare to speak a word, knowing that the boy was fragile and worn
from remembering all his ghostly demons.

''How—'' He gulped, ''How do you remember me?''

''From school, I think. I remember your face and the girl. You were friends.''
Adrian was too ashamed to look at Theo, ''You hated me for hurting her.''

''I think we're done for today,'' The brunet forced a smile, exhaling anxiously,
''I'll come by—''

''You have every right to hate me,'' He continued, still not sparing him as much
as a glare, ''I hate myself too.''

''You said you killed your father?'' He questioned from the doorway, his fist
clenching the knob, ''Why did you kill your father?''

Adrian faltered for so a minute, his eyes battling the tears, ''He said it was the
end of it all. He said that's the way the game has to end. I had to kill him.''

''The game?'' Turning around, he watched how Adrian began to claw at his
arms, scratching his skin, ''What game?''

''The one he made me play. He hurt my mother, and he said it was love, and he
said he loved me and that love function this way... and then he gave me a knife
—''

''You don't have to—'' Theodore pleaded, silently, ''You don't have to tell me
these things if you don't want to. I know it's hard to talk about it.''

''I deserve to hurt,'' He whispered, digging his nails deeper, and Theodore
wished to stop him. To tell him to stop, but he couldn't.

If he only knew how much he'd pained his best friend.

''I hurt your friend, and I deserve what my father did to me.''

Shutting his eyes and banning the world from around him, Theodore walked out.

Day 18.

''Please,'' Theodore begged, his hands grasping at the desk between them,
''Please. I'll do anything. Just let her remember.''

Theodore had been lying to them. To his friends — Amelie's reason for not
remembering was so much darker than her own head being in denial.

It was a part of it. Even without the Dark Lords curse, she wouldn't be lucid for
days after waking up, but it's been over a week, and he couldn't keep seeing how
much Draco was hurting from this — how much Amelie she was crumbling.

This wasn't fair to them. They'd been through enough, and if anyone deserved
some rest — it was Amelie and Draco.

Theodore would easily give his own mind for Amelie's to return. He owed her
everything after what he'd done in secret.

''Anything?'' Voldemort hissed, mockery slipped his tongue, ''You'd do anything

for my prisoner to remember the monster he was and for that girl to regain all
her demons?''

His eyes pleaded the Dark Lord's, his tone craving mercy, ''I'd do anything for
her to remember.''

''Even if you lose the boy, locked up in that cellar? Even if you lose the
connection you created and the wrongdoings he mastered?''

''Anything, I'd do anything for her.''

Voldemort grumbled for a minute, taking in all the ways this could do him any
favors until he rose his chin, staring back at the brunet, ''I will grant you your
wishes if you keep attending Adrian Pucey. If you can give me your word that
you'll turn him human for me — so that I can break him into what I need him to
be.''

Theodore felt a scowl as it mounted him, knitting his brows and clamping his
teeth, ''I thought you said you wanted him to become the monster he was before
—''

''He is compromised,'' Voldemort spat, evilly, ''Even if he takes shape as he did

before he was injured, he's still compromised with his memories of her. He didn't
kill Malfoy. He cursed him. He still took her into consideration, and I can't have
that in a soldier.''

Letting go of the desk and stepping back, Theodore frowned, ''And how do you
suggest I turn him human? Believe me, sir. There isn't something human in
Adrian.''

''Perhaps I need to remind you of the feelings you have gained for him?
Something tells me that you wouldn't have done so if you truly believed that he
wasn't worthy of redemption, knowing him as your friend's abuser or not.''

Flinching back by the hand, Voldemort slammed to the table. He began to fear
the man, ''He changed his manners in the loss of his memories. He is starting to
realize what went wrong in his life. He's beginning to understand that his life
and the brutal acts he carried for that girl were fated long before he meant to
execute them, isn't that right, boy?''

Theodore's eyes held so much agony. He didn't wish to work together with
Adrian — feelings involved or not. He didn't want that sinful soul to be a part of
his life, but at the same time, as the kind-hearted soul Theodore Nott lived to be
— he wouldn't be himself if he didn't give that vile boy a chance.

Perhaps he could turn this. Maybe he had the possibility to shift this around, to
aim Adrian's ways for the better and keep him there.

''That is what it will take of you to have Amelie Avery's memories restored and
for me not to sentence her to death.''

''You can't— Malfoy will never let you anywhere near—''

''Do I have to remind you that I have proven their lives to still be bounded? That
the vow is still intact? Both of them survived. The magic doesn't cease to exist
until they both are dead. I can easily take that poor girl's life by killing my
prisoner.''

Feeling as he was defeated no matter how he turned and twisted it, a slight nod
tipped off Theodore's head. He agreed.

''I'll do it,'' He huffed out, ''I'll help you break him. I'll help you make him the
solider you crave him to be, but only as long as you keep our deal in play.
Amelie, Narcissa, and Draco will never be hurt — You'll stay away from them.''

Gritting his teeth and shooting the boy a wicked smile, the Dark Lord bowed his
head.
And once again, Theodore gave every piece of himself to save them.

Day 19.

The Dark Lord had given Theodore the potion he needed for Adrian's memories
to be restored, and the brunet stood in the doorway to his cell.

With the vial in his hand, his body shook uncontrollably. Constantly reminding
himself that this was for Amelie. That her remembrance of the past three years
was worth the time, he'd spend alongside Adrian.

The boy was asleep. Theodore made sure that his body would be numb for this
as he strode up to the bed, hunching down beside it.

He ripped the stopper of the glass, and he traced it carefully up to Adrian's lips,
pulling at the lower one to separate them.

It had to be worth it.

Draco would have Amelie back, and they could finally be a family again. The
vile boy would be locked up in this cellar, and he'd do what the Dark Lord asked
of him.

Not stalling another breath, Theodore poured the darkened liquid down Adrian's
throat in one go.

It didn't take long until he began to wrestle the magic. The haunted, skin-
crawling memories Adrian was forced to forget welled over him worse than a
thunderstorm.

Every evil act. Every mean word. Every time he'd beaten her senseless. Every
time he'd violated her. The time his father forced him to end the never-ending
wheel of abuse and manipulation by taking his life.

All of it drowned the boy as his body ached, his limbs trembling, and all
Theodore could do — was to watch as he slowly regained consciousness.

''What the—'' Adrian breathed, his hand yanking at the chains keeping him in
place, ''Where am I—''
Slipping out of the dizziness, Adrian shot up, his eyes instantly falling to see
Theo as he still sat next to the bed, ''Nott, what the hell—'' He coughed at the
bitter taste of the potion, ''What have you done to me?''

He remembered. Theodore hadn't revealed his last name to him, and Adrian
stating it was all the clarification he needed that the potion indeed worked.

Blinking quickly, Theodore stepped back, not wishing for Pucey to lash out of
him as he remembered everything, ''I didn't do anything to you...'' He whispered,
backing away until his spine struck the wall, ''I saved her.''

That was all that circled his head, his drawn mind — Amelie.

He had left her without saying goodnight, but he knew that once he returned in
the morning, she'd be back. Their Amelie would be back with all her memories
intact, and he could never tell her why. He just had to play foolish and pretend
that it was a miracle, that her body was ready.

''I can't—'' Adrian shouted, tugging at the bonds around his ankles, ''I can't!
Take it away again, take it away!''

Theodore froze as the boy became untamed. He didn't want to recollect it all.

Adrian loved Amelie. Adrian loved Amelie so much that it suffocated him. He
loved her in ways no one ever loved him, and he'd easily give his life for hers —
but he was taught the falsified truth of love, in which his father's constant abuse
caused him to see love in ways it should never be shown as.

He was drowning in it. He was dying on that bed as he began to rip at his hair
and scratch his own skin. Blood shortly coated his arms, legs, face. He bit his
own flesh, tearing and shredding himself apart in the awareness of everything
he'd done.

It was his mother's death that tipped it all over the edge, and the loosened screw
in the nightstand caught his attention.

Tears rolled down his skin, and he reached for it so quickly that Theodore didn't
have the chance to react. He stabbed himself.

Adrian drove the sharp end of the screw against his skin, carving himself apart
at the repulsiveness for his own body.

''Stop!'' Theodore shouted from afar, scared to death that he'd wound himself
and that he'd take Amelie with him, ''Please—''

Not thinking of his own safety, Theo ran towards the bed, twisting his wand as
the screw was ripped out of Adrian's hand, but that didn't cease the marks he'd
already given himself.

Theodore threw himself over the boy, his blood stained Theo's clothes, but he
didn't bother. Not now.

Pinning his arms down, he mumbled the magic it took for Adrian's limbs to ease
and his body to slacken.

The hysterical screams and the hyperventilating breaths exchanged for sobs and
shaking heaves, ''I'm sorry—'' Adrian cried out, caving into Theodore's touch,
''Please, tell her I'm sorry. Tell her I never wanted this...''

And then, Adrian Pucey fainted.

Day 21.

Theodore was back. He'd failed to visit since Adrian got his memories back, all
because he wished to spend a bit of time with Amelie.

She'd fallen asleep with him, taken care of him that entire night, and she was
worried. He had returned the morning when her own remembrance was
restored, all covered in blood.

How he'd missed her. The Amelie he loved so deeply was back, and he couldn't
be happier, even if he had to work on the boy in the cellar.

''Get the fuck out,'' Adrian growled the second he saw Theodore step through the
door, ''I don't want your fucking help. You need to leave.''

Theo simply shook his head, ignoring the boy as he stepped up to the desk in
order to read the papers placed upon it, humming as he read how Adrian had
fought every single soul as they entered the door.
''I said get out—''

''You don't make the rules here,'' Theodore snapped, his tone harsh, ''You don't
have a say in this. All you will do is sit there and be quiet.''

Adrian's eyes widened, his breaths hitched as he caught the brunets words.
Never had he seen Theo behave like this, ''Well, it's my bloody cell and I—''

''I don't care,'' Theodore muttered, nodding at the parched sheets as he kept
reading in silence, and it stayed like that for minutes, neither of them speaking.

Adrian didn't want Theodore in his room. He didn't want to be anywhere near
the boy who'd made him feel something in his weeks of misremembering. He
loathed himself for enjoying Theo's company.

''So what is this?'' Pucey grunted, yanking at his chains, ''Why am I being kept
here?''

''They didn't tell you?'' Theo rose a brow, staring blankly at him, ''There's a
guard coming in here every thirty minutes, and no one told you?''

''They didn't tell me anything,'' Adrian spat, ''All they do is come in, stare at me
like I'm some freak, and then they leave.''

''You're stuck here because the Dark Lord wants you to be,'' He said, dragging
his sight away and feeling as his pulse quickened, ''He wants you to become
more...vile, so he asked me to take care of it.''

''More vile?'' The boy hissed rudely, ''And you're supposed to tell me how to
become viler? What is this? A joke? How the hell are you supposed to make me
— you are scared of the dark, Nott. You couldn't even go to the bloody bathroom
back at school without asking her to join you.''

''Don't speak about her,'' Theodore snapped, narrowing his hues in the green
ones, ''You don't get to speak about her.''

Something so unfamiliar happened, and it threw the brunet off completely.

Adrian listened.
He didn't push it. He simply quieted and looked down at his crossed legs. Theo
realized that the work he'd conducted with Adrian before he regained his mind
was working.

''Can I—'' He was speaking through his teeth, ''Can I ask you something about
her? We don't have to talk about her, but I'd like to know something.''

Theodore's lower back tilted against the desk, and he sent Adrian a swift tip of
his head, curious to hear what he wished to know, ''I can't promise that I'll
answer, but go ahead.''

Hesitating, Adrian shifted a bit on his bed, ''Is she still with...him?'' He cleared
his throat awkwardly, ''Is she still living with him? Even after what I...did?''

''After you locked her up and tortured her for three months?''

Adrian's eyes pooled, and he snapped his neck, staring into the cement wall next
to him. He didn't want to show any emotion.

''She is,'' Theo whispered, ''She's still with him.''

''Is she...'' He huffed, not sounding as angry as Theo believed he'd be from
hearing that Amelie still stayed by Draco's side, ''Is she happy with him?''

''Very,'' Theodore felt a score of doubt as it wavered, ''He's good for her.''

''Good,'' Adrian said, so quietly that Theodore barely caught it, ''That's all I
want.''

''I don't believe you,'' Theodore didn't. He was terrified that this was Adrian
manipulating him, that he played him in speaking the things he wished to hear.

''Then don't believe me,'' He gritted, clenching his jaws, ''I don't need you to
believe me. I'm stuck in here either way.''

''How?'' Arching his spine off the desk and taking a stride forward, ''How is it
possible that all you want is for her to be happy — when you did nothing but
hurt her? I don't understand it. You never showed any remorse for what you did
to her. You never apologized—''
Adrian looked at the place on the far edge of the bed where Theodore usually
took a seat, and he nodded towards it, gesturing for the boy to sit down, and he
did.

''I don't—'' He clamped his teeth together, ''I know you don't believe it, and I
know that it sounds ridiculous—''

Adrian never talked about it before. He never reflected on why he did what he
did to Amelie. He never answered questions about it. Not once did he take any
responsibility for what he'd put her through, but the weeks he was kept in the
dark — it caused him to feel something he'd never felt before.

Remorse. Guilt. Regret.

Not once had Adrian Pucey ever regretted the hell he'd forced upon her — until
now.

''I know after everything I put her through, you don't believe me, but she was
everything—''

''But you hurt her—''

''I know I did. I'm not saying that I didn't. I'm saying—''

''For years, Pucey and you—''

''I know!'' Adrian roared, battling the chains attached to his limbs, ''Don't you
think I fucking know that? Don't you think I am aware of what I did to her? Of
course, I know that I hurt her!''

''I'm fucking damned! I'm a lost, bloody cause, Nott! She was the last piece of
sanity I had left, and I had to ruin her! I had to fucking destroy everything about
her because I knew I would never deserve her!''

Theodore blinked quickly at Adrian's shouting.

''I loved her! I still do! I love her more than I have ever loved anyone, and that's
what my father taught me to do. I wasn't worthy of her, and I had to break her
into loving me. That's what he did to me, to my mother, and that was what I had
to do with her!''
He was heaving, breathing so unsteadily as tears rolled down his cheeks.

It broke him, knowing what he'd done.

''She was all I had, and I had to make her love me. I had to make her understand
me! She would've left me if I didn't, father taught me how to make her love me
and I—''

Sobbing out as his body shook, ''I hated him. I loathed my father for what he did
to me and my mother, but he taught me how to love him. He taught me how to—''

Theodore once again realized that he never stood a chance. Adrian was indeed
doomed from the very beginning of it all. It was his father's wish all along.

''He showed me how to make her love me, and I did! I made her love me, but it
wasn't enough. I couldn't stop hurting her—''

Hugging his knees to his chest as he cried, ''And I broke her...''

''Adrian—''

''I didn't mean to break her. I didn't mean to hurt her like I did. I just wanted her
to love me—''

''You destroyed her, and you took everything from her,'' Theodore whispered,
keeping his tone calm as the boy stopped talking.

''She would've loved you. She did love you. She loved you so much that she let
you hurt her.''

''I loved her so much...'' He cried, his skin red and swollen, ''I just wanted her to
love me back, to love me like I loved my father.''

''Your father was a monster, Adrian. He didn't love you. He manipulated you—''

''He loved me!'' He screamed out, too scared to face the horrifying truth of what
his father actually did to him, ''He loved me, and I love her. He loved me, and I
love her. He loved me, and I love her.''

Theodore didn't say anything else that night.

He simply began the rescue of the boy's head, making his head stable and
cleared for redemption.

Day 23.

Theodore had done his research. He studied the condition Adrian was kept in
thoughtfully, reading up on everything he could do to break the boy's vicious
behavior down and make him understand what actually happened to him. He'd
also been mixing a potion for him to make his features go back to the way they
were before he was cursed with the magic that deformed it.

It went well. Adrian, just during the two days they had been doing this —
managed to let most of his menacing self go.

He began to see, with the help of Theo's magic, just how cruel his actions had
been and what he'd done to the girl he loved.

It wasn't easy, doing what they did. To reform and shape his mind for the better,
but they had come a long way. Spells and talking healed him. He opened up, and
he understood.

''She didn't deserve it, any of it,'' Adrian whispered after yet another session,
''She was so kind to me and I—''

''That's progress,'' Theodore hewed him off, seeing how exhausted he was from
spending the nights learning about his past, ''And I think that's enough for
today.''

He was confused that behind all that pain and all he'd been through — a boy so
puzzled was hidden.

Theodore never knew Adrian before he turned vile, not as Amelie did. Every time
Amelie spoke about him, every time she told Theo about the kind-hearted boy she
knew rested within, he never believed her.

Rising from his seat and ready to stand up, Theodore looked at Adrian, sitting
curled up in the corner of his bed. Hiding from everything and everyone.

''I'll be back—''
''He never loved me, did he?'' Adrian asked, stilly, almost as if he was afraid of
the words he'd spoken. Agony tore through his eyes, ''My father never loved me,
or my mother.''

Huffing out, he stepped towards the boy, kneeling next to the bed, ''I can't
answer that.''

''Do you think I loved Amelie?'' Tears glinted in the green eyes, and his skin was
so pale, ''Do you think I ever loved her like she loved me?''

''I think we all are a bit in love with Amelie,'' Theo's heart ached as he gently
nodded, ''But think you did. I hope you loved her.''

''I think I loved her too...'' He mumbled, tucking his chin into his knees, hugging
himself as he began swaying back and forth, ''I wanted to love her, and I wanted
her to love me.''

''She loved you very much, Adrian.''

''I hope she did...'' His tone ruptured by the tears, ''It felt good, being loved by
her. She was good to me.''

Feeling as an arch tugged in the corner of his lips, Theo smiled, ''She's a good
person. The best.''

''I know,'' Adrian swallowed the aching lump in the back of his throat, ''That's
why I wanted to be with her. She took care of me, even when I hurt her. She
loved me all the same.''

''Amelie usually does that. She sees the best in people,'' The brunet kept his faint
smile, and the thought of his best friend caused warmth to flush within, ''She saw
the best in you, Adrian. Even when you hurt her, she saw all the good in you.''

''She deserved better,'' He laid down, rolling to his side and facing the wall, ''It
just hurts, knowing that my father didn't love me. I thought he did. I thought he
loved me because I loved him... Just like Amelie loved me when I was the one
hurting her.''

Adrian began to see the parallels.

''But she doesn't love me anymore, does she?''

Closing his eyes and standing tall, Theodore hummed, ''Adrian—''

''She has someone else now. She has Malfoy, and he's good for her, isn't he?
Better than I ever was?''

''He's very good for her.''

''And she's happy?''

''She's happy with Draco, yes.''

''Does he hurt her?'' His chest began to slow, his breaths shifted shallow, ''Does
he hurt her like I did?''

''He doesn't.'' Theodore grasped at the sheets of the bed, and he tugged it across
Adrian's body, ''Draco would never hurt her. He saved her.''

''I know they can't know I'm alive, but if you can — please thank him for me. He
saved her...'' He whispered as he fell asleep, ''She's happy...''

Day 26.

''She hit her bloody head!'' Theodore yelled out, so angrily that the veins in his
neck popped out, ''You said you'd honor our deal, but you didn't, and she hit her
head. What if she died? What if she—''

The Dark Lord stared him down as Theodore slammed his fists into his desk,
''Did she die?'' He gritted, ''No, she didn't. See this as a warning, boy. You're
executing your task well. Adrian Pucey will begin to carry out tasks as soon as
the potion heals his deformed self—''

''So why would you attack us like that? One of your men cursed me, and it left
her all alone with them. They put their hands on her. Malfoy will never let that
go, and neither will I. That was far from our deal. Why would you, not once but
twice—''

''But don't you dare forget that I am still in a conflict with Draco Malfoy. You
might be living with him, assisting that girl on her small adventures, but I am
and will be finding her mother before any of you do.''

Theodore pushed himself back, shaking his head, ''I know you are, but that isn't
the—''

''I'd advise you to keep restraints on your behavior, son. I don't do well with
threats. I am still the Dark Lord, not one of your friends that you can challenge
as you please. You'll pay me respect, or I'll end her life.''

Voldemort rose from his chair, still glaring at the brunet, ''I won't be reminding
you of this again. Keep that girl away from her mother, and I'll do my best to
stay out of your hair, but come into my office with that attitude again, and I'll
show you just how vicious I tend to be.''

Backing up, he threw his arms out, ''She's not going to stop looking for her
mother,'' Theodore knew that they found an address. That they were close on
locating her.

''Then I'll suggest you make her stop, if Athena isn't returned to me, shortly. I
will act out.''

''This is unbelievable! We had an agreement, and I am doing my part. I am

healing your Death Eaters, and I am almost completed with turning Adrian
Pucey into an actual human being. Still, you do this—''

Aiming his wand towards Theodore, Voldemort scoffed, nearly chucking darkly
below his breath, ''That is enough! You are my servant, and you'll do as I please.
Now get down to the cellars and do what I keep you alive for.''

His blood boiled, his fingers balling as he spun around, storming towards the
doors.

''Son,'' The Dark Lord called out for him, making him falter in his attempt to
leave the scene, ''I wish for you and Narcissa to be present at the meeting
tonight.''

He marched down to the cellars, and he attended his daily dose of healing.
Making Adrian shift into humanity more and more for each minute that passed.
Clearing his face from magic, the potion almost fulfilled its purpose as he laid
the boy down.
''You did well today,'' Theodore muttered, scribbling down onto his paper what
they'd concluded and reached, ''You'll be ready in the morning, I believe.''

Adrian nodded, placing his hands upon his stomach, ''Can I ask you
something?''

''Of course,''

Pucey felt safe with Theodore. Perhaps it was the love Amelie carried for the
boy that caused him to feel that way. He'd never cared for her friends in the past,
but it was something special about that boy with curls so messy and a smile that
seemed to take all his pain away.

''You said the other day that you think we all are a bit in love with Amelie...'' He
lowered his tone, sounding unsure, ''Are you in love with her?''

Theodore frowned, spinning around abruptly and he nearly felt offended by the
asked question, ''Am I in love with her?'' He repeated, ''Why would you ask—''

''Because I always thought you were. I remember when I first believed that you
were in love with her. I know I hurt you for it. I was so scared of losing her.''

Huffing out, he slipped down onto the chair across the room, ''I was, at one point
I was in love with her, yes, but she would never love me like that.''

''I thought she did, and that's why I hated you,'' Adrian was looking up in the
ceiling, where Theo, not too many nights ago had placed stars that glowed a bit
in the constant dark he was captive in — so that Adrian wouldn't feel lonely
when he wasn't around, ''I hated you because she always loved you more.''

''Do you still hate me?'' Theodore rose a brow as he spoke, ''Now, I mean?''

''I don't.''

Smiling to himself, he turned to face his desk again, ''I'm glad you don't hate me
anymore.''

''Do you hate me?''

It was those words that caused shivers to flee Theo's spine, and his heartbeat
began to swell in his ears, ''I hate what you did to her, but I don't hate you. I
don't hate this version of you.''

''I still hate myself.''

It ached again.

''I know you do,'' Theo didn't know how to comfort him now. He wasn't angry.
He wasn't crying. He simply talked, ''I know you do, but you're trying, aren't
you?''

''Do you think Amelie hates me?'' Adrian kept his stare glued to the stars in his
roof, ''I wouldn't blame her if she did.''

''I don't think Amelie is capable of hating anyone. She's too... Amelie. I heard her
curse two days ago, and I didn't know what to think.''

Adrian propped himself up on one elbow, gawking at the brunet, ''Really?

Amelie cursing?''

''Yes, we were looking for her mother, and we were attacked, so of course, she
panicked. I did too, and when the building began to fall—''

''You were what?'' Adrian snapped, reacting to what he said as he shoved

himself to the edge of the bed, his legs hanging from the brim of it, ''Was she
hurt?''

It was a flash of concern in his eyes, a loop of worry as he understood that

Amelie was put in danger.

''She hit her head...'' Theodore barely whispered as he noticed the change in
Adrian's demeanor, ''Tell me what you're thinking right now. Tell me what you
feel knowing that Amelie was hurt.''

''It makes me...'' Adrian's fists balled, ''It makes me angry. It makes me furious,
where were you? Where was Malfoy? Was she alone? Is that it?''

''She wasn't alone,'' Theo squinted, cocking his head as he let his elbows rest on
his knees, ''I was with her, but I couldn't do anything.''
Studying the way he was reacting now.

''So you just let her get hurt?'' Adrian rose from the bed, yanking his chains, ''Is
she okay now? Was she hurt badly?''

It was mesmerizing to Theodore, seeing how he, in the span of a month, had
gone from torturing her to actually caring for Amelie in ways that he didn't
believe to be possible.

It truly worked. All the hours, all the pain and pieces he had to give of himself to
please the Dark Lord and save his friends lived to be worth it.

Adrian fought his demons, and he became better.

''She wasn't. A simple spell fixed it,'' He sought to hide his smile, ''She was with
Draco when I left her.''

''Why didn't you protect her?'' He began to raise his voice, ''She's not supposed
to be hurt. You said it yourself. She's not to be touched—''

''Adrian—''

''And where the hell was Malfoy? Why didn't he do anything?'' Continuing
without realizing how much progress he made, ''How the hell could you two let
that happen? Why was she the one—''

''That's enough, Adrian,'' Theodore spoke up, shaking his head as his curls
followed, ''You have no idea what happened—''

''Then tell me, tell me what happened and tell me why she was the one getting
hurt.''

Blinking confusingly, Theodore's lips parted, ''We snuck out. We left without
Draco knowing, and we got caught, they ambushed us, and we didn't stand a
chance, but she's fine. She woke up, and she saved us. She brought us back to the
manor—''

''She saved you?'' Lifting a brow, Adrian seemed bewildered, shocked almost,
''How did she save you?''
''She fired a spell, and it made the Death Eaters flee,'' He mumbled.

''Amelie did that?'' Adrian's fingers twitched, feeling both surprised and
astonished that the girl he once knew had changed, ''I don't know what to say...''

''She changed, Adrian, this past year, she changed so much.''

There was a slight pause of hurt between them, and he understood that she
indeed turned for the better without him, ''I hear that...'' His shoulders sunk, ''I'm
happy for her.''

They didn't speak much after that. Theodore slipped him the last of the potion to
heal his face, and he apparated back to the manor in order to get Narcissa. They
needed to attend the meeting just like the Dark Lord had wished, and after being
excused, she joined him in the cellar.

She craved to see for herself as Theodore completed the spells to make Adrian
return to his original shape.

Narcissa didn't stand to see it for long, and she burst out in tears as she stepped
out.

Day 29.

Adrian had been granted a bit of freedom in his imprisonment. The Dark Lord
had settled his claws in the boy and brought him out of his cell for training — to
make the boy become what he always wanted him to be.

Adrian Pucey was ready. He had dealt with his demons, and he had taken
responsibility for what he so viciously executed in the past. They even talked
about Pansy's death, how he felt and why he craved to cease the girl, pregnant
with his child, of life.

He couldn't talk, nevertheless think about Pansy without breaking apart, and
Theodore understood that this was another missing piece of his father's abuse.

Adrian was taught love with violence, and that's what he gave the people around
him. His mother's death was out of pure anger. He couldn't stand the lady that
simply watched as his father beat him, raped him, and forced his wicked mindset
upon him.
The nights Theodore had to spend at the castle, he tried to ease the boy's mind at
his best capabilities. They played cards, took a walk through the woods, and they
built their relationship — just like they'd done for the past month.

It pained Theodore to hear what the Dark Lord made him do. How he tutored
him into madness, and how he was free from under his deceased father's abuse,
only to be chained to the darkness again.

He wished he could talk to someone about it. He hoped that one day he'd be able
to tell Amelie everything — every last piece of information he was forced to keep
from her, and it drowned the brunet. Knowing that he did all of this behind her
back, but he tried so hard to convince himself that it was for her safety, and it
was.

If it weren't for Theodore doing this, both she and Draco would've been dead a
month ago. He saved them to the highest price, and he could only hope that
she'd forgive him.

The chemistry between Adrian and Theo had shifted. It wasn't as plain as it used
to be. Theodore began to enjoy coming to the castle in order to see him, and now
— now that he knew Amelie's mother to be alive and well, her brother still being
undiscovered, it felt like he could breathe, just for a minute.

Day 30.

Draco and Amelie had spent another night at the cabin, and Malfoy was only
home for a short minute before he needed to attend his father in London. During
the little time Theodore had to spend at the Malfoy Manor before he would be
sent back for his nightly duties at the castle — he wished to spend it with Amelie.

She told him all about the plan she had, how she was going to buy a new
mansion for them and how she wanted to surprise Draco with it on the night of
his birthday. Theodore helped her. He joined her as she bought the new majestic
house. He strolled across it as she showed him the rooms before he had to leave.

''It's your turn,'' Adrian scowled, his legs crossed, and they had restricted the
chains to his ankles only, leaving his arms free to move as he placed another
card up on the sheets, ''No— don't cheat, it's—''

Laughing out quietly, Theodore rolled his eyes, settling another card upon the
one Adrian laid down, ''I'm not cheating. You just need to learn how to play.''

''Learn how to play?'' The boy raised a brow before frowning, staring vacantly
at his hands, ''Well, I don't have any—''

''It's not my fault, is it—''

''Then fuck this,'' Adrian huffed out, throwing his cards across the bed as he
leaned back, ''I'm done. I don't want to play anymore.''

''Only because you're losing?'' Theo grinned, mockingly but his smile faded as
he watched how exhausted Adrian was, and he put his own cards down.

The mauve circles hugged around his eyes and his skin ashen, ''I can help you
sleep, Adrian. You know I can help you sleep.''

''I don't want to sleep,'' He tilted his head, looking back at the brunet as he
thought that the room had shifted cooly. It began to get to him, being locked up,
''And I'm not tired... it's just hard, listening to the Dark Lord.''

''But you're telling me anything there is to know, don't you?'' Theo asked,
gathering the cards with a twitched of his wand as they disappeared, ''You
promised me that you'd be honest about all of this, what he makes you do and
what tasks he—''

That was his plan. Fooling the Dark Lord into believing that he had full control
of Adrian and that he once again shaped him into the soldier he wished for him
to be, but Theodore didn't let him. He was there every night he possibly could,
and he helped Adrian overcome it.

To not fall over the sword he'd once bled dry from.

Adrian had changed, and Theo would fight to keep him that way. He knew the
monster he could turn into if he was manipulated the right way, and he never
wanted that evil soul to see the light of day ever again.

''I am honest,'' He sounded sad, worn, ''I am honest, but it's still hard.''

''What?''
''Hurting people,'' Adrian admitted, ''It's hard hurting people again. Every time I
hear someone scream — I think of Amelie. I still have nightmares of her
screams.''

''She doesn't scream like that anymore,'' He meant to calm him, to place his hand
on his shoulder as he stood up, giving him a stroke of comfort, ''She's happy,
Adrian.''

''Does she still have scars?''

It stung in Theodore's chest, ''She does. I tried to take most of them away from
her, but it didn't work.''

''I think you should let them be,'' Adrian whispered, tilting his head to rest
against the hand Theo kept on his shoulder, ''It shows how far she's come, how
hard she fought all of this... Is she ashamed of them?''

''She used to be, but I don't think she is anymore,'' His hand brushed against
Adrian's jaw, nearly unconsciously, neither of them minded the touch, ''She has
grown in ways you'll never imagine.''

''I'm happy she is. Amelie deserves happiness.''

''I know she does,'' Theodore pulled away the second he realized what he was
doing, clearing his throat and excusing himself, ''I'm sorry— I'll just—''

''Wait—'' Adrian breathed, his hand snatching Theodore's, and he tightened his
fingers, ''You don't have to go—''

Clenching his jaw, Theodore sighed, seeing how Adrian stood up next to him,
''It's not appropriate,'' He muttered, trying not to look at the boy, ''You're not—''

''I'm not what?''

They stood so close to the other now, neither of them withdrew.

''I can't feel like this with you,'' Theodore whispered, nearly sensing Adrian's
heated breaths as they fanned his lips, ''It's not okay. You are in love with—''

Adrian let his hand run up the length of Theodore's arm, and he halted on his
shoulder, ''I am, and I think a part of me will always belong to her, but that
doesn't mean I can't feel something for someone else.''

Theodore let his eyes gaze to Adrian's lips, and he felt his heart as it beat so
wildly within. Never had he felt like he did now.

''She's my best friend.''

''And she's happy with someone else,'' Adrian said, so softly, his fingers brushed
along Theodore's jaw, cupping his chin, ''Why can't I be happy with someone?''

''You hurt her...''

''I'm not saying that the person I was should be forgiven for what I've done. I
don't deserve forgiveness, but you healed us,'' Adrian blurted out the words,
lingering with his touch, ''You saved her, and you saved me.''

Theodore didn't know what to do — what to say.

''I care for you...'' He continued, ''After being with Amelie, going through what I
did with her, I didn't think it would be possible for me to care for someone ever
again, to put myself out there and actually feel something... be human again, but
you made all of that possible.''

Gulping, Theodore slowly moved his hands to Adrian's arms.

''Don't tell me you haven't it, what I have been feeling this whole time, even
before you knew who I was and I knew you,'' Their noses stroking along the
other, ''I know you feel it too.''

''I do,'' Theodore whispered, airy, ''I feel it too.''

That was all that needed to be said, before both of them, at the same time —
pushed their lips together. Adrian kissed him, so emotionally and Theodore
kissed him back.

Pulling apart after moments, their eyes collided, and they smiled.

Day 32.
Theodore was standing in the middle of the crowd in the castle. He hadn't been
there since his kiss with Adrian. Not that he didn't want to, but because Amelie
needed him. Athena had been taken, and Amelie had been wounded. The Dark
Lord had been sending for him, but he ignored it.

No one in this world was as important to him as she was, and now — now he
was there again, but this time, with her.

He'd agreed to play a part in Draco's plan to locate her mother, and he was
allowed to follow her to the castle, but she vanished during the speech the Dark
Lord held. He didn't dare to move just in case she'd look for him in the same
place she'd left him.

Draco was here. He knew that, and when he was circling the property — she'd
be safe. She wouldn't be harmed.

Theo waited for long moments, wishing that she'd be back and that they could
leave before he was discovered. Knowing that Adrian was out there as well. He
had been assigned to take part in the masquerade — to recognize Amelie and
Draco, but he wouldn't give that information up if he did. Theodore made sure of
that.

If Adrian placed an eye upon either of them, he'd stay quiet.

''Theodore—'' He was yanked back by his shoulder, spinning around as he

leveled the green eyes, ''I saw her.''

Frowning, Theodore shook his head, ''Adrian, what are you—''

His voice clocked him, hearing how the usual tone's in Pucey's vocals shredded
differently, ''What did you do to your voice, what happened—''

''The Dark Lord took parts of it, so she wouldn't recognize me if I ran into her
and in case I made a run for it. He said he'd give it back once the night is over,
but Theodore—'' He was heaving, his chest roughly rising and falling, ''I saw
her, I talked to her and I—''

Still standing in the mass of Death Eaters, Theodore took a step closer to him,
just in case someone would eavesdrop, ''What do you mean you talked to her?
Did she figure it out? That it was you? What did you say—''
Even if he was hiding behind his mask, Theo saw how stressed the boy was, ''I
ran into her in a hallway, I think she was down in the basement, and she tripped
and I—'' He gasped for air, ''I saw her, and I couldn't stay away, Theodore. She
was just standing there all alone and I—''

Shooting a sneaky look around, Theo made sure no one watched them, ''She was
right there, and I was so mean to her.''

''You what?'' Theodore snapped, narrowing his sight in Adrian's, ''What did you
say? Why were you mean—''

''I panicked!'' He harshly whispered, ''I panicked. I didn't know what to say or
what to do and then suddenly called her an ungrateful witch and the next thing I
knew Malfoy stood behind her, and he protected her—''

''So she's safe? Do you know where she went, because I need to take her home
—''

''That's the problem...'' Adrian's voice lowered, sounding scared almost, ''Death
Eaters were circling the halls, and they ran into us. They didn't stand a chance.
They paralyzed them and took them away. I tried to stop them, but they said
they'd kill her if I didn't stand down—''

''Damn it,'' Theo growled out, ''Do you know where? When was this? Right
now?''

''I tried to find you, so probably... twenty minutes ago?'' He uttered silently as
Theodore nodded, ''I tried to stop them. I didn't want them to get hurt.''

''I know, I know you didn't, but where was this—''

''She's here...'' Adrian gritted his jaws at the look of his first love, standing in the
entrance of the room, her dress smeared to her body, beautifully but the second
he caught the blood as it gushed down her arms and her haunted eyes — anger
boiled within him, ''And she's hurt,''

Adrian fumed in rage, ''She's drenched in blood, Theodore. If they hurt her, I
swear—''

''You'll do nothing,'' Theodore nodded awkwardly towards him, ''You'll go back

to your cell, and I'll be there as soon as I can, but you'll do nothing. We have
come so far. We can't afford you getting caught.''

''They hurt her,'' He growled so lowly, ''She had blood running down—'' Adrian
was still looking at her. Even if his feelings now belonged to someone else,
Amelie was mesmerizing to him. He hadn't seen her for so long.

''I know they did, and I'll deal with it, now leave before—''

''Teddy?''

''Go!'' Theodore urged as Adrian stepped away, ''Leave, now.''

Seeing how the boy walked into the crowd, Theo spun around, facing his best
friend, and he gasped, ''What the—''

Amelie finally opened her eyes, tears pearled in the corners of them, and she
looked at the boy that just showed her everything she never knew. It all felt
surreal to her. Every last piece of it felt like a never-ending nightmare.

She was seated on his bed, him next to her, and her lips parted, a shaky breath
trembled from her throat.

"Say something," Adrian whispered as he noticed her shocked state, but she
didn't.

Amelie didn't speak one single word as she instead reached her hand between
them, and she let the tips of her fingers softly brush over his forehead, ''You're
alive...'' Her voice was barely heard, ''I thought you died, with me...''

Adrian swallowed the lump he felt expanding, and he clenched his jaws at her
touch, ''You're alive too,'' He said, his tone thin, ''I understand that you wanted
me to die, looking back on it, I wished I did.''

Amelie frowned lightly as she pulled her hand back, ''Adrian, I—''

Shaking his head, he looked intensely at her, ''Don't,'' He mumbled before he

peered away, ''Don't try to make me feel better, Amelie. We both know what I
did to you, so let's not pretend that this is something that it isn't.''
She still hadn't earned a chance to grasp what Adrian had shown her, how
Theodore had spent a month, ever since he saved her — hiding her former lover,
assisting the Dark Lord in matters that tore her apart.

''He's...'' Amelie breathed, feeling as her heart pounded roughly within, ''He's in
love with you?''

Flickering his sight to the floor, Adrian stayed silent. He couldn't help but feel
like he'd betrayed her. Even if Amelie was head over heels in love with Malfoy,
he still held an aching soul when it came to her.

She'd always have a special place in his heart. Anyone who'd lived to know her
would. Amelie was his first love, even before he turned violent.

''Teddy is in love with you?'' She was shaking now, her fingers twitching against
the palms of her hands as Adrian noticed. Amelie never thought he paid any
attention to her in that way when he, in reality, did.

Reaching for her hand, Amelie flinched back, flying up to stand on her feet, ''I'm
—'' She heaved, ''I don't—''

''I'm sorry,'' He mumbled, pushing himself back from her. He didn't want to harm
her more than he'd done already, ''I didn't think.''

''I can't do this,'' She let out, her hands tugged at the roots of her hair, and she
combed her fingers through it, ''I can't think about this, right now. I can't—''

''You don't have to,'' He stood up, and he was still so tall in comparison to her.
She barely remembered that about him, not as lengthened as Draco was next to
her but close, ''You don't have to do this at all if you want to leave — you're
more than free to do so.''

Amelie faltered for a second, her arms dropping to her sides, and all she saw was
the boy she once loved so dearly. Adrian was no longer portrayed like the beast
he turned out as. He was the boy she fell in love with.

She looked at him in the ways only she did, and he gazed right back at her. The
moment of quietness between them spoke more than any words ever could.

His hair was longer, much longer. His eyes didn't carry the sinister dash in them
anymore. They simply held green, the fusion of olive and forest shades she
always adored. His skin had dimmed, the rosy cheeks didn't sparkle any longer.
The faded scars on his throat and hands caught her eye. Adrian didn't own many
scars, not that she recalled, but he did now.

Taking in every inch of the boy she'd given her life to diminish, she sighed out in
relief. She'd never admit to it, but something within that powerful chest she
didn't know she owned was happy to see him.

Amelie didn't loath Adrian. She didn't hate him even before she was granted a
piece of his mind and the understating of what befell them when she wasn't
aware.

''I didn't come here to—'' She hushed, taking a well-needed breath, ''I didn't come
here to fight or to question you or—''

''Amelie,'' Adrian nodded towards her, wishing for her to calm herself before it
turned too overwhelming for the chaotic girl, ''It's alright. You don't have to
explain yourself. Tell me what you need.''

Tipping her head, she peered around, nervously in his cell. It was dark. Barely a
crack of light slipped through the bars of the door. The outlines of the desk
showed in the shadows, and his bed stood solidly in the corner of the room.

Cement and stone were smeared from the ground, all across the walls and up to
the roof. She wouldn't wish this room upon her worst enemy. Even the room
Adrian had kept her locked up in was on better display than this.

''Draco,'' She whispered, fixing her sight upon him again, ''I need Draco, and he's
been taken away.''

''What?'' Adrian lifted his brows before furrowing them. Not denying that sting
of pain in his chest by her telling him that she needed the blond boy, ''What do
you mean—''

''Draco had this plan, that Teddy would bring me to the ball so that I could look
for...someone and it went fine until we were leaving and he was taken. He forced
us to leave, and he stayed behind—

''That's three days ago, Amelie,'' He cocked his head, confused, ''I don't follow.''
Her fingers tangled in front of her, ''He was supposed to be taken. That was a
part of his plan, but something went wrong, Adrian. He never came back to me,
and like you said, it's been three days, and he's not back,'' She was rambling the
words now, not truly understanding them herself, ''Draco always finds his way
back to me, and he hasn't. That could only mean two things, that they're keeping
him locked up or that he's—''

Amelie couldn't fray the tears as they ever so rolled down her skin, wetting the
mauve circles underneath her eyes, ''I need your help. I saw what you had
written in the diary, and it just hit me that it couldn't be a consequence that I felt
something so strong with you in that hallway the other night, so I had to come.''

''I don't understand what you want from me. Do you need me to go get Malfoy,
or what is this about?'' He questioned, still puzzled.

''You know where they keep them, right? The witches and wizards they know
would escape?'' Amelie hoped with everything she owned that he did, ''I think
they took Draco to a place they knew he could ever flee from, and I need your
help to find it.''

Adrian knew exactly what she was talking about, what place she wished for him
to reveal. He'd been there, not too many days ago, on a mission, but it was
dangerous.

''Azkaban,'' He said, plainly, ''If they want to torture him, they would've taken
him to Azkaban. There's a department in there, where they keep their own
people, the most dangerous kind.''

Amelie blinked quickly, battling the tears, ''You think they took him there?''

''I can't think of another place they would have taken a Death Eater like him.
There's no respect for the mark within those walls. He's treated like a traitor in
there.''

It iced her veins and caused her lungs to strain, thinking about what they most
likely did to him.

''Can you take me there?'' She was begging him. She didn't need to say it for him
to hear it.
''Take you to Azkaban?'' He rose a brow, almost scoffing at her now, ''You want
me to take you to Azkaban, and then what? Do you stride through the doors like
nothing? Simply get Malfoy and walk right out?''

Amelie looked away, her sight floored, ''I need him back, Adrian. You can make
fun out of me all you want, but I need him back. He never gave up on me, and I
can't live with myself if I don't try to get him back.''

Adrian had let go of the worse side of his mind, but he still didn't find enough
peace in Draco. He was wounded from Amelie leaving him for the blond, giving
herself to Malfoy with him yet in the picture.

She saw as he hesitated, his eyes as they flickered, and his lips pushed together.

''Adrian, please—'' She whimpered, ''I can't find it myself. You don't have to do
more than to follow me there. You can leave right after. I have Blaise to
accompany me. You just have to—''

''Amelie—''

''Please,'' She pleaded, ''You owe me this. He saved me, Adrian. I need him back.
He needs to be with me.''

Her heart was breaking more for every second they stood in that cell, knowing
what Draco had to go through while Adrian doubted it all.

''I'll do anything, please just bring me to him.''

Huffing out, he clenched his jaws, and he gritted his teeth, ''No one can know
about this. Not Theodore, not Malfoy. Just you, me, and Blaise. The Dark Lord
will kill us all if he finds out—''

Her chest tightened, daggers ripped through her throat as she breathed, ''I can
help you, I can save you—''

Adrian slowly lengthened his arm between them again, but this time, Amelie
didn't yank back. She allowed his fingers to brush across her cheek, feeling her
skin against his, ''You can't save me, Amelie,'' He whispered with an arch as it
shaped on his lips, wiping a tear away, ''Not after what I've done to you. I won't
let you put my mercy on your conscience.''
Gasping for air as he withdrew, he nodded towards the wand, tucked into the
hem of her skirt, ''I am going to need that,'' Adrian craved as she immediately
pulled it out, giving it to him, ''Blaise, is he outside?''

She nodded, her hair spilling around her shoulders as he drew a breath, ''Then
let's go save Malfoy.''

_____
 Ninety-one

This chapter contains mentions of suicide, character death, blood, abuse,

and other traumatizing topics. Please read with caution.

_____

''Bring hell upon them, Amelie. Let them burn.''

_____

''You're absolutely sure about this?'' Adrian asked again, closing the door to his
cell and avoiding the shocked stare Blaise possessed. With a yank of her
shoulder, the boy pushed himself in between them.

Zabini rose his wand, aiming it at Adrian without hesitation, ''What are you—''
He breathed through his gritted teeth, ''No, Avery. I don't agree with this. If
Malfoy finds out, he helped us. He'll kill me.''

''Blaise—''

''No,'' He stated, more firmly now, cocking his head and staring down at her
from above his shoulder, ''You don't understand, Avery. Yeah, I'll be doomed for
rescuing Malfoy for sure, but that's nothing compared to what he'll do to me if he
knows that I let you anywhere near this monster.''

''You call me a monster?'' Adrian angrily hissed, his eyes darkened, ''You
followed me and everything I did like you were my damn tail, Zabini. Until you
chose to side with Malfoy instead. You're as much of a monster as I am.''

Blaise blinked quickly as the sounds of skin-crawling creatures echoed around

them, and the dimmed hallway began to cool. It was terrifying. Shivers stabbed
her skin at the situation she caught herself in.

Amelie didn't like this. She didn't enjoy this one single bit. The two boys
bickered over who hurt her more and who took the wrong side within it while
she peered around, her body close to Blaise's.

Not finding much comfort after Draco was taken from her, she robbed the boy,
thinking he was protecting her, of the inches of solace he gave.

Both of them had failed her. Adrian, by being the boy her whole past crumbled
because of, and Blaise by assisting him in it. Even if he'd never placed a vicious
hand upon her or hurt her with rough actions — he still scared her back in
school. He'd still talk to her as if she wasn't a worthy human.

Yet, Amelie let that go in a heartbeat as he apologized three nights ago, and she
allowed it to slip. He looked worn, beaten, and drawn. The year he'd spent in
imprisonment, working in that basement was time served for him, she believed.

He wasn't iniquitous, she knew that, and if anything, in the ways he'd been
serving Draco to a fight for a brighter world — he earned the chance of benefit
over doubt.

''Don't you dare pin this on me,'' Blaise spat furiously, ''This is on you, and I'd
rather kill myself than suffer the consequences of Malfoy coming for me because
of it.''

''What happened to you?'' Adrian growled, taking a step forward as it caused the
tip of Zabini's wand to dig into his chest, but he didn't budge. Pucey stood his
ground, ''You used to be reasonable, someone worthy, and now?''

Lifting a brow as he inched even nearer and Blaise began to falter, sensing how
his wand prod into Adrian's body. The boy he once feared so gravely wouldn't
stop daring him, ''Now you're nothing. All I see is someone scared, a
meaningless shell. So I'll ask you again, Zabini. What happened to you—''

Blaise dragged his wand back, looking away with a sigh. His arm fell to his side,
''She can't get hurt, not in the slightest, Pucey. He'll come for us both, and he'll
—'' Zabini flinched by the hand Amelie placed upon his shoulder as he spun
around, staring down at her unclearly.

''I won't let him,'' She nodded, feeling as her bones rose to ache and collapse
within, ''Help me get him back, and he'll mercy the both of you. I promise.''

She knew she couldn't be speaking in the terms she did. Never could Draco find
out that she'd been doing what she did. He could never know about Adrian being
alive or her going to Blaise for shelter.

Amelie didn't even bring Theodore. She came here on her own, all for him.

Snapping his neck, Adrian looked at Blaise, and both of them clenched their
jaws, silently groaning at the act they'd based themselves in.

''We owe them this,'' Blaise rolled his eyes and straightened his shoulders,
proving a point in the corridor. They couldn't be doing this if they weren't on the
same page, ''This is the least we can do.''

''I know it is,'' Adrian swallowed his temper, trying to focus on everything
Theodore had taught him. He stepped past them both, marching to the massive
metal doors. He knew that they couldn't apparate from inside the cellars.

''One of us stays with her at all times,'' Adrian ripped the entrance open, Amelie's
wand still solidly hugged to his fist, ''I don't want her to be left to chance, and if
Malfoy catches her without protection, we're as good as dead.''

''Excuse me—'' Amelie cleared her throat, sounding frankly annoyed with the
two boys making rules above her head, ''I'm capable of taking care of myself—''

''No,'' They both muttered, blankly overlooking her wish to speak and her arms
crossed, her eyes rolled, ''Be happy we're even bringing you.''

''Oh?'' She rose a brow, her steps halted, ''You didn't even want to help me, so I
don't—''

''Don't test me right now,'' Adrian didn't stop as he kept marching, and he spun
around, pressing his spine into yet another door as he shoved it open, rolling his
back off of it, and he looked at her, ''You said I owe you, and I do, so don't test
me, Amelie. I'm doing this for you, not Malfoy.''

Amelie didn't walk after him. She stood secured in the middle of a hallway,
exposed if anyone chose to reveal themselves, and he tipped his head for Blaise
to hold the door open.

With harsh steps as they mirrored along the stone-covered ground, he paused
and now edged a foot away from her. Adrian's eyes bored through hers, rich
shades of verdant differed her blooming bronzed one, and she challenged him in
silence.

''Why do you hate him so much?'' She whispered, her thin voice mused across
the rocks, ''All he did was save me, and I might see why you loathed him before,
but now? I don't understand, after all you went through the past month.''

Adrian towered her, his frame huge compared to hers and her neck arched to see
the eclipsed pupils looking as if they'd blown, ''I don't hate him, but he took
something from me and changed man or not, that isn't something you just let go
of, Amelie.''

''I didn't say you should let it go but considering you hurt me for most of the
years we spent together, I'm here, trying to make it work. Aren't I?'' She
frowned, her fingers twitching.

''Because you need something from me,'' He held the coldest look she'd seen in a
while, ''You're here, trying to make it work because you need me to save him,
and I will. Like I said, I owe you everything — you, Amelie, not him. All he did
to me was locking me up in his basement for months. I don't owe him anything.''

Her breaths trembled off her lips as they parted. She felt her courage as it faded,
''I know he did that, but you tried to hurt me—''

''I know I did, and for that, I am more than wrong. I will pay for what I did to
you. I will never let anyone forgive me for it, but when it comes to him — I
consider myself out of debt for what he put me through. Perhaps he didn't tell
you how he practiced death on me?'' Adrian hovered, his back slightly curved to
match her, ''And I don't blame him for doing what he did. I had it coming, but he
still took you from me, like you were a pawn in some wicked game, and for that
— he'll never be worth saving in my eyes.''

Tears formed, her chest felt heavy. Her throat tightened.

''But you are,'' Adrian continued, lowly, ''You are worth all of it, and that's why
I'm doing this. That's why I'm defying the Dark Lord as we speak, and that's why
I'm going against everything I've ever stood for, because you are worth it,
Amelie.''

Her eyes snapped across him, crowded in a pained dash, ''I love him, Adrian....''
She whispered, not intimidated by his body as it held close to hers, ''I love him
more than anything or anyone.''

''I know you do, and that's more than alright. I don't want you back, Amelie.
Suppose that's what you're thinking. Malfoy keeps you safe, and he makes you
happy. That's all I could ever wish for.''

Her mouth parched at the dry taste, and she looked away.

It ached her heart, hearing him say that. She'd been scared of him for years, and
he'd never wished her any good during their time together, but he did now. His
sight flared at the flames of honesty as he spoke. He didn't lie. Adrian truly
wished her the best even if he didn't care for the blond — he'd save his life if it
meant he would ease hers.

''So, are you going to stand there and fight me on this, or are we saving your
boyfriend, Amelie?''

''Thank you,'' Amelie held so much emotion within, but she couldn't let it out,
not when Draco's life was at stake.

''Never thank me,'' Adrian threw a nod across his shoulder, towards the entrance
Blaise stood glaringly at, ''I never want you to thank me. I owe you my life.''

Rolling his eyes, Blaise cursed annoyingly at them, ''Finally, are we done with
this now? Can we go get Malfoy and hope we never see each other again?''

She marched after them, and they all reached the end of the basement, at the
lower steps of the stairs where the traveling magic was once again allowed.

Adrian snapped his flaming stare between them, and he bowed his head towards
Blaise's wand while handing Amelie hers back, ''Give me your wand.''

Zabini dubiously scowled, ''What? Why—''

''Because she has a habit of sneaking away. I'm not leaving her unprotected if she
does. You're a Death Eater. You have a reason to be there if you get caught.
Amelie doesn't, and they will kill her on sight if she's trapped.''

Amelie gawked, wide-eyed, and she hugged her weapon in between her fingers,
''Blaise, you don't have—''

He wavered for a slight second as he thought about the outcome, quickly

realizing Adrian made a fair point in his demand, and he stretched his hand to
the boy, giving him the wand.

''Azkaban will be crawling of Death Eaters and if one of us gets caught....''

Adrian lowered his voice, looking agonizingly at the girl, ''You know what that
means.''

''I know,'' Amelie whispered, grounding her pained eyes and holding her breath,
''I know the spell.''

Suicide. All three of them would rather face death than being robbed of their
memories to grant Voldemort the win he so wickedly craved.

''We get Malfoy, and we get out, fast.''

Every last of them nodded, agreeing to the spoken words as both Amelie and
Blaise held onto Adrian's arms, and he whispered the magic to take them away.

The wind hauled at her so violently as they appeared on the grounds outside
Azkaban. Sounds of waves slamming against the rocks keeping the prison afloat
tore through her ears.

It was horrific, to say at least as if all happiness had drained from the sphere.
Inky clouds of skulls hovered the skies, and the darkness as it embraced all of
them was suffocating.

She'd heard of it, Azkaban, but never had she seen it with her own eyes, and
right now — she wished she never did.

''Follow me,'' Adrian shouted, over-voicing the swell of water around them, and
he stormed past the gates, not halting until they stood below a line of
symmetrical windows, covered in bars.

He turned in his shoes, and he aimed Blaise's wand at the both of them,
whispering a spell to cover all of their faces with masks. A darkened cloak
clothed her shoulders.
''You can't go around in that dress. They'll take you out immediately,'' He said,
and she could feel the silver smeared to her features as it burnt her skin, ''Now,
stay close to me and keep your heads down.''

Amelie obeyed every bid Adrian made as he fired a spell to one of the windows,
causing the bars to bend aside for them to crawl inside, and they did.

It was even more alarming within the walls of the building.

''Up here,'' He muttered, keeping his neck arched and his head low, ''If someone
—''

Men approached them, Death Eaters walking in a line down the stairs, and
Adrian snatched her wrist, dragging her down the levels instead of up, and
Blaise threw himself down the stairs to go undetected.

Adrian's chest pressed into her spine, shielding her body with his and their
cloaks hid most of their frames, ''Shhhh...'' He whispered against the shell of her
ear as he caught her shudder, ''It's alright, Amelie.''

Blaise stood against the opposite wall, across from theirs, and they sighed out at
the voices fading further away in the corridor.

Taking a minute, Adrian peered around before he pushed himself off her, and he
strode towards the stairs again, marching up to them with tender steps not for the
noise to echo. Reaching the upper floors, guards stood on display. It was heavily
patrolled, and at least a dozen men held ready if an impersonator would show.

Amelie glanced up at the two boys, hunching over the stairs not to be spotted,
and she swallowed thickly. Pushing away the weighted feeling in her chest and
the strain her heart carried. All she wished was for Draco to make it out in one
piece, the rest she could live no matter how it shifted, but leaving this ghastly
place without him, was out of the question.

''I have to take them out,'' Adrian whispered, harshly and it caused Amelie to
clock out of her haunted thoughts, ''Every last one of them. We can't move past
them.''

''Pucey, for fucks sake, that's at least ten of them. There's no way you can—''
Adrian didn't stall. He rose to his feet, and Blaise threw himself at Amelie.
Fending the girl with his own body as screams and shouts along with thuds and
loud slams were heard.

''I'm—'' Amelie shook, her hands grasping at Zabini's shirt, ''I'm—''

''I know,'' Blaise whispered, calmly and he could feel how her skin shivered, her
breaths unsteady, ''It's alright to be scared.''

''Yeah?'' Adrian breathed, his hands placed on his waist as he looked down at the
two tangled bodies, ''There's no way that I can — what, Zabini?''

Blaise's eyes grew at the sight of limbs being spread across the floor and how his
hands were coated in blood. He hauled his mask off, and so did Adrian, ''Fucking
hell, Pucey—''

''Like I said, changed, but God knows that you'll never be able to forget what the
Dark Lord teaches you,'' He dragged the spine of his hand over his jaw, wiping
the blood that had shattered, and he reached a hand out, meaning for Amelie to
take it.

But the girl stood up on her own, feeling Blaise's touch as it rested across her
spine for support. It was intimidating to her, all of this, and she didn't dare to
speak against it.

''Do you—'' Amelie heaved, grabbing the fence next to the stairs, and she let her
mask fall to the ground, ''Do you know where he might be?''

''They bring the dangerous ones higher up. There's a lower chance that they'd
survive a fall if they manage to escape,'' Blaise said, pulling his hand away from
her and marching up to parallel Adrian, ''Murderers are placed up here, while
thieves and rule-breakers are prisoned on the lower floors. It won't do as much
damage if they escape.''

''Isn't Azkaban the place you can't escape from?'' She questioned, raising a brow.
She tried not to look at the bodies covering the floor.

''Don't believe everything you hear, Amelie,'' Adrian pitched his tone, ''Not
everything is as it seems. People have fled this place before.''
''What—'' She frowned, bewilderingly. She sensed as if he knew more about this
than he'd ever told her, ''What are you— you were the one who said that if I ever
came forward of what you did to me, you'd end up here, and I'll never get to see
you again—''

''Malfoy, Amelie,'' Blaise sent Adrian a mean glare, frustrated with his way of
keeping her in the dark, ''He was sentenced here when he was sixteen, and he
escaped. His family needed to side with Voldemort so that the ministry couldn't
send him back. They were already sided with the Death Eaters, but he did
something...horrible, and he was caught.''

Her face fell, her persona diminished.

Draco never told her that. She never saw it in his mind.

''For the love of God, Zabini,'' Adrian huffed, turning around as he walked
towards the door, leading into a different floor, ''There's a bloody reason that I
didn't tell her about that. She doesn't need to know every little detail.''

''He never told me about that,'' She uttered, silently for only Blaise to hear,
''Thank you for telling me.''

His features softened but just enough for her to see it before the troubled look
smeared to him again, ''Don't tell him that you know. He blames himself for
everything following that, every deal he had to make, his father being taken from
their house — everything. He's ashamed, and that's probably why he didn't tell
you, Avery. It has nothing to do with you. Narcissa was getting out of it, and he
messed up. It kept them allied with the Dark Lord.''

She gulped, nodding rapidly as Adrian called out for them, and they walked up,
joining him outside the doors.

He stared at her again, a scared loop twirled his pupils, and he drew a breath,
gathering the strength he knew he'd need. Adrian was indeed surprised with
himself that he managed to fight as he'd done before clearing his mind.

''In here, there will be a lot of soldiers, and we need to be cautious, only Death
Eaters can apparate beyond these walls, so when we get him, we need to get out
here to leave,'' He didn't take his eyes off her until he received the confirmation
of her understanding what he'd told her, ''We need to take Malfoy out here.''
''Here,'' Amelie whispered, reaching her hand in between her and Blaise as she
gave him her wand, ''I'll stick with you, and you probably know how to protect
us better than I do—''

''No chance in hell—'' Adrian tried to snatch the wand out of Zabini's fist to hand
it back to her, but she wouldn't have it that way, and instead, Amelie stretched
for the handles on the doors, and she ripped them open.

''Amelie—''

''Don't—'' She countered, ''You have his wand, and he needs mine more than I
do.''

Anger bolted through the boy as he cocked his head and he strode inside.

What happened after that felt like a nightmare to her. They were ambushed,
almost instantly and spells of deathly magic were fired and shielded from both
sides.

Adrian put up a fair fight. He slaughtered anything that came too close to her,
but that wasn't enough.

They were shorthanded, and with the lack of Adrian's own wand — they barely
stood a chance, and she was exposed, bare to be harmed at any minute.

Walls exploding, along with bricks shredding and fire as it spread, it would soon
be over for the three people that came into this to rescue their friend.

''Amelie—'' Adrian yelled, throwing an icing light her way as he saved her from
being slammed into a wall, ''For fucks sake, we can't be here! We need to leave
—''

''I'm not,'' She coughed out at the dust floating through the air, ''I'm not leaving
without Draco!''

Amelie's voice was hardly heard by the ignition and detonation of spells, scoring
violently around them in the hallway. The Death Eaters didn't second guess it.
They urged to kill all three of them.

''We'll come back for him, but this won't—'' The boy shouted, his magic wasn't
measured, and even if he indeed made men drop numb to the ground, it was too
overwhelming, ''We won't survive this, Amelie. We're bloody doomed—''

Watching a man, his cloak dragged behind him, and he strode past the fray as if
it was nothing. Halting across the corridor, with his mask glued to him, the
darkened fog vividly misted around him, he lifted his wand.

He was pointing it right at her as Amelie began to back away. Her feet stumbling
over the ruins they'd created, and before she knew what was happening — a
frosted, emerald light flung from his wand, and she understood what this meant.

The feeling of time as it slackened, Amelie didn't fight the lethal magic. She
didn't run. She didn't hide. She stayed, not caving in to the fear.

If Amelie's time was up — she'd never show them the fright she truly held. She'd
leave with the grace she ever so carried, and just as it was her time, as she
inhaled, her lashes fluttering shut, she was ready for the light to embrace her.

It was heard as thunder, something heavy crashing over her, and it caused her to
fall to the ground with weight as it pressured upon her. She flayed her lids wide.

Blaise.

It was Blaise.

Her bones crushed the instant she reached the stones below her, and his body
collapsed to her lap.

''No—'' Amelie breathed. Her veins crumbled in panic, ''No, Blaise—''

She knew what it meant. Amelie had seen death so many times before.

Grasping at his hands, she brought both of them up to his chest, holding him
steadily in her lap. Intertwining her fingers with his, ''Blaise, don't you dare,'' She
felt tears rimming in the brim of her eyes, ''No, no, no, you don't get to go yet —
you don't—''

Still holding her fingers around his hands, she pathed one of her palms up to his
cheek. She let her thumb brush along his sharp cheekbone, ''You served your
time, Blaise,'' Amelie was begging him to stay now, pearls of tears rolled from
her skin and landed on his, ''You were supposed to be free—''

Amelie's forehead fell against his, and she banned the world around them.

''Please—'' She sobbed quietly, ''You're too young, Blaise. You can't go, you
can't go yet.''

His eyes hooded, on the tipping point of going completely numb, ''Amelie...'' He
barely heaved anymore, still a twist in the corners of his parted lips arched,
''Bring hell upon them, Amelie. Let them burn.''

And then — then Blaise Zabini was gone.

The boy who'd earned mercy died in her arms. He faded from the world, and he
took a piece of her with him.

She cried, holding onto his body so tightly that her limbs began to turn senseless.
She didn't bother to pay any attention to what happened around her until she felt
two hands gripping her waist and lifting her off the floor.

Adrian was shouting things at her, but she didn't hear a thing. She only heard
that last trembling breath as it fell off Blaise's lips, and it played on repeat in her
head, over and over as the boy carrying her settled her in a corner.

Adrian left her in that corner after ripping her breaking self away from Zabini's
lifeless body. She was surrounded by the sounds of voices and spells being
thrown. She knew she had to fight on her own. Amelie couldn't depend on
Adrian to help her while battling the mass of Death Eaters. Not when Blaise had
faded from this life right in front of her. Giving his life to keep hers intact.

Her eyes pinched shut, tears still soared at her skin, and she banned all the sanity
she carried. Thinking widely, her mind clocked the one thing she could do —
something that would require them to take her to Draco.

Inhaling so sharply that it burnt through her. Every nerve in her body shaking,
she pleaded for the mercy that this would work out. That if she and Malfoy lived
to see another day — he'd forgive her for this.

Looking at the boy, lying dead across the corridor, she dragged her wand out,
freeing herself from the cloak Adrian ruled for her to wear, and she whispered
the magic to hide her weapon in plain sight. Her wand visibly vanished from her
hand, but she still felt it, and she stepped out from the shadows.

''Amelie, don't you fucking dare!'' Adrian shouted from afar, but she shut him
out, ''Amelie, no—''

Amelie's whole self was on display for the guards as they stared right at her. Not
wasting a minute, she fell to her knees, knitting her fingers behind her neck.

She surrendered.

They marched up to her. One of the men gripped her jaw in a rough move,
angling her face towards him, and he studied her for long moments until he
yanked her head back, making her chin drape across her chest.

Amelie kept her head down.

''It's her.''

''Are you sure?''

''Look at her. She's a replica of the mom.''

''It really is her.''

''Does she own a wand?''

''No, she doesn't carry a wand.''

''The Dark Lord will be enjoying this.''

''Take her to the chambers.''

''But Malfoy—''

''It's time for him to pay.''

''Without waiting for the Dark Lord?''

''Yes.''
''She was supposed to be taken untouched and unharmed.''

''I don't care.''

''He'll kill you if he realizes that you harmed her.''

''He doesn't need to know. I want to see the look on Malfoy's smug face when we
kill her.''

Both of the men snatched Amelie by her arms, and they dragged her with them.
Her feet scratching against the stone as they stormed through the hallway. They
reached a room sealed with magic.

The doors squeaked as they opened. She was thrown onto the floor. Her bones
aching, and her limbs were sore from colliding with the rocks.

Amelie crawled away from them, finally daring to look up. The masked men
strode past her, causing her to shift around against the ground, and her breath
hitched.

Her heart stopped.

Draco was sitting in what looked like a cage, standing in the middle of the room.
The glass-coated roof brought the dimmed light from the clouds to gloom right
at him. Chains trapped Malfoy by his throat from all four corners of the squared
hutch.

As the men stood in a far corner of the room, whispering to each other and
glaring at her from time to time — she rose on her feet. Amelie stumbled up the
cage.

Her fingers grasped at the bars, and ice-cold tears spilled down her cheeks as she
whispered, ''Draco—'' Lowly, beneath her breath, ''Draco, please—''

Scars and bruises carved into his pale skin. She could cease from life just by the
look of him. He looked so beaten, tormented.

''Draco, I'm here,'' She whimpered, clawing at the metal, ''It's Amelie, Draco, I'm
here.''
It was her name that caused a reaction from him. A flicker in his closed eyelids
as a faint arch in the corner of his mouth twitched, ''Amelie...'' He whispered,
almost as if he was dreaming, ''My Amelie.''

''Draco,'' She spoke up a bit louder, ''I'm here, Draco, it's me.''

His head snapped unexpectedly at such a movement that it caused the girl to coil
back, but she was quick to stretch closer again, her arm threaded between the
bars, and she tried to touch him.

Malfoy blinked, hauntingly as if a ghost had appeared, and he shook his head,
loosening himself from his tortured mind.

''No—'' He breathed like someone had ripped him apart. No torture could
compare to see her in there without a chance to protect her, ''No, you can't be
here. Amelie, leave—''

''Shhh...'' She gasped, withdrawing her arm and the tears kept leaking, ''It's okay,
Draco. It's okay. I'm here.''

''No—'' He yanked at the chains that tied him down, ''You need to leave, Amelie.
You can't be here. They'll kill you—''

Her heart ached out of the emptiness in his eyes as he realized that there was no
way out for them. He was trapped, and so was she.

''Get out, Amelie. Get out and save yourself now, before it's too late—''

She shook her head. The pearls stained her dress as the cuts and marks from the
fight caused blood to shade upon her, ''You always say that you will find your
way back to me....'' Her voice broke, rips of hurt shredded her soft vocals apart,
''But I will always find my way back to you too.''

He paled, his skin ashen as he felt tears in the corners of his eyes.

He never cried, but he did now with the heartbreaking truth that she'd die in front
of him.

Malfoy always said that. He knew he did, and he ever so believed that he'd be
able to keep that promise. Never did he think he wouldn't, until now.
He had been trying to escape his imprisonment for days, and he'd failed every
time.

Draco gave up. He was determined to face his fate. He was going to die in here
and happily so because she was safe. Amelie wasn't supposed to be here. He had
made sure that she was meant to be safe if he ever faded from this world, and
now she wasn't.

Now she rested on her knees in front of his cage, deemed the same verity he was.

''You need to leave, Amelie. You're not supposed to—''

''I love you.''

That was all she said as she rose from the floor and she backed away.

Amelie couldn't look at him anymore, in case it all went to hell — she couldn't
risk him seeing life as she was drained of it.

The door behind her was slammed open, then shut, and more masked men
entered.

She could hear, as it was from far away, how Draco was shouting at her, how he
was begging her to go and leave him behind. He rattled the chains until blood
gushed from his skin.

But she didn't listen. If he was meant to leave this sphere, so was she. If he left,
she'd leave too, just like he always told her.

Death Eaters gathered around her, and they all aimed their wands in her direction
as one of them stepped forward.

His tone was low and dangerous, ''So the cursed little girl finally came to face
her destiny?'' He darkly spoke, ''That's a shame.''

Amelie didn't answer. She kept her eyes closed and waited for the right moment
to do what she came here to do.

Moments passed. Cruel words and insults were thrown at her.

'Whore.'

Inhaling as properly as she knew how she peeled her lashes wide. She looked
straight at him. Clenching her fist around the wand they couldn't see, and it all
shifted so abruptly for her.

'Worthless.'

Thinking about all the lives the Death Eaters had ruined.

'Disgrace.'

Keeping her brother living in secret, her mother hidden from the world, the
power they held over her father's head, how they caused Draco to void all his
humanity.

How they'd killed her friends in school, they slaughtered teachers, Hermione,
Ron, Harry, and now Blaise.

Everyone was taken from her, and all of it combined caught so much fire to
flourish within her.

She was sane. She was controlled, never had Amelie went too far. She restrained
herself every time. She'd never harm a soul — until now.

Draco was still shouting behind her, crying out plea following plea, but she
couldn't focus. Amelie was so angry, so furious. She refused to be chained
anymore. She wouldn't be bounded, scared into obedience.

Swallowing all the fears she held for this world, she let herself embrace all the
rage as it fumed, and she, with a swift move in front of all the men standing
around her — whispered the magic she needed for her wand to be put on an
array.

Tears still coated her skin, and she rose her wand up in the air. Amelie shouted a
spell to break the glass, allowing oxygen to fill the room and with a beat of her
heavy heart.

Amelie whispered, yet crowded with so much power, ''Incendio.''

Flames spiraled from the tip of her wand, catching onto every wall, every piece
of furniture in the room. Draco stared shockingly at her from his cage as the
deadly firestorm caused the room to blaze.

Death Eaters hazed into mist as they fled the scene. Not even debating the fact
that anyone could survive what she'd done and Amelie threw herself to the
ground, close to the square Malfoy was captive in, ''Turn away,'' She gasped out,
''Turn away from me now, Draco.''

He startlingly blinked, and he did as she said. His spine facing her, and she
muttered, ''Bombarda.''

The first layer of bars shattered to pieces by her magic, and Draco's chains fell to
the ground. Amelie set him free.

''We need to leave—'' Flames sparkled around them, ''Draco—''

He was so weak. He'd been going through hell during the days he'd been locked
up, and his limbs couldn't take it for much longer.

She noticed, and she bent forward, her arms tugging at his as she crossed it over
her shoulder. She helped him with all she had.

Amelie stumbled across the floor with him close to her, trying to use the last of
her strength to get them out of there, but he was so heavy to her. She wasn't
strong enough.

She knew that she had to make it to that door — as Adrian had told her, she
couldn't apparate from within it if she wasn't a Death Eater.

Falling to the ground repeatedly, she managed to get back up, and she pulled
Draco with her.

''Amelie?''

The voice caused her to flinch. She lost hold of Draco as he dropped to the
ground.

It was her mother, standing with a wand pushed into the brim of her neck and a
man having a cruel grip on her, ''Your mother or Malfoy, Avery,'' He spat as the
fire spread, ''You don't have time to save both.''

''I—''

''Stupefy!''

Adrian pushed her aside as he appeared surprisingly from behind her. He aimed
for the Death Eater, but as his magic was thrown, both the man and her mother
vanished out of thin air.

''Amelie—'' He spun around, looking right at her as the flaring flames were
closing in on them, ''What the hell did you do—''

''Draco,'' She was shaking, ''He's hurt—''

''Damn it,'' Adrian growled, and he kneeled, flipping Draco's arm across his
shoulder, just like Amelie had done, and he trembled from being wounded
himself. Never had the boy, even in his most lively dreams, imagined that he'd
save Draco Malfoy from death, ''What about you? Are you hurt?''

Amelie rushed a bit ahead, keeping her wand sharp and alert if there'd be any
more sudden moves from the darkness around them, ''No, I don't think so, but
Draco, he's—''

''I know,'' Adrian grunted, brawling to drag the blond with him down the
hallway, ''He'll be fine. We just need to get him out of here, but what the hell
happened? Did you just set the entire room on bloody fire?''

''I had to. They were going to kill us,'' She shouted through the flashing fire as it
slowly sucked the air out of the corridor, ''I had to save him, Adrian. I had to—''

''Then why didn't you listen to me, why didn't you stay—''

''He always finds his way back to me,'' She coughed at the thick smoke, and it
stung in her eyes, ''I need to do the same.''

Gritting his jaws, they reached the door she'd been focused on. She forced the
doors apart, ''Here, just get him out here, and we can—''

Shouting cut her short, and she shot the fire a feared look, seeing how more
masked men landed in front of it. Amelie knew they weren't going to make it.

If those men came any closer — it would be finished. She couldn't fight more.
She was so tired.

''Fuck,'' The awake boy nervously faltered until he met her gaze. He sighed out.

Adrian Pucey knew what he needed to do.

''Here,'' He nodded towards Draco, and she strode closer, just across the ledge of
the doorway, and he gently slipped the blond's arms from his and over hers,
giving her Malfoy to carry.

''Adrian, what are you—'' Amelie called out for him as he backed away, through
the doors and into the corridor again, ''Adrian, stop!''

''I lied to you,'' He muttered as the voices closed in, ''We're not vowed anymore,
Amelie. When your heart stopped, mine stopped too, but the Dark Lord never
wanted Theodore to know that. He knew that the second my life wasn't of value
to you, he'd stop healing me.''

She frowned, feeling as Draco shifted heavier, ''Adrian, what are you—''

''And I lied too because if Theodore knew that we weren't bounded, he'd never
come back for me, and I was... lonely, Amelie. I was so lonely in there. I needed
him.''

The Death Eaters were so close now, and Adrian smiled. A kind curl arched on
his lips as he nodded comfortably at her.

''I was always meant to die for you,'' He said, as he backed further, ''All because I
love you, Amelie.''

The girl couldn't breathe, stars began to prickle in her eyes, ''Adrian, please.
Don't do this, just come with us—''

He could see how she was stepping forward, settling Malfoy onto the ground,
but he couldn't have that. He couldn't risk her safety to save him.

Amelie spent all their time together, saving him over and over. It was his turn to
save her.

''Go save the world, Amelie,'' Adrian twitched his wrist, making the doors lock
in front of her, and he could only see her through the glass of it now, ''Go save
the world, and let me save you.''

''Please!'' Her palms struck the metal, her nails digging into it. Amelie couldn't
lose one more person, not even a wicked one like Adrian, ''Please, please, don't
do this—''

''Set it on fire, Amelie,''

Her hand covered her mouth as she watched Death Eaters wrestle him to the
floor, flames escalating around them. It all passed so quickly, ''Adrian—'' She
was crying. Her throat tightened, ''Please don't—''

He couldn't risk getting captured. Adrian needed her to kill him.

''Burn it down, Amelie!'' He shouted through the pain of men bringing hell upon
him. Adrian's eyes still hooked in hers through the glass of the door, and he'd
rather die than to see her cry for him.

Never did he deserve her tears.

''Burn it down, Amelie. All of it, burn it to the ground—'' Adrian screamed out as
they tortured him, right there and then, in front of her, ''Now, Amelie!''

''I'm sorry—'' Her body ached. Her verity crumbled. She couldn't do it anymore,
none of it, ''I loved you too, Adrian. I love you.''

Shaking as she nodded quickly, her wand shook so violently in her hand, and she
nearly tripped over Draco, still lying unconscious on the stone when she meant
to back up.

And then — then Amelie did what Adrian Pucey told her to do. She set the
whole of Azkaban on fire.

Amelie burnt every inch of it to the ground. The flames she'd caused unrolled,
and the boy that she once loved so deeply went with it.
''Apparate.''

_____
 Ninety-two

This chapter contains violent acts, abuse, rape, and mention of death. Please
read with caution.

_____

''For all of them.''

_____

''He'll be fine, dear, I promise,'' Narcissa placed a hand on her back, stroking the
spine of it gently, ''He's home now, and that's all that matters.''

Amelie nodded slowly as she peered up at the lady from the edge of the bed, and
she hesitated. Realizing that his mother most likely would hear about the prison
she'd leveled with the ground and put one and one together, yet she wished to
talk to her about it, to be honest, and truthful about what happened.

''I did something,'' Amelie huffed out, silently, ''After I found him, I did
something — I did something horrible, Narcissa and I—''

Tears defined the hem of her lids, ''I hurt people. I hurt—''

''Shhh....'' Narcissa hummed, softly and she sheeted her arms around the girl,
bending down to let Amelie hug her back, ''I read the paper this morning, I
know. I know you did something, but it wasn't horrible, dear. You did what you
had to do to get you both out of there.''

She couldn't keep her courage for much longer. Not one bit of bravery did she
carry at this time, and she caved into Narcissa's arms, ''I'm sorry—''

''Don't be sorry, Amelie...'' The lady comforted her, and she knew how
unfamiliar she was with the behavior she had at the prison. Amelie was
everything but a violent person, ''You would've died in there. My son would've
died. If it weren't for you, doing what you did, you would've burnt with it. I am
so happy that you did what you did and that you made it out of there.''

Her sight floored, her bravery vanished, and that ticking piece of darkness as it
stung in her chest flooded her, ''Not all of us.''

Thinking about the lives she couldn't save, her bones crumbled, ''I saw that lives
were lost, but Amelie—'' Narcissa tilted the girl's head back, stroking her thumb
across Amelie's drained skin, ''With battle comes sacrifice. We never wanted
this. We're the ones trying to stop it—''

Her hooded stare fled to watch the one person who gave her an ounce of peace
as he laid in their bed. Malfoy's chest heaved roughly at the aftermath of her
magic.

''I know...'' She whispered, ''I know you think that, but I don't. I lost people,
Narcissa. People that were important to both Teddy and me... and Draco. I just
—''

''You have a heart of hundreds, you know?'' Narcissa mumbled, stretching her
spine and looking over her son's resting body, ''Every person's actions aren't on
you, Amelie. You can't be responsible for everyone, just like he can't.'' She
nodded towards Draco, ''He carries the conscience of the world and just like you
told him when he needed to hear it — I'm telling you, that you can't save
everyone.''

Reaching forward, Amelie let her fingers stroke across Malfoy's arm, ''Do you
think he'll forgive me?'' She uttered, nearly inaudible and the tears in her eyes let
her be, ''For doing all of this? For creating this mess?''

''I think he'll feel guilty for it. It was his plan, after all, and I think he'll make it
out to be your fault. He doesn't like you putting yourself in harm's way, Amelie
—''

''Then what was I supposed to do? Sit here and wait until they killed him? He
never apologizes for protecting me, no matter how he does it, so why should I?''
Her tone slightly broke at the lump splayed in the back of her throat, ''This isn't
his fault, I know that. I know he just tried to do the right thing, but it was the
wrong way. He shouldn't have gotten himself caught, Narcissa. It's way too
dangerous now.''
''I know, dear,'' His mother whispered, giving her shoulder a light squeeze, ''I
know it wasn't the best call to make, but if he felt the need to do it — then we
need to trust him with it. He's not a fool, Amelie. He has saved all of us multiple
times. Let's not forget that.''

Draco had.

He always rescued them.

''I know,'' Amelie inhaled sharply at Narcissa taking steps back across the floor,
''It's the way it is, I suppose, takes some time to get used to, that's all.''

Narcissa merely hummed, pulling at the curtains coating the massive windows
and hauling them apart, ''Who did you go with?'' She asked, nervously fixing the
drapes.

''I didn't—''

''I know you couldn't find Azkaban on your own, dear. You need a Death Eater's
for that, so tell me, who helped you? I know it wasn't Theodore because he came
down for breakfast unharmed this morning.''

''I—''

''Was it Adrian?''

That caught her off guard, making her cough out awkwardly, and she rose to her
feet, blinking quickly as Narcissa spun around, ''Was it?''

Amelie nodded, remembering what Adrian showed her in that cell — how
Theodore had taken Narcissa there after a meeting, how she'd watched the potion
turn his body back, ''It was.''

''So you're aware of what Theodore had to do?'' She questioned, leaning against
the window sill and crossing her arms, ''That he was forced to save his life?''

''I am.''

A slight sweep of hovering silence struck them, and neither truly knew what to
say as they both watched the boy still lying unconscious on the bed.
''They were in love,'' Amelie's lips barely moved, her fingers shaking, ''Teddy
and Adrian. They fell in love.''

''I had that feeling too,'' Narcissa let a shy yet hurtful smile take over for just a
second, ''If anyone deserves love, it's Theodore.''

''I know he does,'' Amelie couldn't breathe properly, knowing what had happened
the prior night, ''He's always the one loving everyone else, but he never gets it
himself.''

''How does that make you feel?'' The lady tilted her head, her inky eyes leveling
the bronzed ones, ''Adrian hurt you a lot, Amelie, and finding out that your best
friend—''

''I—'' She swallowed a sob, her heart ached so much, ''I haven't had a lot of time
to think about it, but he changed, I think. I like to think that Theodore changed
him for the better. He's the reason Draco and I made it out—''

''Oh dear,'' Narcissa's palms cupped her mouth, shaking her head so that the
mixed curls fell across her shoulders, ''He didn't—''

''He didn't...'' Amelie couldn't keep her eyes open, slipping down to her chair, she
pinched her lashes shut, ''He didn't make it out.''

Looking away, Narcissa felt tears burning in her eyes, ''I know he hurt you, but
the way Theodore talked about him... he changed, didn't he?''

''He changed...'' Amelie let out, lowly, ''He changed, and he didn't deserve this,
Narcissa. Somewhere I think he earned a life with Theodore. God knows Teddy
deserved it with him.''

''You need to tell him,'' She said, her voice rupturing, ''You need to tell Theodore
—''

''I will,'' Amelie bent forward, placing her elbows on her knees, and she dragged
her hands through her hair, ''Is he with Atlas now?''

Narcissa brushed her fingers across her skirt. She exhaled, ''He is, but I can
watch him, and he can come up—''
''No,'' Shaking her head, she forced herself up again, standing close to the bed,
''Would you mind asking him to meet me outside? Down at the treeline? I don't
want to do this in front of Draco. He needs to rest.''

Nodding, Narcissa strode across the room, and she turned in the doorway. Her
face mantled in both sorrow and guilt, ''I am so sorry for your loss, Amelie. This
will be hard on Theodore, but I can't imagine what this must be like for you —
you thought he was dead, and in a few hours, you lost him again. It's not fair. It's
not fair to anyone.''

Amelie smiled tenderly to herself as she arched over Malfoy, ''It's not fair, no...''
She brushed a strand of his blond hair away from his forehead, pushing her lips
against his skin, ''I'll meet him outside.''

Tucking the sheets around him, Amelie heard how Narcissa left the room, and
she lingered with the tips of her fingers across his bare chest — scars of the
brutality he'd been trapped in still showed.

Amelie spent the whole night cleaning him up, wiping every stain of blood,
whispering the magic to heal his wounds.

Draco was home.

They made it out just in time before she burnt Azkaban to ruins, and that was
supposed to be a good thing. She fought. She won. Amelie overruled the
darkness, and she kept them safe.

Yet she wasn't happy. Not one single thing of what she'd done — did she enjoy,
and it ached miserably within that fragile chest of hers.

Her heart felt so heavy, her veins soared in agony, all because she couldn't save
everyone. She made it out, indeed but with less of a soul than she'd walked in
with.

She failed to bring her mother back, the very reason Draco surrendered and got
himself chained in the first place. His plan didn't work. Malfoy's attempt to bring
her mother back winded up in chaos.

She lost Blaise.

She lost Adrian.

Tears rimmed in the brim of her eyes, and her pupils crowded in torture as she
turned the lights off and walked out of their room. Never had Amelie thought
she'd mourn the two boys that left this sphere for her to live freely. They threw
themselves at the feet of the devil for her to remain unharmed.

She didn't understand why.

Not once did it clock her mind why they had done so. She believed that she
wasn't worth it. That so many souls could've flourished if she simply abandoned
hers.

Amelie had seen death. She'd lived through it. Hell, she'd even wished for it at
times but never had she feared it as she did now. If this was all on her — if she
was the one the Dark Lord craved to possess, she'd give herself up in a heartbeat.

She'd happily lose herself to keep everyone else in pieces, even for Blaise and
Adrian. It wasn't a question to her. It wasn't a thing to be debated.

Amelie would sacrifice her life for this madness to cease, and she'd to it with the
most gracious smile. When she killed herself in that haunted house all those
months ago — she thought she'd be at peace. She believed that it would be over
and that she would live with Draco in their own heaven.

But that was far from it, and now she'd never seen a darker side of hell.

Her knees slipped onto the slightly damp grass, and she placed her wand in front
of her. Looking around in the little glade she was seated in. The birds chirped
around her.

It felt strange to her. She watched the little lives as they flew across the crowns
of the trees, how they were so unknowing in everything that was befalling their
world.

Amelie had picked two flowers, two white roses that stung in her hand as she
hugged her fist around them, and she waited for Teddy.

She wanted to meet him in that glade behind their new home. It shone similar to
the one Pansy and Aimee laid buried in back at the manor — how she wished
she could bring their graves to this place, but moving them didn't feel right to
her.

''Amelie—'' Theodore called out for her from behind, making her head snap and
her eyes squint through the brightened sun. His hands gripped him by the knees,
and he bent down from running to her, ''What happened? Where did you go—''

He faltered, freezing ultimately in his doings as he watched her resting body, the
flowers in her hand, ''Amelie?''

''Come here,'' She reached her hand out, waving her fingers for him to sit down
next to her, ''I need to talk to you.''

''Talk to me?'' He frowned, a bothered grimace climbed him, ''You want to talk
to me? On Narcissa, it sounded like a matter of life and death—''

That pained dash in her eyes caused him to hush, and she looked back at the
ground.

''No—'' Theo kneeled next to her, his chest tightened, ''What happened?''

''I need—'' She hushed, gathering what was left of her, ''I need to tell you
something.''

''Is it Malfoy? Do you know—''

''He's safe...'' She whispered, so quietly, ''He's upstairs, he hasn't woken up yet,
but he's safe. We got him out.''

Scowling, he sunk completely down to the grass, looking at her with disbelief
looping in his wide eyes, ''You did what?'' He stuttered, confusingly, ''What do
you mean—''

''I remembered something last night, the diaries,'' She still stared at the ground,
feeling so guilty, ''And when I found it, Draco's part of it, I saw something that
made me think about the masquerade...''

''Amelie, I don't understand—''

''And the person you were talking to.''

Theo's eyes broadened, his throat restrained.

Seeping wind trickled them as the clouds dragged across the strokes of the sun.

''I went to see him,'' She said, her note airy, "Adrian."

''You did what?'' Theodore began to tremble, his fingers nervously tugging at the
grass, ''I don't—''

''He told me everything, Teddy,'' Amelie whispered through a sigh, her lashes
battled the tears she felt coming, ''He showed me everything, and I—''

''Amelie, I don't understand—''

''He told me about Azkaban. He thought the Death Eaters had Draco there, and
they did, so Adrian and Blaise—''

''Blaise?'' Theo's chest began to heave, heavily, his body shifted to face her fully,
''Amelie, hold on a minute, what are you telling me? They kept Draco in
Azkaban?''

Her neck moved, looking up at him, ''They had him locked up in Azkaban, yes.''

Shaking his head, Theodore tried to ease his clouded mind, ''You went to
Azkaban? To get Malfoy? Without me?''

Amelie's heart weighed. Her soul felt thin, as if it left her body.

''Adrian and Blaise took me there, and they found us, it wasn't pretty, Teddy. It
was a fight and Blaise, he—'' She swallowed the sob that kept urging, and she
tore her sight from his, ''I lost him.''

Theodore didn't do anything else than blink. He couldn't possibly understand

what she was telling him.

''A Death Eater was aiming for me, but he—'' She couldn't hold back the tears
any longer, and they began to pour down her skin, ''He died for me. He threw
himself in front of me, and he— he died.''

Closing his eyes, Theodore dragged his knees up to his chest, hugging his arms
around them, just like Amelie was.

''It all went straight to hell after that. I surrendered, thinking I had a chance to get
us all out of there, even if Adrian told me not to, and it didn't work...'' Burying
her head into her folded arms, she cried between the words, ''They took me to
Draco, and he was locked up in a cage, and I waited until all of them were in
there, and then I set fire to it, all of it — I got Draco out, but he was so heavy,
Teddy. I couldn't carry him—''

Theodore's heart broke for her. His heart completely shattered at the thought of
her doing all of the things she said she did. He couldn't begin to understand what
she'd been through.

Wiping the spine of her hand underneath her eyes, she looked out over the thick
crowd of trees around them, and the birds kept singing.

''They had my mother there too, but they took her away the minute Adrian came,
and she disappeared again, Teddy. I couldn't save her—'' She panted as the
remembrance of fire spreading around them haunted her, ''Adrian he helped me,
he carried Draco to the door and then—''

It ripped her to pieces, thinking about it. Knowing that she had to speak the
words and tell her best friend that she didn't save the boy his heart belonged to.

''They tried to stop us, we were getting out of there, but they were too many and
Adrian— he—''

Theo combed his fingers through his hair, tugging it back at the roots, his curls
spilled messily around him, and usually, she'd think about that haircut he so
clearly needed, but she couldn't think of that now — not anymore.

He peered down at the soil, rolling a few straws of grass between his fingers, and
it clocked him, the two white roses resting in front of her on the ground.
Suddenly, Theodore couldn't focus anymore.

There were two roses.

''No—'' He breathed, his bones caving, ''No, Amelie, please — no, no—''

She tried to stay solid. To keep going.

''Adrian didn't let me save him. He refused to come, so he locked the door—''
She cried out, her fingers clawing at her own arms now, ''He didn't want to be
saved—''

Theo gasped for air, covering his face with his palms, ''No, don't tell me. Don't
tell me. I don't—''

''He told me to burn it down, all of it. He—''

He forced himself off the ground, tears rolling down his chin, and he paced back
and forth. Trying to stay sane, attempting not to lose all of himself in the missing
of Adrian.

''I thought we were vowed. He told you we were vowed, but he lied, Teddy. He
lied because he was in love with you. He didn't want you to leave him—''

Flinching back, Amelie shook at the boy as he screamed out. Theodore fell to his
knees behind her, and he shouted so loudly that it broke her.

''I'm sorry,'' She whispered, crawling across the grass, and she sheeted her arms
around him, ''I'm so sorry, Teddy. We tried — I tried to save him, but he didn't
want to—''

His body violently shaking as he brought her onto his lap, making her straddle
him. He hugged her, hiding his head in her shoulder, and he cried. For long,
heavy moments, Teddy cried and cried.

''I'm sorry,'' Amelie took his jaw in her palm, leaning forward as she kissed the
tender skin underneath his eyes, across his forehead, ''I'm so sorry, Teddy. I'm
—''

Gripping his curls in between her fingers, she kept him steady, and she tried,
with everything she had, not to let him fade from her.

Teddy was always, even before Malfoy blessed their lives, the one person who
kept her sane. He ever so made sure she had two feet on earth and that she didn't
vanish into oblivion.

''No—'' He sobbed, his body sinking into hers, ''You shouldn't be sorry — I
should. I lied—''
''You did what you had to do, Teddy...'' She mumbled, ''You were saving us, all
of us, even Adrian.''

Breathing her in, Theodore wailed. His insides wrenched and writhed as she
hugged him. Amelie held him, guarded him and that bright heart he owned.

''Thank you—'' Theo whimpered, attempting to calm himself, ''Thank you for
understanding me. Thank you for not hating me. I—''

He dragged for air, ''I was so scared, Amelie. All the time. I'm so scared all the
damn time, for you, for Draco, Atlas, my father, Narcissa — I was so scared
you'd hate me. That you'd leave me for what I've done.''

''No—'' Amelie choked on her tears, her throat restricted. She didn't grasp how
he could ever think that she was capable of loathing him. ''Thank you, Teddy.''

Furrowing his brows, he slightly scowled at her, puzzled out of his mind, ''I lied
to you, Amelie. I fell in love with—''

''You fell in love with the same beautiful boy I once did, Teddy...'' She looked so
softly at him, her eyes honoring the boy she was seated on, ''You always asked
me how I could love him, why I loved someone like him when all he did was
hurting me, and now you know — now you got to see that kind heart he owned
before his father ripped it out.''

She took a breath, deeply as daggers split through her lungs, ''He was horrible,
Teddy. Adrian manipulated me. He made me think that I wasn't worthy, and he
hurt me in so many ways, and for that — for that, he will never be forgiven, but
he wasn't all bad before he turned vile. He was one of the most beautiful people I
have ever known. He was mesmerizing, kind, gentle, and I am so happy you got
to see that. I'm so thankful you brought that boy back to me.''

His tears looked so heavy to her.

''I should hate him, right? I should've hated him?'' Amelie smiled bravely, ''He
hurt me so much, and I should hate him for that.''

''Don't you?'' He uttered, tightening his grip of her waist, and he brought her
closer, ''I didn't think you were capable of hate, but I always thought you hated
him.''
Amelie's forehead tipped to his. She kept him so near, ''I wanted to, and
sometimes I think I did... but I don't. I don't hate him. I hate what he did,
everything he ever did to hurt people, but I didn't hate him. I know it sounds
crazy that I'm crazy for thinking this. I wouldn't have met Draco, and I wouldn't
be able to love him if it wasn't for Adrian.''

Amelie smiled, a beautiful curl arched on her lips, ''Everything happens for a
reason, doesn't it? Sometimes I'd like to think that Adrian was my reason. I'm not
excusing anything he did. What he did was horrible — it was wrong, Teddy. He
was always going to pay for what he caused, and he did. He died for me, for
Draco — for you. He died so that we can keep living, so we can save the people
around us like he failed to do.''

''I'm sorry,'' Theodore drained her of all the comfort he could, ''I'm sorry for
everything he did, for everything I've done. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you — I'm
sorry I lied.''

''I'm happy you kept it from me, Teddy. I'm happy you didn't tell me because that
gave you time with him. I am so happy you changed him and that he became the
person I used to love. You deserved to see him like that — you deserved to
know him without all his demons.''

She was, Amelie was grateful that Theodore had a chance to see the light in
Adrian, to see what she fought so hard to hold onto.

''I'm happy that he had you, that you were the one to save him. I always thought
I'd save him, and I thought I did when I drove that knife into my chest...'' She
stroked the skin of his chin with her thumbs, ''I thought I saved him, and I
thought I saved myself, but in the end — in the end, it was all you. You always
save us, Teddy. Good or bad, you always save us, and I'm so thankful for that.''

''Thank you for loving him,'' Her heartbeat in bearing with his, ''I think he needed
that. I think he needed you, and I think you needed him too...''

Theodore kissed her forehead, settling his lips against her skin, ''I love you,
Amelie. I love you so much.''

Sealing her eyes, she melted into her best friend, hugging him with everything
she owned, ''And I love you. Forever, Teddy. No matter what happens, no matter
what you do — I'll always love you. We all will, and we don't say it enough. We
don't see what you do in all of this, and for that — for that, I am so sorry. I am
sorry that you're not seen for what you do.''

He cried out again, and he let go of everything he'd kept inside for so long.

Theodore Nott fell in love, over and over with all the people he ever so saved,
every soul he shielded, he felt for. He never believed he was worthy of love, like
the love Draco held for Amelie or the love Adrian wished he had for his best
friend. He never thought he was worthy of the love he'd read in his favorite
novel — that love he thirsted for, the love he constantly poured upon everyone
in his life, but this was different.

Adrian Pucey was different to him. He fell so heavily in love with a boy he
didn't see. He didn't know — who later turned out to be the person at fault for all
of this. Teddy fell in love with the kindness of his soul and that beautiful, drawn
mind he carried. Even if it was short, even if it didn't last long — he did.
Theodore Nott loved Adrian Pucey.

And now — now he'd never get to see him again.

He'd never get to hold his body close to his as they fell asleep, and he'd never get
to embrace the damned lips he ached to kiss.

Now he was banned and alone again, all because he died.

Adrian finally earned a rightful place upon this earth. He redeemed himself, and
he did so by dying for the girl and her life he'd wounded so terribly.

He destroyed Amelie. He took every last piece of her without remorse, and he
gave it back by paying the highest price, and for that — they'd always be
grateful.

''I can't believe he's gone...'' Theo finally spoke after minutes in silence, ''I never
thought I'd miss him, you know? I never thought he would matter so much to
me...''

''Adrian had a habit of doing so,'' She weakly chuckled, ''He had this charisma of
making you dependent on his heart, even before his father destroyed him.''

''I'll miss him if that's alright with you?'' Their eyes met, and the storm within his
pupils rose, ''I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Amelie. I don't want you
to feel like I took—''

''I have Draco,'' The girl smiled, kindly and her mind fled to the boy resting in
their bed and how she longed to go back to him, nestling up next to him and
drown in all his warmth, ''I have Draco, and I will never want anyone else than
him. I loved Adrian, I did, but I love Draco more than I'd ever loved anyone in
that way, so don't ever feel insecure about Adrian. He wasn't mine. Draco is.''
Amelie nodded as Theodore smiled.

She reached for her wand, picking it up and twisting it with her wrist. The tiny
birds Theodore cherished appeared around them. A light so cold and glazed yet
so warm and loving swirled across the little glade they rested in.

''Only four?'' The brunet lifted a brow, slightly scowling at the animals, ''Weren't
there five of them last time?''

''I know,'' She let a bewildered grimace scale across her features, ''It was six
when I got it, and then there were five and now... now there's four. I don't know
why. Perhaps it's... people I lose?''

''I don't think so,'' Theodore mused, sounding a bit troubled, ''In that case, it
would've been two left — if you think about it, I mean. Hermione, Pansy,
Aimee, and Adrian.''

Amelie lightly winced. Her blood felt like it shifted into ice by the spoken name
— she let Hermione's death slip through her fingers. She was informed about it
when her mind was struggling with everything else, and it caused tears to edge
in her lids again.

''No—'' Theodore breathed, ''I thought you knew—''

''I do,'' She shook her head, swallowing the guilt as it trapped her, ''I do... I just
had so much to think about so I didn't—'' Inhaling a breath laced with all the
emotions she'd put aside for Draco to come back, she exhaled every last piece of
it, ''I think we should put up a grave next to Pansy and Aimee.''

Theo hummed, tipping his head as a bow fell off of it, ''That's a great idea. I
think she would've wanted that.''
"In that way, they'll always be together."

The sun began to lower around them, and the warm breeze shifted cooly,
goosebumps pathed across her skin.

''I want to say goodnight to Atlas. He must be furious with me,'' She looked
around, noticing the darkness falling in between the trees, ''He slept in our bed
last night, but then I left, so I have to—''

''I'll join you,'' Theo said as Amelie stood up, her hand stretched to help him off
the ground, ''I could use some of his bear hugs right now.''

A chuckle fled her throat, and she intertwined their fingers, tangling their arms
as he brought her body close to his, ''We'll make it out, Amelie. Just like we
always said we would. We'll win this, and we'll do it for them — for Pansy,
Aimee, Hermione, Blaise, Adrian, all of them.''

Suddenly, it didn't feel as heavy anymore. She watched as her birds faded into
the gloom, her magic dimmed.

''For all of them.''

_____

Amelie kissed Atlas goodnight, and she fought him on the matter that he wished
to sleep in their bed again. He truly liked it in her room — he said it felt safe in
there with her when their mother was still in the wind.

It hurt her, listening to him when he talked about Athena, knowing she wasn't
there. Remembering that worn look in her eyes as she stood in flames she'd
caused, held hostage by the Death Eaters, and she damned herself for not being
able to save her.

But she saved Draco, all of them saved him, and she promised herself that when
he woke up — she wouldn't sleep until she returned Athena to Atlas.

She turned the lights off in the bathroom, and she gently crossed the floor over to
their bed, slipping beneath the covers next to Draco as he still rested.

Malfoy had yet failed to wake up, but she knew he'd do so any minute now. He
just needed to sleep.

He'd been bending himself inside out to protect everyone — he even went
behind her back to be taken and hurt in order to locate her mother. If anyone
deserved a peaceful moment within the chaos, it was him.

Her Draco.

''I love you,'' Amelie whispered, threading his numb arm across her shoulder,
keeping him as close as she could and just as she settled in, her head on his chest
— voiding him of all the welfare he always managed to drown her in, his body
moved.

She coiled back at that, propping herself up on one elbow, looking down at him
wide-eyed.

''Amelie?'' Draco groaned, tracing his knuckles up to his face, and he rubbed his
eyes, ''Amelie—''

His chest began to rise and fall roughly, nearly as if he didn't remember them
arriving at the manor. He flew up, sitting straight next to her.

''Draco,'' She gasped, crawling across the covers and bringing herself upon his
lap, holding him steady, ''I'm here, Draco. You're okay. You're okay here...''

Malfoy blinked so quickly, his eyes snapping across the room, and it felt like
something flipped within him — even Amelie could feel it.

Leaning back, her gaze scanned his, ''Draco?'' She frowned, knitting her brows,
''What's wrong—''

''Are we alone?'' He asked blankly. All emotion faded from his face.

''What—''

In a swift move, he pushed her down into the mattress, towering her as she felt
her veins shift into ice.

Something wasn't right.

''Are we alone?'' He questioned her again, harshly, this time through gritted teeth
as she tried to yank out of his hold.

Draco's touch began to hurt.

''Let go of me—''

''Are we alone?''

''Draco, let me go—''

His hand grabbing her by her throat, and without cause, he hauled her body up
with his. Standing plainly on the side of the bed, ''I'll ask you one more time,
Avery. Are we alone?''

Malfoy's hand tensed around her skin, digging his fingers into it.

She couldn't breathe.

''Please—'' Amelie begged, running out of air, ''Draco, what—''

''Are we fucking alone?'' He yelled, inches away from her face. Anger dashed in
his darkened eyes. ''Answer me, or we'll do this the hard way.''

Her nails clawed at his arms, trying to twist away from him, but she didn't stand
a chance.

He was too strong.

''Yes!'' She whimpered, her lips shaded in a blue color. Her chest strained,
''Please—''

''Fucking witch!'' He growled, shouting at her now, and without reason, he threw
her to the floor.

Amelie was coughing out of control in the dimmed room. His violent acts
clouded her mind, but she couldn't form a thought before she heard his grunting.

Draco stormed towards her, gripping a fist full of her hair, and he pulled her up.
Her toes barely touched the ground, and she was thrown into a wall.
Colliding roughly with the wood, Amelie slid down it, but he was quick to drag
her back up, pinning her aching body against it.

''Draco, stop!'' She screamed, feeling his hand as it wrapped around her throat
again. Her eyes leveling his, ''Draco, please — what are you—''

Amelie sought to think, to fully understand what was happening.

It couldn't be polyjuice. The healing magic she performed would've given it up.
It couldn't possibly be anyone else. This had to be Draco.

''Don't fucking speak,'' He spat, gripping her jaw and forcing her back to the
ground. Crawling away from him, she felt as if her heart was being ripped out,
not understanding anything.

''Draco, stop! I don't want to do this—''

He yanked her up before throwing her into the bathroom, her body colliding with
the mirror inside it, causing the glass to shatter around her. The sound of it
echoed, her skin bruised and bled.

''Please, stop!'' Amelie was pleading for her life now as he marched up to the
bathtub, turning the water on, ''Please, Draco. It's me. It's Amelie—''

''Shut up!'' Malfoy screamed, making her flinch, and she studied his exposed
back. His muscles flexed by the heavy breathing, his scars shaded in light pink.
Every mark she'd ever seen was still on his body. Amelie pinched her own arm
over and over as her body trembled, pieces of glass tore through her palms.

''Please, Draco—'' The girl cried out, weakly, ''What are you—''

He merely shook his head at her, not even sparing her a glare. She let her sight
flicker to their room. If she hurried, if she jumped off the floor, and if she ran
fast enough, she'd make it to the door. She could call for help.

Amelie decided to make a run for it. Her body struggling to flee, her feet
stinging by the shattered mirror, but he caught her in the doorway, ''Don't you
fucking run away from me!'' He shouted, and with his hand tangled into her hair,
he tugged her with him to the tub.
Amelie realized what he meant to do. He was going to drown her, and she
fought.

''Please!'' Her breath held so thin from him strangling her only minutes before,
''Draco! Please, stop!''

''I don't want to do this!''

''Draco, please—''

She screamed. She kicked. She shoved at him, but the blond didn't budge, and he
forced her upper body across the edge before he pushed her head into the
flaming water.

It filled her lungs, her skin burnt at the heat of it, but she couldn't do a thing.

He was so much solid than she ever would be, and she felt as if she was
suffocating. She tried again. Tossing and turning, fighting for her life but
nothing. His fingers around her neck kept her in place, and her chest filled with
water. Just as her eyes rolled back, water splashing wildly around them —
voices scored, the muffled sounds of it split through her ears.

''Amelie—''

She was yanked out of the bathtub by her shoulders. Someone wrapped their
arms around her, pulling her down onto the tile floor.

Amelie shook. Her entire body trembled and was crowded in pain.

Her sight managed to flicker for so a second, and she watched how Theodore
furiously dragged Draco out of the room.

And the next thing Amelie knew — everything turned dark.

_____
 Ninety-three

This chapter contains mentions of blood, violence, emotional trauma, and

other upsetting themes. Please read with caution.

_____

''You never loved me, did you?''

_____

Amelie woke up with a strident gasp.

Her body jolted and writhed off the mattress in the belief she'd still be in danger.
All she managed to remember was Draco's hand — his fist curled around her
neck as he held her head below the piping hot water, how he tried to drown her
in their own bathtub.

Tears instantly pearled in the brim of her eyes at the portrayal of Malfoy's
treachery. He hurt her.

Draco Malfoy was the one person whose touch never bothered her. He could
always embrace her, stroke his thumb across her cheek, hold her hand, wrap his
arms around her. Not even that one time in Dublin where he almost suffocated
her — hurt her, but this did.

Amelie was scared of what he did. She didn't think she was capable of ever
being scared of something Draco put her through, but this claimed the price.
Terrified beyond reason, she grasped at the covers around her, her fingers
digging into the silk.

Feeling as a body weighted next to her, someone settling upon her mattress as
the fabric sunk, ''Shhh...'' Theodore mumbled, crawling up over the sheets, ''It's
just me, it's just—''

Amelie yet inched away. Frightened for the touch of another, not truly
comprehending that Theo was the one next to her, and it took the girl minutes
until she was capable of calming down.

''I'm—'' She whispered, shaking her head with tears rolling across her chin, ''I'm
sorry, I just—''

It was so hard to speak. Her throat strained as every vocal ripped through her
lungs.

''Shhh...'' Theodore kneeled over the bed, his arms faltered a bit in the air,
bowing his head hesitantly, ''May I?''

With a rapid tip of her own head, Amelie nodded, and her hands reached
between them, welcoming Teddy to comfort her, to bury herself in his ease and
sympathy.

''Teddy—'' She shook, all of her, violently shattered in the arms of her best
friend, but he didn't allow her to speak. Theo simply pushed his hand into her
head, and he let her forehead lean to his shoulder.

They stayed like that, in silence for moments.

Amelie tried to breathe. She tried to remain calm, not to let the things Draco did
to her — drown her from within all over again.

''What happened?'' Her voice was barely heard, her limbs aching, ''What
happened to him?''

A puzzled scowl mounted her friend, slightly shifting her around in his arms,
and he looked at her with such skepticism, ''Amelie, what— he just tried to kill
you? He attacked you, and he tried to kill you, and you want to know what
happened to him—''

Shaking his head woefully, Theo stared away. Not for a second could he wrap
his head around why she'd be concerned with Malfoy when he was the reason
she was injured.

Theodore loved Draco, he adored the blond boy and every piece of heaven he
brought Amelie, but he couldn't accept what had happened.
He couldn't get the feeling of Amelie's body, drenched in heated water, her skin
nearly fuming out of the warmth. Her breaths weren't there. All she managed to
choke up was the same water he tried to drown her in.

It haunted Theo. It was one of the worse things he'd ever had to live through
because he knew how much Draco truly loved Amelie, and a betrayal similar to
this one — was unforgivable.

''Don't say that,'' She weakly coughed, ''Don't speak like he's some mental...'' Her
voice lowered, her throat strained, ''Something happened to him, something must
have happened to him because he would never do this to me. You know that.''

''He did,'' Feeling as she slipped from his arms, Amelie kneeled back on the
mattress, ''He did do this to you. He's not the one who dragged you out of that
bloody water, Amelie. I did. I was the one pushing my hands into your chest for
you to keep breathing, while Narcissa had to curse him. He was mental, Amelie.
I have never seen anyone act like that before—''

''He didn't do this,'' Amelie stood up on the floor, her knees frail. Her voice
shook, ''Don't blame him, Teddy. Don't speak about him like that when you don't
know if it's him—''

''It's him, Amelie,'' Theo rested on the bed as she stepped up to the mirror, her
eyes closing before she had any chance to see herself, ''It's him. It's Draco. I have
searched his head, I tried to drain him of magic, but there isn't a trail of magic
upon him. It's not polyjuice, and it's not a trance. This is Draco.''

''It's not...'' It was a whisper that left her lips, holding on to every ounce of hope
she carried for Malfoy, wishing that this was a cruel joke, something that wasn't
real, ''It can't be him, Teddy. I can't—''

Still with her lids sealed, she stood in front of her own reflection. Amelie refused
to open her eyes and see the marks he'd caused her.

Theodore watched with a heavy heart as her skin vibrated, her frame wavering at
what she wanted to do. He forced himself off the bed, taking long strides up to
her, and he placed his hands on her shoulders unhesitatingly.

Swallowing the pain in his throat, he gazed across her bare body. She was
standing in nothing but her bra and underwear — that wasn't what troubled him,
but the purple shade her skin had veered into. Brutal marks covered her arms
from Malfoy's fingers. Her throat was bruised beyond explanation.

''Amelie, I can take all of that away. You weren't completely healed before, but
you are now. I can make all the marks go away. You shouldn't have to see—''
Theo sought to speak, but she drew a breath at his words, and it made him quiet
down.

''I want to see them—'' She said, and she allowed her lashes to unroll, her sight
mangled to the wall above the mirror at first, still dubious, ''I want to see—''

''You don't have to like you said — this isn't Draco. It can't be, so why look at
something he didn't—''

A gasp, a silent heart-wrenching gasp fled her lips as the lower one quivered.
Slowly beginning to shake her head, tears leaked from the brim of her eyes.

''Amelie—'' Theodore whispered lowly. Letting his fingers brush down the
length of her arms, pushing his lips into the back of her head, ''Let me take them
away. Let me take them away from you and let me help you sleep.''

''No...'' She looked blankly at the bruises in her skin, where he'd pained her
enough that the veins filled with blood flooding through her ruptured and her
skin caved, ''I don't want to sleep, Teddy. I want to see him.''

''Amelie—''

She didn't listen. Striding up to the armchair, she grasped at the robe, her robe.
The night robe Draco kept safe for her and the robe he used to sleep with when
she wasn't there, only to feel her scent.

Knitting it around her waist, she peered up at her best friend, ''Take me to him,
please? You're keeping him somewhere in here? Don't you?''

''Amelie—''

''I deserve to see him,'' She mused, her eyes narrowed, and the stubborn loops in
them wouldn't give in. Theodore knew that, ''It wasn't him, Teddy. It can't be
him. I refuse—''
''I don't want you to see him before I know what's happening to him. I don't want
you anywhere near Malfoy until I see for myself what went wrong. I tried to, but
he's strong, Amelie. He's too strong and with just me there — he shut me out.''
Theodore's voice laced in heartbreak, ''He's... I don't know how he can be this
strong. It doesn't make any sense.''

Theo had been trying to figure out what magic Draco was trapped underneath in
order to act in the way he was. He cleansed the boy of magic. Still, nothing was
put on a show. For the first time, in what felt like a lifetime — Theodore couldn't
fix it.

''Then take me to him,'' Amelie begged, her fingers grasping at his arms, clinging
onto her best friend, ''Take me to him and let me help. Maybe he's not like that
with me? Perhaps I can distract him, and you can—''

''I don't want you to hurt, Amelie. He's not...'' Theo swallowed the doubt, scared
and frightened of what he'd seen of Draco, ''He's not in his right mind. I don't
think you'll—''

''Let me see him,'' Amelie didn't stall it. She didn't want to wait, ''I need to see
him.''

It was with a groan and his head thrown back. He studied the girl. Scanning her
features along with her damaged throat, he nodded.

Leading her through the hall, down the stairs, all the way to the basement, he
huffed, and he turned around, facing her in the gloom, ''I had to take him down
here. Narcissa didn't want Atlas running around and finding him.''

Her eyes flickered, feared and not at all prepared for what she'd be walking in
on, ''Is he—''

''I tied him up. He's in a chair with magic surrounding him. I couldn't risk—'' He
sounded so beaten, so weighted of the fact that Draco was doing this, ''He can't
be let out, Amelie. You need to promise me that. I've seen what the Dark Lord
does to people and what they become. I healed Adrian from it, and it's not
pretty.''

Her shoulders sank, her skin paled, and she winced by the damp, chilly air, ''I
know—'' Nearly choking on her own saliva, she tugged at the material of her
robe, wrapping it tightly around herself, ''I wouldn't do that. I would never risk
Atlas.''

''And you need to distract him,'' Theo continued, heard as severe, ''You need to
keep him talking, and you need to keep him focused on you so I can get into his
head.''

Amelie's feet soared against the stone-covered floor, scraping at the pads of it,
''I'll try.'' Her vocals trembled off her tongue.

Still, the boy hesitated for a mere minute, looking at her suspiciously before he
aimed at the metal door, twitching his wand to make the metallic open itself.

''Malfoy,'' Theo said as he marched through the door, shooting a spell towards
the lamp, and the light dimmed, ''I brought someone.''

''Yeah?''

That sent shivers down her spine, almost stabbing their way across her skin. It
was his voice. It was Draco's voice indeed, but it shredded with so much malice
that it nearly caused her to believe it was someone else.

''I don't want to see her. It's her you're talking about, right?'' Draco spat as
Amelie stayed hidden behind the wall, not showing herself quite yet, ''I can feel
her fucking perfume, and I don't want her here.''

''It's not up to you, is it?'' Theo countered, annoyingly with Malfoy's lack of
respect, ''You lost any say you had when you did what you did last night.''

A dark chuckle left the blond's throat, clearing it provokingly, ''You mean what I
should've done a year ago? Saved all of us from that pathetic excuse of a witch
and everything she's done to fuck up our lives—''

''Shut that foul mouth of yours right now, Draco. The only pathetic one here, is
you,'' Theo couldn't restrain himself when Malfoy was speaking with this much
inhumanity, ''Betraying her like that makes you nothing but a sad — sad excuse
of a—''

''Does it?'' He spat angrily now, ''If it weren't for her and her family, we all
would be safe. You wouldn't have left your father behind, and I didn't have to
give my whole damn life up for her—''

Amelie stepped into the room. Her arms hanging at her sides, eyes broad in tears
at the look of him. His shirt was ripped apart, his hair tousled, and his skin dirty
with dust. Theodore had chained him to a chair in the middle of the room. His
wrists and ankles were tied down.

''There she is,'' Draco spoke, tipping his head to the side as he smirked, evilly, ''I
was just telling Nott over here how much of a disappointment you are, Avery.''

Numb, that's how she'd explain the feeling.

His damned eyes finally caught hers, and there wasn't a string of warmth left
within him, she could tell. She'd seen everything Draco Malfoy had to offer.
Every vicious act, every word of love, but this — this was something else.

''What happened to you?'' Amelie said, bluntly not paying an ounce of attention
to his insult.

''Fuck off.''

''What happened to you?'' She asked again, taking one step across the floor. His
eyes swept across her, taking in every inch of the girl.

''Go to hell.''

She was closing in on him, feet away, ''What happened to you, Draco?''

Theodore took the opportunity as he quietly stepped behind the chair, raising his
wand, and began to work.

''What are you even doing here, Avery? I thought I got rid of you, or at least I
hoped—''

''What happened to you?'' Enchanting every word now, she put pressure upon her
voice, doing all she could not let him see how scared she was.

''Leave—''

''What happened to you?''

''I told you to—''

''What happened to you?''

''Fucking leave—''

''What happened—''

''You!''

It hewed her off.

Draco took a breath, a deep one as he fixed his sight on her, ''You happened to
me. When are you going to get that through your fucking head? You happened
to me, Avery. It's all you, always you. Every damn thing that went wrong in my
life — is because of you.''

Her jaws clenched, her lashes battled.

''Hard to hear, right? Tough fucking luck. This is your fault. I had a life before
you. I had a family. I had fucking friends, and then you just had to—'' He was
yanking at the chains, trying to break loose, ''You had to take everything from
me.''

Theo looked at her with eyes crowded in tears, but he couldn't stop. He had to
keep searching.

''I'm sorry,'' Amelie let out, silently, ''I'm sorry you feel that way.''

Malfoy's chest was heaving violently, ''I don't want your fucking apologies. I
want you to die. I want you to die, and I want that annoying kid upstairs to go
with you.''

It hurt her more than he would ever know.

''You love me,'' Her fingers twitched against her palms, ''You love me.''

''I fooled you,'' He shook his head, blond wet strands swayed to the side, ''I got
into that sick head of yours, and I used you. Just like I said all those months ago,
but you never let go, did you? You just had to become obsessed with me, and I
figured I'd play along for a bit. I had to try and get Pucey's girl, right?''

''You're lying,'' Her note thin, her breaths shaking, ''I know you're lying.''

''I fucked you, didn't I?'' Draco laughed out, ''I got exactly what I wanted and
now — I'm done with you.''

It wasn't true. She tried to reassure herself, over and over. It wasn't him talking.
It wasn't him. It wasn't him. It wasn't him.

But at the same time — she'd heard this. The constant urge to make her feel tiny,
to make her feel small and worthless.

It was as if she was trapped in a state of deja vu. She'd seen this before — this
was what Adrian had shown her, what her own father attempted to make of her.

Draco had been tortured into a weapon. He'd been tormented into believing she
was the danger and that she was at fault.

A wash of relief tore through her like a tidal wave because this wasn't her Draco.
He hadn't lied to her. He didn't fool her — they played him. The Death Eaters
took their opportunity when he was captured to change him without magic, to
make it impossible for them to break him out of it.

Her Draco was still in there, somewhere, and she needed Teddy to continue his
search of Malfoy's head, so she did what she had to do.

Amelie stayed silent. Her limbs aching.

''I'm yours, and you're mine? Or what is it that you keep telling yourself? Let me
break it to you, Avery — I'm not yours. I never was. All I did was making you
love me. I saved you, right? That's why you're so attached because I took all the
evil away, but let's be honest, shall we?''

Draco was speaking so lowly that it shook her, her lips pushed together to keep
her breathing steady.

Narrowing his eyes in hers, tauntingly, he spat, ''I am the evil, Avery. I am all
your demons, and I am your devil. You worried so much about freeing yourself
from Pucey that you didn't realize that I took you instead.''
Tears quietly rolled from her wide eyes.

''You think you're free now, right? That you are your own person? But you're
wrong. You went from being brainwashed by one person to another, and that's
your damn fault.''

She began to step away, to space herself from the cruelty he kept pouring over
her.

''Everything is your fucking fault. If you just died that damn night like you were
supposed to — we all would've been happy. We would've been free, but of
course, you came back, like a gum stuck underneath a shoe. You crawl your
pathetic way back into my life every bloody time.''

Standing in the doorway now, her head shook as he hauled at the chains keeping
him tamed, ''I see why your father hated you. I can fucking tell why Pucey beat
the life out of you every chance he got because who the fuck could stand you?
You're a bloody disease. Everything around you crumbles and dies.''

Her arms falling to her sides, looking defeated.

''If you think Pucey was something — you haven't seen evil, Avery. I saved you
from him, but only to be able to kill you myself, so slowly that you barely
noticed it, right? You didn't see what I was doing to you all that time, making
you so dependent that you can't live without me,'' Gripping the armrests of his
chair, he jerked forward, ''But guess what? I don't want you. Perhaps I did once
before you took everything from me, but you're fooling yourself if you ever
think that I loved you.''

Not a single emotion showed upon her as she let out a trembling breath. Draco
glared at her, devilishly, and just as his lips parted to keep offending her — her
sight ripped from his, and she shot Theodore a pained stare, ''Did you get it?''

Nodding, the brunet stepped around the chair, halting right in front of Draco, ''I
did.''

Malfoy scowled, furrowing his brows, ''What the—''

''Thank you for giving us what we needed, Draco,'' Amelie wiped the tears off
her skin, courageously shooting him a forced smile, and then she walked out.
Her spine collided with the nearest wall, and she slipped down it. Her knees
hugged to her chest as she buried her head into her arms.

She tried to stay unbothered in there. Amelie did everything she could not to
break at the words he was spitting at her and convince herself that this wasn't
Draco.

But the very second she stepped outside that door — she shattered. Sobbing
inaudibly into her own touch, she caved.

This wasn't her Draco. She knew that. Yet, it hurt her more than words could
ever come to explain.

''Love...'' Theodore mumbled, shutting the door with a loud thud before he
slipped onto the floor next to her. His arms sheeting her shoulders, and he pulled
her closer, ''It's not him. You know that. I saw—''

''I know what you saw...'' She huffed out a sob, shaking her head and burying her
whole self his hold, ''I saw it too.''

''Torture...'' Teddy admitted, dragging her up on his lap, ''This is worse than I
thought it would be. I hoped it would be a curse or something I could fix, but
this—'' His eyes dashed in agony, his note cracked, ''I don't know if I can fix this,
Amelie.''

It caused her tears to leak even more than they did before. Her skin burnt, ''We
need to fix this, Teddy,'' She shuddered in his lap, weak and confused, ''I don't
know how, but we need to fix this. He's—''

''I know, love,'' Pushing his lips into her forehead, he nodded, ''I know, and we
will fix it. We can study, find articles and books about it, and we can research.
There's hope to be found, Amelie. We just need to—''

''Find it,'' Finally looking up from her hiding, she forced the frailest of smiles,
''We need to find it.''

''He's still here, alright? Even if they turned him... into this. They didn't kill him,
and he's still here. We can fix this. We just need to figure out how.'' Theodore
was silently pleading to himself, ''I'll get the books right now, Amelie, and we'll
—''
''I miss him,'' She whispered, her fraudulent smile faded.

It had been over a week since the madness rose around them, ever since Narcissa
showed up on the doorstep of the cabin — she hadn't known peace. Her world
was a constant battle, and she felt like she hadn't slept properly for ages.

Amelie was wounded, both by her mother and by the fire she'd set Azkaban on.
She had found out the truth that Hermione was no longer a star, brightening up
this dimmed world. Blaise sacrificed himself for her sake and Adrian — he
finally got to rest.

There weren't many reasons left for her to fight. Everything around her
crumbled, the verity was never going to be the same, and it pained her to a point
where she didn't know if she wished to make it.

All she had left was the people in this house, her own safe haven in human form
— the shape of heaven in mortal frames. Perhaps home wasn't a place but a
person, she believed, several of them.

It would always be them to her, and now she was scared to death that she'd lose
Draco. That he wouldn't be able to break out of the mind, they so viciously
placed him within.

_____

''No, you have to throw it!'' Amelie chuckled, watching her little brother pitch
the ball in her direction, ''There you go.''

Atlas burst out in laughter the second she failed to catch it, ''You're not good at
this at all!'' He shouted, ''If I need to throw it, you need to take it!''

Stepping up to the ball laying on the grass, she hunched, picking it up, ''Well, if
you threw it—''

Altas placed his hands on his waist, gaily shaking his head at her, ''Don't blame
me now.'' He smiled broadly as his dimples showed, ''I'm better at this than you.''

''You're not—'' Frowning, her hair danced in the wind, ''You need to—''

''Yeah, yeah,'' He jeered, still with a smirk as it swept across his features, ''I'm
seven, Amelie, and you're losing to a child.''

''Atlas!'' She bent back up, her fist tensing around the ball, before she threw it in
his direction, ''Don't be mean—''

''I'm not mean,'' Chuckling and catching the ball, his cheeks held a rosy color,
''I'm just telling the truth.''

''You spend too much time with Teddy,'' Amelie rolled her eyes, her arms
dropping to her sides as she felt the last strokes of sun tickle at her nose, ''You're
starting to sound just like him.''

''Teddy cheats,'' Atlas folded his arms across his chest, hugging the ball, ''He's so
much taller than me, so he throws it too high—''

''Teddy is what?''

The voice came unexpectedly from behind Amelie, making her wince as she
spun around. Her whole self calmed the instant she placed her sight upon him,
his curls messy, his shirt half unbuttoned, ''He says you're a cheater, Teddy. Is
that true?'' Raising a mocking brow, ''Are you cheating when you play with my
little brother?''

''He is!'' Atlas beamed, running his way towards them, and without notice, he
threw the ball right at Teddy, ''He always cheats when we play.''

''I don't!'' Lifting his hands in the air, he glared playfully at the boy wrapping his
arms around Amelie's legs, ''It's not my fault that you don't know how to play—''

''Draco always lets me win,'' Atlas snickered, but Amelie and Teddy didn't.

The sphere around them slightly drained at the spoken words, and she stiffened
in her movements. Not truly certain what to say or what to do.

Four days had passed since she rescued the blond boy she so painfully longed
for, and they hadn't come any closer to a solution for him. Malfoy was yet a
monster, a merciless, cruel human being, and he didn't spare a chance to insult
and hurt her with his menacing words.

Still, she was down there every day. Every night Amelie insisted on bringing
him food — during the days, she let his mother or Teddy take care of it. She
spent all her time researching, and she played with her little brother.

Amelie sought to it that she'd devote as much time she possibly could with Atlas.
He was so confused and so puzzled by what was passing around them. Draco
was nowhere to be found, and his mother was still in the wind.

Nothing was the same to that fragile soul, but she tried to make it manageable.
Allowing the boy to sleep in her bed, she read to him every night, and she woke
up at him chuckling at her soft snoring in the dawn. Atlas was her sanity in the
missing of Malfoy. She didn't know what she'd do without that lively little soul.
He blessed her life for the better, and them earning the chance to know each
other, mastering each tiny thing about another, was the composure within the
chaos.

''He'll be back soon,'' Teddy said with a faint smile, nearly holding his breath,
''He's looking out for us right now, but he'll be back before you know it.''

Amelie looked away, her teeth gritted, and she tried not to break down. She'd
been so strong. She'd stood so solidly, and she craved to keep that act going.

''And mom too? Right? She'll be back?'' Atlas peered up at the brunet, his eyes
glinted in hope, and a joyful cloak swept across his face, ''She's been gone for
days. I miss her.''

Humming, ''We'll get them back.'' Theodore nodded at the boy, taking a stride
closer as he, with his hand, tousled Atlas's hair before he moved it up along with
the length of Amelie's arm, and he cupped her jaw.

''We will fix this, love.'' He promised, keeping his eyes mangled with hers, not
once looking away from her, ''I promise.''

''Dear!'' Narcissa shouted from the entrance of the house, her hands angled and
waving in the air, ''It's time for a bath, Atlas! You've been playing outside all
day. I can't begin to imagine how dirty your clothes must be, and Amelie... it's
time...''

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Narcissa gave a swift nod of her head, ''For
dinner.''
Atlas scoffed, threading his arms over his chest, ''Why can't I get dinner?'' He
scowled, yet it was adorable to all three of them, ''How come I have to bathe, and
Amelie gets dinner—''

''Just get inside,'' Theodore roared merrily. His tone was gentle as he started
sprinting after the boy, ''You're filthy, Atlas. You have mud everywhere, and if
you don't get inside to bathe, I'll have to throw you into the lake, and we don't
want that do we?''

''Throw me in the lake!'' Atlas laughed out at Theodore's arms folding around
him, and he draped the boy across his shoulder, ''I want you to throw me in the
lake!''

Her brother couldn't stop laughing as he hung over Theo's spine, his skin
reddened, and his chuckling broke by spirited screaming, ''Too bad, now I'm
throwing you into the bath instead. God, you stink, Atlas.''

''No, you stink!''

''No, you—''

''Theodore!'' Narcissa smiled, leaning against the metallic fence around the
porch. Her eyes slightly widened by the little boy wresting the larger one as he
still swayed over his shoulder, ''Be gentle, please. I don't want him to get hurt.''

Amelie stalked after them, stepping up the stairs, and Narcissa was quick to
reach her arms out for a hug. She could always tell when Amelie needed some
comfort.

Narcissa had grown to care for that kind-hearted girl more than she ever believed
she could. She was so grateful for Amelie and everything she still managed to
do, even if she ever so was robbed of her happiness.

''I put a tray on the counter, dear.'' Narcissa mumbled into Amelie's hair,
tightening her arms around the girl as she hugged her back, ''Make sure he eats,
please. He barely had any breakfast or lunch.''

''I'll try,'' Amelie whispered, drawing a deep breath as her bones felt like they'd
dust, ''He threw his food at me yesterday.''
''He did what?'' Narcissa leaned back, her hands gripping Amelie's upper arms,
and she shook her head, ''Why on God's earth would he—''

''It's not a bad thing,'' Amelie tried to smile, her throat hurting. It hurt so much to
breathe, to speak. Without Draco, everything hurt, ''He's showing emotion. He
gets angry. That's just a good thing.''

''Mhm...'' The lady suspiciously frowned, pushing her lips together in a firm line,
and she wasn't at all pleased with what Amelie said. She couldn't stand her son
being cruel to her, ''I can go down there tonight if you want? You don't have to
—''

''It's alright,'' Amelie took a track back, huffing out at the sun as it lowered
between the tree crowns, but she was quick to return her gaze at Narcissa. Her
hair fell so smoothly across her shoulders, Amelie always loved the fusion of
brunette and blonde she carried, ''I'd like to see him, even if he's... like this.''

''Amelie...'' Narcissa appeared beaten, shooting a rapid glance across her

shoulder to see that Atlas wasn't there to hear, ''Theodore told me what he says to
you, Draco, I mean, and it's not kind things. You don't deserve what he's doing to
you or what he did in that bathroom.''

''It's not him,'' She tried to convince herself, just like she'd done for the past three
days, over and over, she forced it into her mind, ''It's not him. It's them. They
made him this way and I—''

''He was like this before... you came into the picture.'' Narcissa gave a faint curl
on her lips, tilting her head, ''He was a monster, Amelie. I know you didn't see it,
and I know you'll never believe me when I say it because you only see the good
in people, but he was someone I hoped would be gone for good.''

Inhaling sharply, she reached and tucked a strand of Amelie's hair behind her
ear, ''I would be lying if I say that I don't see him again.''

Her eyes flickered nervously across the lady as she withdrew, backing away
from her, ''Don't mistake me, Amelie. I love my son no matter what he is or
regardless of how he behaves, but I just hope we get Draco back, or else — I
don't know what we can do to protect ourselves from him.''

Amelie stood petrified, once again — the time before her and Draco was brought
up, and she barely knew a thing about it. He never told her, he didn't wish to
speak about it, but she could tell that it was horrifying.

The things he'd said in the cellar of the castle the night of the masquerade, how
he was the Dark Lord's favorite, and how he was shaped and formed to what
Voldemort desired him to be. Amelie was always terrified of his past, not for her
own sake but for his.

It haunted him to a point where he laid awake all night so that he wouldn't fall
asleep and have his damaging nightmares. Malfoy rarely had nightmares these
days, ever since Amelie owned her own mind again and after they found
harmony in each other — he never dreamt anything bad.

''I know...'' She whispered, looking back at the lady, ''We have to get him back,
Narcissa or else—''

''We will,'' Narcissa smiled graciously. Only she carried that arch on her lips and
the calming effect it had, ''We will try, at least, but now you'll have to forgive me
before Atlas pours water all over his bathroom again.''

''Thank you,'' Amelie stared after the lady as she disappeared into the house.

Warmth swelled within her, taking over every single nerve she retained.
Narcissa cared dearly for Atlas, and she offered to do everything with him. She
made sure that her brother showered and bathed almost every day. That his
clothes were clean and that he never went hungry.

She played with him when Amelie didn't. Narcissa made him assist her with
every meal, and he would brag about how good he was at chopping vegetables.
Setting the table and helping with the dishes afterward was also something he
cherished. She taught him how to look after the garden, how to plant, and how to
reap, and she always, every morning following breakfast, brought him down to
the lake in order to feed the ducks.

Atlas loved feeding the ducks, throwing the bread as far as he could to see the
birds chase it. That was all he rambled about before he fell asleep, and Amelie
made sure to be there when he went to bed. She let him doze off into
imagination with her arms around him — she wouldn't have it any other way,
and neither would he.
Their mother was still missing, and Draco couldn't be further away — so they
found shelter with each other. Finally, after seven years — the two siblings, at
last, had another.

Striding into the kitchen, her fingers trapped the tray. She carried it to the
basement, placing it on the floor and hauling her wand up to unlock the door.

Taking the deepest breaths, she gathered the strength she knew she'd need for
this, and she opened the metal.

''You again,'' Draco scoffed the instant he caught her perfume, and he slid down
a bit in his chair, settling both of his elbows upon the armrests, ''How
disappointing.''

''You have a way with words, Malfoy.'' Amelie kept her face clean of emotion,
not a feeling showed as she walked closer, settling the tray upon the table, and
she dragged it across the floor, ''Never seem to disappoint me in that field.''

He reacted to that. It was with a thick swallow he grimaced at the way she said
his last name. He always loathed when she did that, ''I'm not hungry.'' The blond
muttered, nearly spitting his words at her, ''So take that and get the hell—''

''I don't care. Your mother wants you to eat, so you better eat.'' Amelie huffed,
shoving the table near the boy with a squeak as it ripped over the stone-covered
ground, ''And I don't bother for that attitude, Malfoy, so keep it to yourself.''

She backed up, her spine hitting the wall from across the room. She slipped
down it, hugging her knees to her chest, she stared blankly at the floor, and she
waited for him to be done.

Quietness soared around them, and she tried not to let it mirror on her, not
displaying just how much this ached within.

Clearing his throat, Malfoy took a bite of his dinner, ''You never spoke like that
to me before,'' He murmured, ''Why are you speaking like that to me now?''

''Well,'' Amelie lifted her chin, and her pained stare leveled him instead, ''You
never tried to kill me before, so what do you think?''

''Should have done it sooner,'' Taking another bite, he glared at her.

Amelie combed her fingers through her hair, ''Perhaps you should've.''

''What?'' He snapped, out of nowhere, ''What the fuck is that—''

She didn't say a word. Looking away, she hummed silently to herself, pretending
that she failed to notice how he reacted. Theodore told her that it was important
not to encourage his change in manners. It needed to come naturally, so she
ignored it, then Draco wouldn't realize it himself, and he'd keep doing it.

''Avery, I'm talking to you,'' Malfoy frowned, putting his fork down, ''Don't be
pathetic, Avery—''

''Are you done?'' She said, coldly still not sparing him a glance, and it felt like
her heart dropped. She wasn't fond at all to portray herself this way, ''I have
things to attend to.''

''No, I'm not fucking done.'' Draco lied, trying to figure out the girl as she yet sat
on the floor, ''What things? More crying, perhaps? More begging for me to come
back to you? Perhaps you should stab yourself again.''

Peering down at her hands, Amelie locked her sight at them, shunning the boy. It
hurt her tremendously that he made a fool out of her. She was down here the first
night after Theodore had gone to bed, and she cried. She pleaded and begged for
him to come back to her, and now he taunted her for it.

''Avery, what things—''

''It doesn't concern you anymore, does it?'' She fired, her eyes flickered to meet
his, and the tiny twinkle in the corner of them caused her to feel sick. She missed
him so much, ''It has nothing to do with you, so if I cry or stab myself — it's
none of your business.''

''What is your bloody problem?'' Draco nearly shouted at her, slamming his fists
into the table and throwing his tray to the floor as it shattered. Porcelain and
glass crushed and spilled, ''You don't get to talk to me like that—''

Shaking her head, Amelie was used to him acting this way. She pushed herself
up, carefully walking closer, and she kneeled again, starting to pick the pieces
off the ground. It turned absolutely silent. Only the heavy panting of the boy
echoed.
''Do you hate me yet?'' Malfoy blurted out, causing her brows to knit and her
neck to move, looking up at him.

''What?'' She asked, reacting annoyingly.

''There's no way you still love me after I tried to kill you. So it's an easy
question, Avery. Do you hate me?''

Taking a moment, she placed the pieces of glass on the tray.

''Can you answer my damn question?'' Growing impatient, he yanked at his

chains, bending over his knees to see her properly, ''Do you still love me—''

''I don't know.''

It took all of her as she stood up, leaving the clutter on the ground.

Amelie needed to hurt him. She needed him to feel something. She lied, when
she truly loved him so much that she tore herself in two to try and get him back.

She needed her Draco back.

''Fucking great,'' Draco tried to be rude, but she could see as she watched him
how his shoulders slightly sunk, his evil smirk faded. This hit a nerve, ''Then it
won't do as much damage when I kill you.''

Holding herself from letting the tears roll, she drew a breath, ''It won't hurt at all.
As soon as I know that Atlas is safe and hidden in a place, you'll never find him
— you're free to kill me, Malfoy.''

Blinking, surprisingly, he gritted his jaws.

''Because that's what you wished for all along, isn't it? Killing me? Fooling me
into thinking you ever cared for me, and then — then you get to kill me, perfect,
right? You give me everything just to take it away. It's genius, really.'' She kept
her tone low, ''So, no. I won't stop you. You gave me everything I wanted, so
why should I keep you from getting what you want?''

Kneeling again, she kept on going, ''So when the time comes, you'll be the one to
kill me. It was always supposed to end this way, correct? I was always meant to
die, and I was always meant to die for you. I already did once, so what—''

''Stop,''

''So what would the difference be now? I mean, yes — last time, I killed myself
for you because I couldn't imagine a life without you, and now you'll be the one
to take my life for good, ironic, isn't it?''

''Stop it.''

''I hope you'll be happy without me, Malfoy. I hope you'll be able to live and
breathe in all the ways you couldn't when I was here, and I hope—''

''Fucking stop it!''

It burnt within him. His veins torched on fire at the way she was speaking, how
she shaped the tells of her not being alive anymore. Draco didn't understand it,
but it caused him to feel nauseous.

''And why should I do that? You have done nothing but threatening me for days,
so why should I—'' Standing up, she banged the tray onto the table, ''Why should
I stop? You have made yourself more than clear, Malfoy. You don't love me.
You never loved me. You should be happy that I'm letting you kill me.''

''Shut up!'' Draco jerked forward, ''Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!'' His chains rattled,
and without truly knowing what he'd done — he felt his blood ice by the view of
Amelie on the ground, squealing in pain of the way he'd forced the table with the
tray of broken glass towards her.

''No—'' He gasped, silently, ''Avery, fuck—''

She didn't say anything at first. Stalling herself for a moment, she remained on
the ground.

''Avery,'' Draco called out for her, ''Avery, can you stand—''

Tears rimmed in her eyes, and she shook her head, giving him a stare that if he'd
been in his right mind — he'd die. Amelie never looked at him as if she was
scared of him, but she did now.
''Avery—''

''You weren't lying...'' She uttered, raising from the stone with splinters of glass
all over her skin. He hurt her. ''You never loved me, did you?''

Leaning back into his chair, Draco looked away. He couldn't look at her without
feeling something. He wasn't allowed to feel.

''I figured,'' She coerced a frail curl on her lips. Her persona was calm and
steady, ''I think it's better if your mother takes care of all your meals from now
on.''

''Damn it, Avery—''

Her eyes held the weight of a thousand demons, and she looked right at him,
memorizing the boy she loved more than anything, ''Take care, Malfoy.''

''Avery, for fucks sake—''

''Avery, don't you fucking dare! Get back here!''

She flung the door shut, her chest exploding, her heart feeling as if it would beat
out of its cage, and she couldn't stop herself from bursting into tears. Falling to
the rocks, Amelie cried. She sobbed, and she whimpered.

_____

''Why aren't you sleeping?'' Theodore asked from behind her puzzlingly. He
watched as she sat on one of the sofas, the fireplace was alighted, ''It's really late,
Amelie—''

''I can't sleep.'' She stated, tucking her chin against her chest as she watched the
flames sparkle. It was the middle of summer, yet it brought her so much solace
to have it lighted, reminding her of Draco and all the times he put the fireplace in
Malfoy Manor on fire for her.

''How did it go with Draco?'' He mumbled, slipping down next to her, wrapping
his hands around her ankles, and he pulled her legs to his lap, ''Was he—''

''I can't do this anymore, Teddy,'' Whispering now, almost as if she was scared to
hear her own words. She didn't want to admit to it, but Amelie wasn't sure she'd
be able to hold on for much longer. It was breaking her in ways she had failed to
be torn before. ''I'm actually starting to believe him. I don't think he ever loved
me...''

She always took everyone else's sins, but she couldn't master Draco's. He was
her savior, her reason to keep battling. Never did she imagine she'd be fighting
him.

''Or I think he did, but I think at some point — he stopped. I don't think he loved
me in the end, Teddy, and it hurts.''

''Don't say that. You know exactly how much Malfoy loves you. The only reason
this happened was because he loves you so much that he surrendered to get your
mother back. Never question his love for you. He'd do anything to have you and
to be with you. You know that.'' His tone harsh now, cocking his head as he saw
the tiny cuts in her arms, how it still reddened around the marks, ''What the—''

''It's nothing,'' Shaking her head, her hair leaked in a mess across her shoulders.
She didn't get the air she needed, ''It's nothing, Teddy. I promise.''

Narrowing his eyes, Theo clenched his jaws, ''What did he do?''

''Nothing—''

''Tell me what he did,'' Stroking his fingers across the span of her arm, he felt her
skin vibrating. Her bones crumbling.

Propping herself up a bit, she tried to stay solid, ''He never hurt me before all of
this, Teddy and I can't—'' Swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth, ''I don't know
if I can do this anymore. Perhaps it's just better for us to take Atlas and go.''

Lifting a brow, a bewildered look took over, ''You're not giving up on him.''

''I'm not!'' Amelie gripped the fabric she was seated on, nervously tugging at the
skirt of her dress, ''I'd never give up on him, Teddy. I couldn't do that even if I
wanted to. If he leaves, I leave. It will always be that, no matter what state he's
in, but for now — sometimes, I feel like it's better for us to take Atlas and run.''

''Amelie—''
''I pushed him too far today. I went too far, and he showed me something, he got
emotional when I said I didn't love him anymore—''

''Do you?''

The asked question caused her to frown, and she looked right at him, her legs
heavy upon his lap, ''Of course I do. I will always love him.''

''Are you still in love with him?'' His tone crammed with doubt, ''Like, in love —
love?''

Tears began to prickle and pool, ''I am. I am so in love with him that it hurts.''

''Then what are we even discussing—''

''I don't know! You? Narcissa? Atlas?'' She forced herself off the couch, standing
up and wrapping her arms around herself, ''I can't think about myself right now,
Teddy. They are getting closer and closer every day that passes. The Dark Lord
will find us, don't you think I see the paper? How they rade house after house,
they will find this one eventually. My spells won't work when they do, and if
Draco hasn't killed me already — they will.''

''Amelie—''

''And I'm not scared of dying. I'm not scared at all, but I am scared for you, for
Atlas, for Narcissa and for—'' She choked on her own words, her throat aching
as she sobbed out, ''And for Draco. I am so scared for him, Teddy—''

Backing away, she shook, the entirety of Amelie was shaking uncontrollably,
''What if I don't get him back? What if I don't have him anymore? He's supposed
to be here with me. It's supposed to be us, and not this.''

She slammed her hand across her mouth, muffling the sounds not to be heard.
Theodore arched forwards on the couch, and he reached for her hand, dragging
her into him as he stood up, ''He'll be back, love. He'll be back, and you'll be
together—''

''I just miss him,'' Burying her head in his chest, she hugged him. That was the
only place that seemed to feel safe these days, ''I miss him so much that I can't
breathe. I can't sleep because if I do — I'll dream of him, and I can't be dreaming
about him, Teddy. I can't be dreaming about him when I can't have him.''

Theodore felt the tears stinging in his eyes. It almost hurt to touch her, knowing
how much she was suffering, when he carried pain of his own. He'd lost the one
person he hoped to spend the aftermath with, and he constantly buried that agony
in order to save Amelie from hers.

''I know you don't believe me, but we will get him back. We'll get him back, and
we'll—''

Amelie snapped her neck, quickly and it made the boy coil back with her in his
arms, ''What the—''

She looked around skeptically. Squinting, Amelie let go of her friend, and she
stepped towards the hallway, ''Did you hear that?'' She could've sworn she heard
something.

''Amelie, what are you doing?'' He whispered, harshly as she snuck out into the
corridor, ''For God's sake—''

She didn't wait for him. She didn't stop until she reached the foyer of her house,
and she reached for her wand, tucked into the waistband of her skirt. She lit the
candles, hanging across the walls on fire with a mere spell.

''What is happening...'' She spun around hastily as she paralleled her front door,
and if she didn't know any better — she would've thought that the soil
underneath her feet was quaking and the midst summer air-cooled.

Knitting her brows, she took hesitant steps up to the entrance of her home before
she settled her fist around the handle. Amelie paused, taking a breath. If Draco
were here, he would've stopped her, but he wasn't.

Malfoy wasn't hers anymore.

Slowly twisting her wrist, Amelie shoved the door wide, and the next thing she
knew — she didn't believe it to be true. Never did she think she'd face the
damned eyes ever again.

''No, no, no—'' She whispered, throwing herself out the door at the vision of a
fallen boy on her porch. Her knees crushed along the ground, and she covered
his body with hers.

His skin was almost purple, and when she touched it, she felt like she was
holding pure ice. He was so cold. Barely a movement over his chest, his eyes
sealed and his clothes stained in burns and blood.

''Teddy!'' Amelie shouted so loudly that it crackled at the pitch of it. Doing
everything she could, she hauled his freezing body with her, pulling him onto
her lap, and she held him, ''Teddy!''

Amelie cried again, ''Teddy, hurry, please!''

''What the hell are you—'' He stoned in the doorway, not properly seeing who
she was holding, ''Who is that—''

''He needs help,'' She shook, her fingers grasped at his torn shirt, ''He's so cold,
Teddy. I think he's dead. You need to look. You need to see—'' Rambling, her
sanity fled her body.

''Please, Teddy. You need to—'' Begging and pleading, ''Teddy, do something—''

''Amelie, who—''

''Please—''

''Who is it?''

Her own skin and dress smeared in the boy's blood, and she felt the scent of
burning smoke as it came from him, ''He's dying, Teddy. It's—'' Gulping, she
pinched her lashes shut, swaying her body with him hugged her chest.

She held onto the boy for dear life as she whimpered, ''It's Adrian.''

_____
 Ninety-four

This chapter contains mentions of abuse, violent actions, blood, and other
troubling themes. Please read with caution.

_____

''Did you cheat on me?''

_____

''Here,'' Amelie forced all the things covering the kitchen island off of it in a
sudden move. Glass and porcelain crashed to the floor, and pieces of it leaked
messily across the marble, but she didn't have a second to spare. Theodore strode
through the doors. A heavy feeling weighted her bones at the way Adrian laid
numb in his arms, ''Lay him down here.''

Carrying the boy he believed he'd lost forever, Theodore settled Adrian's iced
body upon the counter, not having enough time to take the boy up to his room,
''He's so cold, Amelie. Boil up some water, would you?''

''Already did,'' She smiled bravely through the pressure as it sickened the air.
Amelie watched how Theodore drew his wand, and he aimed it at the boy,
''Theodore, you don't have to search him. I can do that.'' She whispered. One of
her hands landed on his arm, granting him solace.

She saw how he was shaking, ''You don't need to see how this happened. You
don't have to think about that. If I search him, you heal him.''

Shooting her a warm look from above his shoulder, Theodore nodded, and he
breathed in sharply as the boiling water began to sound. She walked over to the
stove, filling flasks with the heated liquid before she wrapped them into towels,
making sure that it wouldn't burn his skin.

''Now?'' Amelie mumbled, placing the clothed glass all around his body, pushing
them into Adrian's frame until his sides were covered in them, slowly warming
him up, ''We do what we always do?'' Her voice was shaking, unsteady.

Theo stared ever so blankly down at Adrian. Not clearly grasping what he was
looking at. He was alive. He'd most likely crawled his way to their house from
wherever he ended up after Amelie burnt Azkaban to ash.

''We do what we always do....'' Theodore still hesitated, seeing how she brought
her wand out and her fingers traced in circles above the boy.

''Okay,'' She began to hum the tiny words in other to understand what his body
so desperately wished to tell her, ''Come on, Adrian. Show me—''

''Wait!''

Amelie jolted back by the sudden level in Theodore's voice. He raised it, and he
yelled out the word. Blinking quickly in surprise, she looked puzzlingly at him,
''Teddy, what are you—''

His body radiated dubiously, his breaths nearly imaginary, ''Are we sure we want
to do this?'' His note cracked, ''Save him?''

''Teddy?'' Shaking her head, her pupils dashed in confusion, ''What are you
talking about?''

''I don't want to save him if it means that I'll lose you, Amelie,'' His teeth nearly
shattering as he spoke, ''What if he hurts you again? What if he hurts you, and
it's all my fault? I can't live with myself if he—''

Amelie seized a step forward, her arms wrapping around his waist, and she
tucked her forehead against his chest, ''He wanted to die for me and Draco,
Teddy. He's not hurting me anymore.''

''What if he does?'' Theo couldn't hold her back. He felt so at fault for
everything. It turned real for him when he had them both in plain sight in front
of him. When he saw how Amelie struggled to keep Adrian alive, ''What if he
hurts you?''

''Then we'll deal with it, but I'm telling you, Teddy — he won't hurt me. He
wouldn't do that to me, and he most definitely wouldn't do that to you.'' She
spoke with honesty, her arms clinging onto him, ''He loves you, Teddy, and he
would never put that at risk.''

Still shaking his head, Theodore caught her jaws in his palms, and he looked
down at her, forest colliding with bronze, ''I can't forgive him for what he's
done,'' The guilt of it all turning real suffocating him, ''I can't have him here
knowing what he did to you—''

''Teddy...'' Amelie weighted her head in his hands, peering up at him from below
her lashes, ''No one forgives him. I know I won't. I know Draco will kill the both
of us for even considering saving him, but I do choose to move past it. I'm not
forgiving, and I'm not forgetting, but I am giving him a chance to make it count.''

It was a pained pause in her talking where she gazed across the boy she once had
given her life to until she took tone again, ''And I'm not saying you should
forgive him, or forget what he's done. He hurt you too, and that will never be
excused, Teddy, but it's more than alright for you to give him a chance. Just
because he was a bad person doesn't mean we have to be too.''

''So you're saying that not giving him a chance is us being bad?'' The brunet
questioned, scowling at his friend, ''Because that's—''

''No, I'm not saying that, but I'm saying that it's alright to be better than he was,
even if he deserves it or not,'' Amelie tried to stand plain, but the stressed heart
she owned nearly exploded as she caught trembling breath after trembling breath
fled Adrian's throat. It didn't sound good at all, ''Teddy, he's—''

''Damn it,'' Snapping his head, he didn't know what to do anymore, how to act as
he felt Amelie's bones shaking, her skin shivering, ''Fuck — okay, search, and
I'll heal.''

Theo gripped his wand, spinning away from her as he aimed it at the boy, so did
she, ''On three?''

Amelie nodded, grasping one hand at the other to keep herself balanced. It was
in the middle of the night. Darkness and shadows swallowed them in the
dimmed kitchen.

''One.''

Both of them straightened their shoulders.

''Two.''

Amelie sucked in the harshest of breaths, causing it to drag daggers down her
throat.

''Three.''

The iced light bolted from both of their wands, brightening the gloom around
them in lively colors. Amelie searched while Theodore healed. She was much
more clever to understand, to form patterns, and to read signals — while
Theodore had the skill for putting the broken back together. They were an
outstanding team. They always had been.

Amelie and Teddy complemented each other well, and it was Adrian's safest bet.

Flickering her eyes across his cold, nearly frozen figure — she earned no idea of
how he could be alive. Amelie burnt Azkaban to the ground. There wasn't a way
for him to survive that, she believed, until a gasp fled her throat, noticing how
his clothes were stained in dirt, looking like sand almost.

''The water...'' She breathed, shaking her head and looking up at Theo as the
light, still looping around them, shifted brighter. She was onto something, ''How
bad are his burns?''

Theo frowned slightly as he hummed, ''Not bad. Deep but not bad, it's like
something stopped the burning process....''

''It makes so much sense!'' Harshly whispering now, she ripped away from the
magic she searched his body with, and she marched around the table, ''You don't
understand, Teddy. He should've died. I burnt it all to the ground. There isn't a
way he could be alive and not have any burns to kill him, but—'' She continued
until she leveled Adrian's head, ''The water.''

''Water?'' Never had he been so confused. Theo tried so desperately to

understand what she meant. He'd never been to Azkaban. He didn't know it was
guarded by miles of mighty sea. He just so miserably needed to save the piece of
his heart, lying numb and lifeless on the counter, ''What the hell are you—''

''Listen to me, Teddy—'' Amelie dragged the tips of her fingers over the exposed
surface Adrian possessed, where the fire had caused holes in his shirt. The fabric
of his wearing melted with his skin, ''He burnt in that fire. He was trapped, so he
must have thrown himself into the water, and it must have been so cold because
of this....''

She lifted Adrian's chin, tilting it so Theodore could see the scarring of his
blazed flesh, ''This doesn't happen by itself. He shouldn't be alive. He couldn't
have healed like this without ice-cold water, Teddy. Not with these burns and
not with that fire but the water saved him.''

It ached within Theo, coming to a realization Amelie yet had forgotten about,
clearing his throat, he increased his healing, ''Threw himself in order to save his
life from the fire, or jumped to die?''

Amelie's eyes flickered, her face drained of emotion as she caught his trembling
words, ''Teddy—''

''You can continue this, can't you?'' Gritting his teeth, Theodore backed up,
spacing himself from Adrian. He didn't look at the wounded boy anymore, ''I
can't do this, Amelie.''

Nodding, she knew exactly what he meant. Theodore took care of Draco when
she wasn't able to. Now it was her turn to mend for Theo's love, ''Go upstairs, I'll
send for you when he needs to move.''

Theo slipped out of the kitchen as Amelie stayed behind to warm the boy and
search for other injuries, but he didn't go up to his room as she told him to. He
snuck down the stairs instead, and he hunched beside the door Draco was kept
within. He couldn't stand anything anymore.

He needed Malfoy. Even if he was in a lost state of mind, Theodore needed his
friend.

Being prepared as he was for losing Adrian — Theo had banned Pucey from his
mind, and ever since Amelie confessed about how he sacrificed himself so that
she could live, he tried to replace the sorrow and mourning of the one and only
person who seemed to love him back, with the girl he lived for.

Theodore always put Amelie above himself, and he'd rather focus on getting
Draco back than settle his mind upon the boy who chose the former love of his
life before him.
Never could he be upset with Adrian for surrendering himself in order to save
her. Theo would've done the exact same thing without blinking. Yet he was,
Theodore was indeed troubled that Adrian so bluntly gave his life for hers and
left him behind.

Again, someone left him without question, and he was ever so miserably left
behind.

''Nott—'' Draco scowled the minute his sight squinted through the light outside
the cellar he was chained within, ''What the hell—''

''I know you don't love her right now. I know you hate her and that you want to
kill her, but I need you to be honest with me,'' He blurted out, the door slamming
shut behind him as the gloomy light shifted brightly, ''I need to know something,
Draco and I know you probably can't be honest, but I need you to try.''

Malfoy clicked his tongue, tilting his head as he glared at the brunet, ''Where is
she?''

''Draco—''

''I want to know where she is. It's been hours since she walked out from here,
which means it's the middle of the night now. My guess is... two, three in the
morning? Is she sleeping?'' Malfoy held hostility in his voice, yet he was
desperate to know if she'd been able to heal the wounds he caused upon her, ''Is
she still sleeping in our bed?''

Theodore looked away, not knowing if he was meant to spill the secrets he so
urgently wished to know, ''She does. Atlas sleeps on her side, and she sleeps on
yours.''

A rush of pain scored through Draco's veins, feeling nauseous almost, ''Can she
sleep? Or is she fiddling with the edges of the covers all night?''

''I think she got a few hours last night. She's exhausted, Draco. You've seen her,
you know she's drained,'' Theodore took steps to the side, sliding down next to
the wall, his spine felt heavy upon it, ''I had to put her to sleep the night we got
you back... we lost someone.''

''What?'' Draco fired, rudely, ''What do you mean — who? Who died, Nott?''
Hesitating, Theo's mind caught the girl upstairs, and his whole being caved at
everything she'd been through. Even someone like Blaise she mourned, ''Zabini.''

''Zabini, what the hell did she do with Zabini— no.'' Closing his eyes, he thought
about it. How Amelie didn't travel to Azkaban by herself. She'd gotten help from
Blaise to get them out. ''He wouldn't be that fucking stupid. He wouldn't take her
there. He knows I'd kill him.''

''Well, he did, and now he's dead. They were aiming for her, but they got him
instead,'' Battling the idea if he was meant to tell Draco about Adrian, he decided
not to. Perhaps the boy Amelie healed was more educated on Malfoy's state than
they were, ''They were trying to kill her, and she didn't have a wand, Draco. He
saved her life.''

''Damn it,'' Draco hushed, tilting his head back as the chains rattled, ''Fucking
damn it. So stupid! Why would he take here there? Why would he... Zabini
doesn't know Azkaban, Nott.''

The hurtful glint shifted into a darkened one as Draco stretched his spine, ''He's
never been there. I'd know if he had, so how could he take her there if he doesn't
know where to find it?''

Gulping now, Theodore looked away.

''Who?'' Draco snapped, louder, ''Who took her to Azkaban? My mother? My

father?'' More and more realizations came to Malfoy's mind, ''Why are you
awake? What was that noise I heard earlier?''

''What noise?'' Theo stuttered, knowing that he'd let on more than he was
supposed to, ''I don't know what you're—''

''Who is she with, Nott?'' Draco didn't falter. He yanked at his chains, and his
skin reddened in fury, ''Who the hell has she been seeing behind my back—''

''You always say that you'll leave if she leaves. What does that mean?'' Theodore
stood completely out of his own mind, not properly grasping a thing. He still
needed to ask what he came down here to ask, and he wished to defuse the
tension Draco brought, ''You would die if she dies, right? Do you say that
because you mean it or because you think she likes to hear it?''
Draco blinked quickly, easing the tensed hold he had of his chains, and he leaned
back in his chair. Looking suspiciously at the brunet, ''Is this another trick? For
you two to try and turn me again? Where is she? Who is she with—''

A loud sigh hewed the blond off, ''You hurt her, Malfoy. She was bleeding, and
that's beside the point—''

''That's...'' Draco swallowed thickly as he swayed his hair to the side, making the
blond strands fall from his eyes, ''I didn't plan on doing that. Did she—'' He
didn't want to show emotion. He couldn't, ''What is she doing?''

''Like you care,'' Theo wasn't fully aware of his actions, knowing how Amelie at
this moment was trying to save Adrian's life, ''She's with someone...upstairs.''

It felt like someone turned all the warmth in this world off as the entire room
shifted cooly. Draco stiffened, his skin paled, ''Someone?'' He hissed at the
image of Amelie being with someone else, ''Who?''

''It's none of your concern, Malfoy,'' Theodore crossed his arms, poking his chest
out.

Ache. It ached so wildly within Draco, and it almost numbed the craving he had
to kill her.

''Who?'' Malfoy shouted now, not sparing an ounce of his temper, ''Is it another
guy? Yeah? There's another guy up there, isn't it? Who the fuck—''

Theodore dragged his eyes from Draco, backing up until he was standing in the
doorway. He didn't say anything.

''She doesn't love me anymore, does she?'' Caving into his chair, Draco felt so
small, ''She's not in love with me anymore.''

''I still want to know what I asked of you before, so tell me,'' Theo said, harsher
now. He wanted to know, ''If she leaves, you leave. Is it because you actually
wanted to die for her? You loved her so much you wanted to die if she did?''

''Nott—''

''Tell me.''
''I can't do that—''

''Just tell me, damn it!''

''Yes!''

Malfoy was heaving now, confused out of his mind. He still battled the frame of
Amelie and someone else, ''Of course, I'd die for her. I'd kill myself in a
heartbeat if she needed me to.''

''So it's possible then, feeling like that with someone else then? To love someone
else so much that you actually want to die for them?'' Tears prickled in Theo's
eyes, shaking his head as he stepped closer, ''Would you sacrifice yourself for
her?''

Draco rolled his neck, tensing his shoulders. It took a lot of him to confess what
he'd already had done, ''Get out, Nott.''

''I just want to know, and then I'll leave.'' Shaking, Theodore's eyes pleaded his.

''What do you want me to say, Nott?'' Draco was spitting his words, trying to
avoid his own emotions. The way he'd hurt Amelie earlier took more than a toll
on the blond, ''That I love her so much that I am willing to die for her? I think
you know the answer to that.''

''I don't know....'' Theodore let out in a whisper, ''It didn't look like that earlier.''

Looking away, Malfoy drew a breath, ''I'd tear this world apart for her, Nott. So
what the hell do you think? But that doesn't really matter anymore, does it? She's
not in love with me.''

''You hurt her,'' Theodore halted, feet away, both of them glaring at the other,
''You tried to kill her. You don't get to pity yourself right now.''

''Yeah?'' Growing inflamed, Draco spat, ''She cheated on me? Is that it? What if I
fucked someone else too? What if I was living hell of a life when you thought I
was captured? Whoever it is upstairs can have her.''

''You would never do that to her,'' Theodore gulped, wide-eyed, understanding

that Draco misunderstood him completely, ''You would never cheat on her.''
He wouldn't. They both knew that, but Malfoy felt so hurt by the thought of
Amelie even thinking about giving upon him. He wasn't anywhere near his right
mind. If he'd been let out as they spoke — he'd most likely rush upstairs to rip
her apart.

It was what he'd been tortured into doing. That was his only goal, yet it pained
him. It ached so severely within Draco to even think that she would let him go.
That she wouldn't fight for him.

''I would, and I did. I took the first fucking chance I got to sleep with someone
else. Fucking another witch was the best bloody thing I've done in over a year.
Anyone is better than Avery in that field—''

''Teddy...''

Draco stopped breathing.

Not once, since that soft angelic voice he couldn't grow tired of, stammered the
brunets name, did he look away from Theodore. Malfoy didn't dare to. He was
terrified that he would turn human if he did.

''Amelie—'' Theo spun around, looking right at his best friend as she stood, with
tears crowded in her eyes, ''No—''

Clearing her throat with half a sob, Amelie quickly wiped the tears away, and
she stretched her spine, gathering all the courage she still carried, ''Your patient
is ready.''

''Patient?'' Draco snapped his neck, looking at her from behind Theodore, and his
heart dropped. The sight of Amelie's clothes, being drenched in blood and her
skin stained in the crimson color, caused his insides to wrench, ''What the fuck
happened?''

''Teddy,'' Amelie didn't spare Draco as much as a glare, ''You need to come. He's
waking up soon, and I think it's better if you—''

''Avery,'' Draco said, cutting her short, but she still didn't want to look at him,
''What I said—''

''Theodore,'' She begged now, shutting Draco out as she understood how hard
this must be for Theo, always being in a constant battle between everyone,
''Please, he needs you.''

''Avery—''

What Draco had stated before he realized that she was there — tore her apart.
Amelie had given her body to him, despise every single insecurity she owned,
she handed her whole self to Malfoy, and he talked about her like she was
nothing to him.

Grasping that he was far out of his normal self, that he loathed her now in this
state, she still never thought he'd ever spoken of her as he did. Never did she
believe that Draco would make her feel the way she did now.

''Avery—'' Malfoy arched forward in his chair. He gripped the wooden armrests,
digging his nails into them, ''Listen to me.''

''I'll be upstairs, Teddy, but you need to hurry—'' She whispered before she
backed away, and it was a moment, if so, a tiny one, where he got to level her
gaze. Amelie looked at Draco with so much hurt in her heart that it caused his to
cease.

''For fucks sake, listen to me, Avery!''

Amelie walked away.

''Fucking hell!'' Malfoy shouted, tossing and turning in his chair, nearly ripping
his chains to pieces at the way he fought them, ''Just fucking kill me, Nott! Take
my fucking life. I don't want it anymore.''

He couldn't breathe.

''She's not in love with me anymore, Nott,'' Draco looked away, pain and torture
filled his eyes, ''So whatever you came here to do, isn't worth it. To none of us if
she doesn't want me after this.''

Frowning, Theodore took a step closer, ''She will always love you—''

''There's a bloody difference!'' Draco shouted, hauling at his chains, ''There's a

bloody fucking difference between her loving me and her being in love with me.
If Amelie doesn't want me — you might as well kill me on the spot because I
wouldn't be alive without her.''

Malfoy's head tipped forward, burying his chin against his chest, ''Without her, I
might as well die.''

Screaming and yelling, Draco knew that he'd hurt her more than any violent act
ever could. He keened how fragile she was when it came to her body, and now
— now he was a reason as to why she hid it. Why she concealed her scars and
dressed in covering clothes.

''Just fucking kill me!'' Tears shaped in his eyes, and he had never hated himself
more than he did now, ''Kill me and let her be happy. I can't make her happy.
Just let me go, let me die, and take care of her, Nott. I can't do this anymore.''

''I'll be back,'' Rushing a hand through his hair, Theodore didn't know who he
was supposed to comfort, but as he'd always had done, he chose Amelie.

Teddy would always choose Amelie.

Walking his way out the door, he looked back at the blond as he sat chained and
nearly crying in the darkness, ''I'll be back in the morning, Malfoy. Try to get
some sleep.''

_____

Stroking her fingers across Theodore's dressed spine, she granted the boy a
heartwarming smile. The dawn had climbed the treetops, and the sun flickered in
between the curtains of his room. She'd stayed by his side all night, both of them
hovering over the boy they waited for to wake up.

''Any minute now,'' She whispered, pushing her lips into Theo's head, ''He'll
wake up any minute now.''

''How do we do this, Amelie?'' Theodore kept his elbows placed on his knees.
Not once did he take his sight away from Adrian, ''Are we keeping him in here?
Do we tell Narcissa? Malfoy?''

''I don't want him near Atlas,'' She stood tall, walking around the bed and
slipping onto it. Her spine struck the headboard, ''I don't want to risk it. We don't
know how he'll be when he wakes up, and I can't risk Atlas being taken.''

''Of course not,'' Theo nearly snarled at her, offended that she even thought she
had to make that part clear to him, ''That's why I didn't mention Atlas. I'd never
let Adrian near him.''

''I'm sorry,'' Her eyes fell upon the boy lying next to her, and she smiled faintly,
''I didn't mean it like that. I just... we need to keep him safe. It's dangerous
enough that Draco is in the basement.''

''I know it is,'' He hummed, taking a deep breath, ''We can move him if you
want? You don't have to have him here. What he said down there, what he said
he did, Amelie — I hope you know he was lying. He would never do that to you.
''

''I want to have him here,'' She looked away, quickly as her fingers twitched
against her palms, ''I want him close.''

''Amelie—''

''What if he did, Teddy?'' She blurted, aching so vividly within, ''What if he

cheated on me? What if everything he said down there is true? What if he
actually played me? If this was his plan all along—''

''That's enough,'' Theo clenched his jaw, gritting his teeth, ''He would never do
that to you. Never, Amelie. He's lost in his own head, and he has no idea what's
going on right now. He was jealous, and he was mad, but he would never cheat
on you — perhaps he'd cheat for you, to save you if it ever comes to that, but he
wouldn't do it because he wanted to.''

Shaking her head, Amelie tried to space herself from the hurtful images of Draco
betraying her in that way. She'd given her body to him. She'd given him
everything, and just the thought of him wanting someone else caused her heart to
sink.

''What about you?'' She tried to change the topic, ''How is this going to work for
you? With Adrian here?''

''I think he can help us, Amelie,'' Theodore whispered, pushing himself off his
chair, ''I think he can tell us how to fix Malfoy. He was good with these things,
torture, and understanding how to twist the mind.''

Blinking in surprise to his words, she peered down at Adrian, shocked, ''I think
I'd know just how good he was with those things, Teddy—''

''Damn it,'' He muttered from the bathroom, pouring water onto a cloth and
bringing it to the bed, he wiped Adrian's forehead clean, and he rolled the fabric
down his cheeks, ''I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. I mean that he knows more
than us, and I think he can help.''

''I think he can help too, but I also think it's for the better if he stays in here until
we know what to do with him. I can't have him out in the house when Atlas is
here, Teddy. He can run into him, and I don't—''

''I know,'' Hunching onto the chair again, both of them jolted by the sudden shift
in Adrian's position, sensing how the boy was waking up.

''I think I should—'' Amelie tipped her head against the door, wanting to leave
for them to have a moment alone, ''I'll take Atlas out in the yard to pick some
flowers, and you can make sure Adrian's okay.''

''I think he'd like for you to be here too,'' Theo leveled her gaze for so a second
until hers dropped to watch the boy, ''He felt safe with you, and I think—''

''I have Draco now,'' Amelie trailed the tips of her fingers across Adrian's
forehead, brushing some strands of his hair away, ''I have Draco, and Adrian has
you. Besides, if I don't play more with Atlas, he'll throw a tantrum on me, so I
think it's for the better.''

''I love you,'' The brunet smiled weakly as she walked over the floor, spinning
around in the doorway, ''I love you, Amelie, and if this in any way makes you
uncomfortable — you have to tell me, and we'll take Adrian somewhere else.''

''I love you more,'' She mumbled, ''You deserve to be happy, Teddy. Remember
what we said last night. You don't have to forgive him, but you are allowed a
chance to be happy.''

''You make me happy,'' He said, his eyes caught hers again, and he'd never grow
tired of looking at her. Theodore loved his best friend more than he'd ever loved
anyone.
''And you make me happy,'' She began to close the door, ''Even if you're a bit
foolish at times—'' She chuckled, slamming the door shut as rapidly as she
could.

''I heard that!''

Amelie made her way down to the kitchen, seeing how Narcissa slipped down
the hall with a tray in her hands. It was time for her morning with Draco. She
always made sure to spend some time with her son in that basement.

''Amelie!'' Atlas nearly shouted, sprinting his way up to her and wrapping his
arms around her waist, ''You're awake!''

''I am,'' The girl huffed out, arching her spine and tousling her hands into his
messy curls, ''And so are you, I see.''

''Narcissa made me breakfast,'' He smiled, tucking his chin into her belly and
looking up at her, ''She made me pancakes with berries in them, Amelie! Berries
in the pancakes! Can you believe that? That's so cool.''

''That sounds delicious,'' Amelie chuckled, her head felt heavy from her lack of
sleep, ''Then you better go eat it then, don't you? Before Teddy comes down and
eats them instead.''

''No!'' Atlas abruptly let go of her, nearly jumping his way back to the kitchen
island as he crawled up on the high chair, and he immediately began to stuff
pieces of his breakfast into his mouth, ''Teddy ate my chocolate frogs last night.''

''Did he?'' Amelie smiled, stepping up to the counter and dropping to the chair
next to his, ''Teddy eats my chocolate too.''

A grimace climbed him, frowning slightly, ''I like Teddy. He told me to curse—''

''What?'' Amelie raised her brows, looking down at her brother, ''Teddy did
what?''

''Nothing...'' Atlas blushed, grabbing his fork and shoving more pancakes into his
mouth, ''He said you look pretty—''

''Mhm,'' Placing her elbows upon the marble, she rolled her eyes, ''I'm sure he
did.''

''But he also said that if I want to, when it's just him and me — I can say damn
it.''

Amelie blinked ever so quickly, rubbing her knuckles in her eyes, ''No, you can't
—''

''He said you do it!'' The boy laughed out, muffled by the food, ''He said you say
damn it and if you say damn it—''

''Stop saying it.''

''Damn it.''

''Atlas—''

''Damn it.''

''Atlas, stop—''

''Damn it, damn it, damn it....''

Amelie didn't know what to do, so instead, she grabbed a fist full of whipped
cream from his plate, and she smeared it to her little brother's face, ''Stop saying
damn it,'' She chuckled at the look of him, covered in the substance.

Atlas laughed so loudly that it echoed down the hall, dragging his palms over his
face, and when she least expected it, he stained her arms with the whipped
cream, ''Damn it!'' He grinned proudly.

''Atlas—''

''You started it!'' He yelled, picking up a pancake as he threw it on her, ''Don't

start something you can't finish!''

''You little—'' Amelie took the same pancake and threw it back on her brother,
''I'm older than you—''

''What? Are you a grandma—''

''No, you didn't—'' She laughed, looking after the boy as he slipped down from
the chair, running around the kitchen island to the counter on the other side of
the room. Narcissa had left a bowl of whipped cream upon it, ''No, Atlas!''

''Oh dear!'' Narcissa stood wide-eyed in the doorway, seeing how Atlas had his
arm down the bowl and how both of the siblings were covered in whipped
cream, ''I leave for fifteen minutes, and you two....''

''I didn't do anything!'' Atlas shot Amelie a smug smirk, ''Amelie taught me how
to curse.''

''Amelie—''

''I didn't!'' She stood up, taking a paper towel to wipe the fluff off her face,
''Teddy told him to say damn it and when he didn't stop....''

''Mhm.'' The lady crossed her arms, staring them both down, ''Well, you better go
upstairs, Atlas. You can't go around in that dirty pajamas all day, can you?''

''Fine...'' The boy huffed, squinting as he provokingly smiled at Amelie, ''Can

you read for me later?''

''We'll see about that,'' His sister shook her head, peering after Atlas as he went
before her sight leveled Narcissa again, ''How... how was he?''

She looked away, sighing, ''He didn't sleep... He said something happened last
night, and he didn't sleep.''

The feeling of warmth she'd gotten from playing around with her litter brother
vanished and was replaced with the ache of Malfoy not feeling alright.

Amelie panted out a troubled breath, bending her upper body over the bench,
and she buried her head into her arms, ''Adrian is alive.''

It caused Narcissa to shiver, to freeze as she placed the dishes in the sink,
''Excuse me?''

''He's alive, and he's asleep upstairs, or he's waking up now... Teddy is with
him.''
Narcissa's lips fell parted. They'd told her everything. Amelie had spoken the
truth of both Azkaban and Adrian to her — Theodore had done the same, and
Draco's mother now knew all of their secrets, even if she suspected them before.

''Theodore...'' She shook her head, placing her palms upon the counter, ''Is he
alright? He thought that boy died and he's been crying—''

''He's with him now, and I don't know,'' She smiled, almost, ''But something tells
me he's going to be just fine.''

The image of Adrian and Theodore together did her good. Amelie wished
nothing but happiness upon her best friend, even if that joy would be found with
her former lover. Theodore Nott deserved the world, she believed, and if this
were a piece of heaven — she'd do anything for him to have it.

''And you?''

That was a much tougher question. She didn't know how to answer it. Worn and
drawn from battling Draco, to doing the best she could with Atlas, and finally
Adrian being back. Never could she answer that truthfully.

''I don't know,'' She whispered, and Narcissa noticed just how much the girl was
struggling, ''I will be fine. I think.''

''It's alright to hurt,'' The lady lowered her voice, marching up to Amelie with a
wet towel, and she carefully stroked it across her arms, wiping the whipped
cream away, ''It's alright to feel, Amelie. You don't have to put all of them above
yourself. My son hurt you. Adrian hurt you. You don't—''

Tears began to form at the words Narcissa was speaking, and with a deep breath,
Amelie wrapped her arms around her, hugging Draco's mother with all she had.

''I'm just scared,'' She whimpered, crying now, ''I'm scared that I'm losing him. I
can't live without Draco.''

''I know, dear,'' Narcissa spoke into the wavy strands of Amelie's hair, ''I know,
but he's downstairs. He's still there, Amelie. I can feel it. We just need to try to
get him out.''

Amelie stood there for long moments, hugging Narcissa and draining her of all
comfort she could possibly give until Atlas called on her and she needed to help
him with his clothes.

Halting in the doorway, Narcissa shot her a gracious smile, ''Go down there and
talk to him. I think it could do both of you some good.''

She hesitated for almost an hour. Amelie doubted and weighed if it was a good
idea for her to visit Draco again. She was longing so much for him that it ripped
her apart, but at the same time, she didn't know if she was able to handle his
cruel words.

Amelie knew this wasn't her Draco. That Malfoy wouldn't treat her like this if he
wasn't forced to, yet it burnt within her.

With two cups of tea in her hands and a shaking breath, she stepped into the
cellar. She leveled the damned eyes.

''Finally,'' Draco scoffed arrogantly, ''Mother said she'd send you down here over
an hour ago.''

Standing with her spine pressed against the door, she frowned, ''How do you
know that it's been an hour?''

''I counted the minutes.''

Amelie's sight flickered, and she, with stumbling steps, walked up to him.
Settling one of the teacups in front of him before she backed up again.

Draco rose a brow, ''Sure that's the one with sugar this time?'' Remembering all
the times she gave him the wrong one, ''I can't stand your damn honey. I don't
understand how you can drink that.''

''Teddy smells—''

''Like honey, I know,'' He finished for her, reaching for the cup, ''You say that all
the time.''

''Then why are you asking?'' She kept her tone calm.

Taking a sip of the hot drink, he looked right at her, ''What do I smell like?''
It took her a moment before her lips parted, and she said, ''Home,'' Her voice
shaking, ''You smell like home.''

His jaw gritted, and his sight grounded, ''Still?''

''You always will,'' Amelie sat down on the floor, drawing her knees up, ''That's
not changing just because you did.''

''Avery—''

''Did you cheat on me?''

Her words tore through the room, and dashes of pain stained his icing eyes, ''You
already know the answer to that.''

''Do I?'' She lifted a brow, snapping her neck to peer down at her lap, ''That's not
what it sounded last night.''

''I'd rather die than cheat on you.'' Draco felt so much agony within that he had to
tell her that. He was ruthless to her. He understood that, yet it pained him that
she questioned him. He would never hurt her in that way, ''I didn't cheat on you.
I tried to get back to you every minute of the days I wasn't here.''

It warmed her up inside, somewhere, knowing that he didn't fully give up on her.

''My turn.''

''What—''

''What happened last night?'' Placing the cup upon his table again, he rolled his
shoulders, staring at her from a distance, ''You asked me one question, now it's
my turn. What happened?''

Debating what he'd asked for seconds, she took a sip of her tea, ''Someone made
it back.''

''Who?''

''That's two questions,'' Amelie felt the heat of the mug in her palms, ''You said
one question, so it's my turn again.''
Rolling his eyes, he fixed them upon her, ''Fine.''

''What happened when you escaped from Azkaban?'' Dubiously, she asked that.
She'd been wondering ever since Blaise told her about it, how come he didn't tell
her himself.

''What?'' Licking his bottom lip, he propped himself up in the chair, ''How the
hell do you know—''

''Blaise told me,'' She had a glint of curiosity in her eyes that he caught
immediately, and the boy didn't feel like he had anything else to lose.

''I killed someone, and I got caught,'' Draco held a chilly look, not an emotion
showed upon him, ''It was a different world back then, and they sentenced me to
Azkaban for it, but I got out, and I fucked it all up, for everyone.''

She stayed silent, waiting for him to keep going, and he did, ''If I didn't make
that mistake, my family would've been free. My father wouldn't have given
mother and me up to join the Dark Lord, and I wouldn't have done all of this to
you.''

''That's not true,'' She shook her head as her fingers brushed over the cement
floor, rolling some tiny rocks between the tips of them, ''My mother still ran
away, and he would've just sent someone else to do what you did.''

''Wouldn't that had been better?'' He took his cup again, bending forward in his
chair, ''If it wasn't me?''

An arch on her lips as she tried to hide it, ''Is that a question?''

Glaring at her now, '' Yes.''

''No,'' Amelie breathed, her chest rose and fell heavily, ''It wouldn't have been
better. I wouldn't change a thing between us.''

Draco hated himself. He absolutely despised himself that he was the reason she
settled for this. He tried to kill her not too many days ago, and the utter fact that
she was this kind to him — caused him to feel.

''Are you in love with me?'' He asked, out of the blue, and it rocked her. Amelie
didn't think he cared if she was.

''That's two questions,'' Raising her cup, she tipped her head to the side, ''My turn
first — how are you?''

''How am I?'' He growled, shocked and bothered, ''What the hell type of question
is that?''

Amelie simply looked at him as he placed one of his ankles upon his knee, both
of his elbows on the armrests.

''How are you?'' She said again, ''I want to know how you are. All you've been
doing every time I've been down here is yell and scream at me. I never get to ask
how you're doing anymore.''

Muttering something inaudibly underneath his breath, he sunk further into the
chair, ''It feels like I can't breathe, sometimes.''

''Why?'' Forcing her palms into the floor, she stood tall. Brushing the material of
her nightdress off, ''Why can't you breathe, Draco?''

''Because you're not mine.'' He didn't spare her a glance, boring his stare into the
stone, his eyelids twitched, ''Because I hurt you and because I'm scared that I've
lost you for good.''

''Draco...''

''Don't pity me. I don't want your pity, Amelie. I want you. I want you for the
rest of my god damn life, but I'm never getting you back, am I?'' He missed her
so much that it tore him to pieces, and she stood right there. She was so close,
yet never had she been further away, ''I fucked it up. Like I fuck everything else
up!''

''Don't say—''

''Don't say what? The fucking truth? I tried to kill you, Amelie. I tried to drown
you in our bloody bathtub, all because I'm so fucking weak!'' Straightening his
shoulders, his eyes found hers again, ''I'm so fucking weak for what I did to you.
I don't deserve you. I could never deserve you after that.''
Never had she been so frustrated. Never had Amelie been so upset with his lack
of understanding in fusion with his stubborn mind, ''You don't get to decide that
for me. I'm fully capable of deciding that on my own. That will never be up to
you, how I choose to love you—''

''You don't know who you're dealing with,'' He yelled, and he started to
intimidate her again, ''You have no bloody idea who I really am behind all that
love I have for you.''

''Tell me then!'' She shouted, despair ripped through her soft vocals, ''Tell me
what the Dark Lord did to you! Help me understand you. You never talk about
it, and I never ask you to because I know how hard it must have been. Just like I
don't talk about Adrian.''

''Don't speak his fucking name,'' Draco spat furiously. He yanked wildly at his
chains, ''I don't want his fucking name on your damn lips, Amelie!''

Gulping, she felt more than guilty that she hid that exact same boy upstairs. That
she rescued his life after he sacrificed it to save them.

''You want to know what happened to me? Yeah? I was bloody tortured since I
was a fucking child — just like you, but the difference is that I was so damn
weak, Amelie. I couldn't stand against it, and I caved. I became what he wanted
me to be, and I turned into a murderer. That's what happened to me.''

Drawing a deep breath, he slackened into his chair, ''He praised me. He awarded
me with compliments and attention, and he asked my parents not to. After he'd
done that, he took it away. He ripped me apart for his own pleasure, and I got
dependent. I got bloody hooked on the validation of a father figure like him. Of
course, I didn't know it back then — how he asked my own father not to give me
any attention and to curse me for every single thing I did. Remember the scars I
showed you in the library? The scars you kiss every chance you get? Many of
them are from battles and fights, yes, but most of them are from my father.''

Amelie slipped down against the wall again, hugging her knees to her chest, and
she listened.

''The Dark Lord gave me everything he secretly took, only to take it away again
on his own terms, and he did that, over and over until there wasn't anything left
of me, and he could shape me into whatever he pleased. Mother always told me
how he threatened them to take me away if they didn't play along. Then I found
you, and you saved me.''

Her heart ached for him. She never knew this.

''So there you have it. I'm a lost fucking cause, and I lived on borrowed time with
you. You gave me the time I never thought I'd have. I got it, and then I ran out of
it because, in the matter of three days, he managed to change me again.''

''You were tortured, Draco,'' She whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks as she
sought too hard to wipe them away before he saw it, ''What he did to you isn't
your fault. It will never be your fault to carry.''

''Yeah?'' He lifted his chin, ''Because you love me? Is that why you're saying
this? Because I'm yours, and you're mine? Because I'd die for you, and you'd
leave for me?''

''Stop, don't say—''

''That it's us, and that we're going to make it out of this?''

''Draco—''

''Then what the hell do you want me to say, Amelie? That I want a family with
you? That I want you to carry my kids? That I have a ring in the inner pocket of
one of my jackets upstairs? That I've had that fucking ring ever since we went to
London before Christmas?''

That caused her to snap her head, looking at him with broad eyes, ''What?''

''That I've wanted to ask you to marry me every damn day since then? Because I
did. I do. I want that. I want all of those things with you. I never thought I could
have that. I never thought I would be loved in the way you love me, and I
thought I'd be alone, but I found you, and then I fucked it up.'' Heaving, his chest
felt like it was on the edge of exploding.

''Don't do this,'' Amelie felt so beaten, her mind couldn't handle much more,
''Don't tell me this.''

''Tell you what?'' Draco kept going, desperate for her to understand, ''The truth?''
''Yes, Draco. Don't tell me the truth when you know we can't have it.''

It turned quiet. Both of them were painfully out of breath.

''You asked me if I'm in love with you,'' Amelie broke the silence, her words
barely heard, ''I could never imagine a life where I won't be.''

Standing on her feet, she felt her bones as they turned to dust within her, and
she, without proper thought to what he'd do to her, raised her wand, and she
whispered, 'finite' underneath her breath.

With broad eyes, Draco watched how the chains loosened, and with a noise
falling to the ground, ''Don't do this, Amelie.''

''I want that future too,'' Her voice held so thin as she stood with her arms
hanging by her sides and her eyes begged his. Silently, she pleaded for his
mercy.

Malfoy forced his hands into the armrests, and he stretched tall on his legs,
''Amelie....''

''Come back to me,'' She said, and that was all it took for him to storm towards
her.

Amelie's breaths hitched the very seconds his palms caught her jaws, and he
heedlessly pushed his lips to hers.

Crashing her spine into the cellar wall, Draco kissed her. His damned lips melted
with her pure ones, and never had he kissed her as he did now.

Pressing his body against hers. He drained her of everything she owned, moving
his lips along with hers, and he stole the air from her lungs.

''I love you,'' Draco breathed heavily into her mouth, one hand stayed on her jaw
as the other tangled in her hair, ''How I fucking love you, Amelie.''

''Come back to me,'' She let out quietly, finding trouble breathing as she
stretched up on her toes and she kissed him back, ''Be with me, Draco.''

''I am yours,'' Growling now, he kept honoring her lips with his, breathing her
and every piece of heaven she brought him, in, ''I'm fucking yours to the end of
time.''

Slipping his hand lower from her chin, he caught her throat, and unconsciously
— he tensed his fingers, ''I love you,'' He groaned, ''I love you.''

''Draco—''

He leaned back as she peeled her lashes wide, and that's when she saw it.

The darkness took over again.

''No, Draco—'' Lifting her hands from his waist, she tried to pry his touch away
from her, ''Stop!''

Malfoy didn't, and panic bolted through her. Viciously, he forced her body into
the wall, her head collided with the stone, ''Draco—''

Amelie couldn't breathe as his hand tightened around her throat, squeezing so
roughly that her eyes nearly rolled back. Her feet didn't touch the ground
anymore.

''Draco!'' She tried to scream, but it was like he didn't hear her, and his grip lifted
her higher.

He was strangling her. The wicked mind the Dark Lord chained him in seized
every ounce of sanity he still owned.

''Draco, please—'' Clawing at his arms, digging her nails into his hands, she
sought to free herself. Tears rolled down her pale skin, and her lips shaded in
blue, and just like that, he ripped his hands off of her.

Stumbling back, he stared ever so blankly down at his own shaking hands.
Malfoy gasped for air as she fell helplessly to the ground.

''No—'' He shook his head, and his gaze trapped the girl coughing on the floor,
''No, no, no. I hurt you again....''

Not wasting a second, he marched to his chair, yelling, ''Chain me!'' Draco
couldn't believe what he'd done. He tried to kill her again, ''Fucking chain me!''
He craved for Amelie to lock him up again. He couldn't risk her. He wasn't as
strong to fight the evil thoughts he carried as he thought he was.

Grasping for her wand, she whispered the spell, and the chains bonded him to
the chair.

''Get out of here!'' He shouted, tears rimmed in his eyes, ''Right now, Amelie.
Get out!''

And she did. Amelie nearly crawled out as the door slammed with a loud thud
behind her.

_____

One week.

One entire week passed since she last saw Draco, and it ached a bit more for
every day that passed. Never did Amelie think it was possible to miss someone
as much as she missed him.

It drowned her, over and over. It took every last piece and toll of her to stay
balanced enough to function for Atlas, to be with him and make sure he had
someone when their mother was still in the wind.

The time she didn't use with her brother she spent crying in the shower, their
bed, and outside the cellar, Draco was locked up inside. Every nerve in her body
ached for him. Every vessel shredded in the utter longing for her heart to beat in
bearing with his again, but she never got there.

Hearing him cry was the worst of it all. As she sat outside the metal door
keeping them apart, she'd hear it. She'd hear his cries, his sobs as they so
heartbreakingly leveled in anger and hatred for himself. Relentlessly, he kept
going. Malfoy yanked at his chains. He screamed and shouted in agony of what
he'd done to her.

Draco always believed he saved her, that he brought her up to the surface sinful
souls in her life continuously kept her below, but never did he think he'd be the
reason she would drown altogether.

She missed him. She missed him. She missed him.

That was all she could manage — that she missed him.

That his voice in the early morning as she rolled over to her side between the
sheets of their bed wasn't hers to hear.

That the kisses he'd poured over her from the second she peeled her lashes wide
to the point where she had to convince him to let her leave the mattress wasn't
hers to have.

That his arms as they slithered around her waist, lifting her and carrying her
back to bed when she tried to get dressed, wasn't hers to feel.

How he spoke to her, that was the hardest of things, she believed, how he made
her feel as his soft lips parted to honor every last inch of her. How he'd praise her
for being the human she lived to be, how he welled kind words over her, how
he'd look at her when he did so. How he'd touch her, how his body, no matter
where they were, always held close to hers.

It tore Amelie apart because he was still there.

Draco was downstairs, and that tended to pain her to a point where she didn't
wish to wake up in the morning. He was there. He wanted her as much as she
wanted him, but he couldn't have her. Malfoy didn't trust himself around her
after he'd tried to kill her again last week.

Finally, she realized how he must have felt when she didn't own her memories of
them. It's been months since then now. Still, it soared within her that he spent
time after time constantly feeling this way for her, and she nearly died after a
week of it.

''I think we should tell him,'' Amelie whispered, barely in between the walls of
her room, ''About Adrian, I mean. I think he deserves to know.''

''Amelie...'' Teddy tilted his head, resting on her side of the bed she shared with
Draco, ''He's making so much progress. It wouldn't be fair to him if we drop this
on him right now. He might snap out of what we worked—''

''Or the other way around,'' Huffing out the words, she tucked her chin into her
folded arms, hugging her knees higher, ''What if this is what he needs to break
out of it altogether?''
''Are you willing to risk that?'' Theo stared at her now, nearly frightened for what
her answer would be, ''He's almost there, Amelie. A few more weeks—''

''A few more weeks?'' Her heavy breaths sogged the glass of her window as she
stared blankly out over the trees, ''In a few more weeks, we could all be dead,
Teddy. In a few more weeks, none of us may be here anymore, and I'm not
waiting weeks to get him back if there's a possibility I can have him back now
—''

''This is not the time to be selfish,'' Propping himself up, Theodore threw his legs
across the edge of her bed, ''Think about what this would do to him—''

''Selfish?'' She hissed, spinning around in her seat, and she stood up, ''Me
wanting him back is selfish? We're lying to him, Teddy. Ever since Azkaban,
we've been lying to him, in his right mind or not, he's still there, but let's say we
do it your way — let's say we don't tell him and he'll be fine on his own, then
he'll never trust us again.''

''Me,'' Theodore rose to his feet, shaking his head at her, ''He'll never trust me
again because I did this. I lied to both of you, and I saved him behind your
backs. That will never be your fault. You didn't choose to bring him back to life
—''

''Neither did you!'' Scowling, Amelie crossed her arms, tightening her fingers
over her shirt, ''You didn't know it was him until weeks later, and when you did
— it was too late. This isn't your fault either. I would never let you take all the
blame for it, but we're making it our fault when we're actively hiding it from
him. We're not making a mistake. We're not keeping him safe. We're making a
choice, Teddy. We're making a choice. Every time you or Narcissa goes down
there, we make a choice not to tell him, and that's on us.''

''That's not how it works,'' Theo stood his ground, offended that she even went
there, ''He tried to kill you—''

''Because they tortured him, because they hurt him and forced him into believing
that all of this is on me.''

She believed it was. Amelie felt the weight on the world as it lingered on her
shoulders, ''Perhaps it is, but he wouldn't do this if they didn't force him to.''
''It's not your fault,'' Teddy reassured her, ''I know you think he's been through
enough, but so have you. This isn't on you. All of this happened because Athena
cheated on your father all those years ago. You were a child.''

''I know I was....'' Sighing out, her fingers twitched against the pad of her palms,
and her eyes flickered to the door as it slowly shoved open, ''But we told Atlas
about him, and Draco deserves to know too.''

''About me?'' Adrian stepped into the room, closing the wood behind him as he
stayed afar, not wishing to intrude, ''I'm sorry I'm late, but Atlas threw that ball
into the woods, and it took us almost half an hour to find it.''

''Where is he now?'' Both of the best friends asked as they snapped their heads
towards each other.

''With Narcissa in the kitchen... She's making him dinner, but you we're saying
—''

''Yes,'' Forcing a smile, Amelie nodded, ''I want to tell Draco about you, and
Teddy doesn't.''

''That's not what I said—''

''That's exactly what you said,'' Amelie raised a brow, glaring at her friend now,
''You said that you didn't want to tell him in case it backlashes on us.''

''And is that really such a bad idea—''

''Yes,'' Adrian pitched in, frowning at his boyfriend, ''That is a bad idea. I've seen
this before, Theo, and I told you that I could help.''

''What?'' Amelie strode forwards now, her whole body stiffened at what Adrian
confessed, ''What do you mean told him? Teddy! You can't just keep these things
from me, not when it comes to Draco—''

Pushing his lips into a solid line, Theodore scoffed at the boy in the far edge of
the room, bothered and displeased with him for exposing him, ''I wasn't hiding
anything. All Adrian said was that he thought he knew how to fix this—''

''You didn't tell her?'' Folding his arms, Adrian straightened his shoulders, ''You
said you told her—''

''Well, obviously, I didn't,'' Panicking at the way they both were confronting him
now, he took aim at the wall and drilled his stare through it.

Rolling her eyes, Amelie faced Adrian instead, shrinking a bit in her way of
standing as she marched closer to him, halting only feet away, ''How do we fix
him?'' She asked, begging almost, ''You said you knew how to fix this?''

''There's a reason I didn't tell her, Adrian. It's not a good idea—''

''We provoke him,'' Pucey hewed Theo off as his eyes fell upon the girl, and he
couldn't fail to notice the lack of sleep she owned. The dark circles underneath
her eyes, her skin ashen. Amelie was exhausted, ''I've done it before, with other...
soldiers, and it's possible to break the state he's in with love like Theodore tries
to do, but it's more likely that you'll break it by hurting him.''

''We tried that,'' She whispered, her sight scanned the boy, ''We tried, but it got
worse. He hurt me instead—''

''Because he hates himself. You and Theo can never be his savior in this. It's as if
he's ripped apart on the inside, one part of him is still here with you, and that's
usually the person talking, so if he's rude or mean with words — then it's usually
because he's trying to distance himself. He knows he doesn't deserve you
anymore, so he tries to make you hate him.'' Taking a breath with slight
hesitation, he could feel Theodore's glare as it burnt through the both of them,
''While the other part, the dangerous one is placed in his body. You said you
kissed when he tried to strangle you?''

A tip of her head spoke loud enough.

''That's because he can't control it. When he stood there, telling you how he
loved you and how much he wanted to be with you, he meant it, but it still took
over his body even if his mind was clear. It's a dangerous thing, playing with a
person in the way they did with him, but it can be fixed, just with more...
provoking methods.''

Amelie blinked, quickly and her eyes were hooded, ''Provoking how?'' Sensing
the hesitancy in his vocals, she needed to know.
''I think you should let me see him, not just telling him about me. I think you
need to bring me in there, and I think he needs to see it, and then you'll leave it
to me.''

It wasn't up to Teddy. Adrian knew that. It was up to her.

This was Amelie's call, and even if she so dubiously stood in front of him, her
body so much more frail and drawn than he'd ever seen her, she nodded, and she
agreed.

It was painful to her, knowing how betrayed Draco would feel by this, but she
needed to do this. Amelie needed him back, no matter what the cost would be.
Prizing that Malfoy would rather have died in that fire than having Adrian to
thank for being alive — she peered back at Theo, and she whispered, ''Let's take
him downstairs.''

_____

The door slammed shut behind her, and the second it did, the very instant
Amelie showed herself through the shadows lingering along with the stone-
covered walls, Draco sighed out.

Shaking his head as his chin dipped to his chest, slacking in his chair, ''No,'' He
said, and he looked away. He couldn't bear to watch her, ''Absolutely not. You
need to leave.''

''Draco...'' Amelie let out, silently, and her veins rushed in pure pain, ''Don't do
that.''

Still with his sight mangled to the ground, he gritted his jaws, ''No. I can't have
you here. I don't want you in here when I'm like this. Not after last time.''

Malfoy refused to let her see him after he attacked her. He could never risk
hurting her again, not having any faith in himself, ''You need to go, Amelie.
Don't do this to me.''

It ached. Every nerve felt like it flamed within him.

Hesitantly, Amelie took slow strides forward until she reached his chair, ''I'm not
afraid of you.'' She wasn't. Never could she be scared of him, and never would
she make him believe that she was. It would cause him to build the walls around
him higher, and she couldn't have that.

''You should be,'' Draco let his sight stay floored, but it was more than hard to do
so. She was standing so close to him now. So near that if he'd tipped his head
forward, he'd bury it in her stomach, ''You should be scared of me. I deserve
that.''

Her fingers tracked towards him, and she let the tips of them brush along his
forehead. Amelie just needed to touch him. She simply craved to feel his skin on
hers.

What she didn't know was that this was killing him. Having her there, inches
apart with her scent of blooming flowers as it trapped him. Draco caved, he'd
always cave for her, and he did what he fought so hard to resist. Curling his
spine, he let his cheek crash against her belly, and he hid his face in the shelter
she brought him.

''I miss you,'' Draco breathed into the soft material of her dress, reaching his
arms out and wrapping them around her waist. The chains clinked along the
rocks as he pulled her in between his legs, ''I miss you so much it bloody hurts.''

One minute. He could afford to lose himself in her embrace for just one minute.

Clinging her own arms around his head, she pushed her nose into his hair, and
she kissed his skull, ''I miss you more,'' Her whisper caused daggers of shivers to
trail down his spine, ''I miss you so much more, Draco.''

Tears crowded her eyes as she held the boy her heart was longing for, ''So please
forgive me for this....''

''What—''

Amelie withdrew, quickly moving her hands down his jaws, and in a swift move,
she pressed her lips to his. She kissed him, her tears rolling over to his cheeks,
''Please forgive me for this, Draco.''

Frowning, he stared wide-eyed at her as she stumbled back. Nearly tripping over
her own feet, her spine collided with the wall next to the door, ''Amelie, what the
hell are you—''
''I lied to you.'' Stuttering her words now, she shook her head, and he could see
just how much all of her demons struggled to get a hold of her, ''I lied to you,
and I am so sorry....''

His face fell, his features shifted in total coldness. He never looked at her like
that, ''What did you do?''

''Ever since we found you, I've been lying,'' Slowly moving her hands over her
dress, she nervously tugged at the edges of it, ''Do you remember the man that
approached me at the masquerade?''

''Still need to kill him,'' Draco rolled his tongue on the inside of his cheek at the
remembrance of how that Death Eater had spoken to Amelie, ''But yes,
unfortunately, I do remember him.''

Not finding any amusement in his way of wording, the tears kept leaking, ''He
wasn't just another man, Draco, and I didn't figure it out until the night we came
to get you.''

''We?'' Raising a brow, he cocked his head, leaning back in his chair, ''Who are
we? You and Zabini?''

''He's the reason we made it out of there, Draco. He saved us.''

''He?'' Clasping his teeth, nearly shattering them at the mention of another man,
''Who the hell is he?'' Draco groaned quietly to himself because there it was
again.

The constant fear of her giving upon him. Malfoy could hear it in his own vocals
as he spoke. The jealousy of someone other being close to her, the torture of
another man saving her when he failed to do so. Deep inside, Draco knew she
would never cease her faith in him. They'd been through too much for her to give
up on him. He knew that. Yet it made his blood boil.

''I thought he died,'' Moving towards the door, she carefully closed her fist
around the handle, ''I thought he died for us. He asked me to burn it down. He
told me to burn Azkaban to the ground, so I did—''

''Wait!'' Pinching his lids for so a second, he flayed them open, and he fixed his
stare upon her again. Pushing his palms into his chair and he straightened his
shoulders, ''Burnt Azkaban to the ground? What the hell are you talking about?
You brunt it down? Amelie, what the—''

Draco couldn't wrap his head around it, that she'd done what she said she did. He
knew her to be powerful, and he always praised that the world rested on the tips
of her adorable fingers, but he never took her for this. Even if he was meant to
be mad, furious with the way she'd been lying to him — he could never be that.

Draco was so proud of her.

''I thought he burnt with it, and that's why we never told you,'' Continuing, she
overlooked the asked questions, ''They were coming for us, and he stayed behind
to stall them, and he dropped his wand, so he couldn't—''

Clearing her throat with a sob, she tried to stay solid, but every bit of that
horrible night flashed through her mind, ''He couldn't take his own life, Draco.
They were capturing him, and they would've figured everything out if they did.
So he told me to burn it down, and I did.''

''Amelie... What did you do?''

Her eyes caught his blond hair, how tousled it looked to be, and her heart ached,
pounding and swelling in her ears as she twisted her wrist around the knob, ''But
he made it, Draco. He was thrown into the water, and he survived.''

Shoving the door wide, the blood flooding through her veins iced, and she tore
her sight away from him. Amelie didn't want to see the look of betrayal as it took
over once her secret was unrolled.

''I am so sorry for this, Draco,'' Barely mouthing the words now, she stepped
aside, ''Please, forgive me.''

And then — then Draco Malfoy looked as if he'd been drained of life. His skin
paled, his eyes darkened, and all the devils he'd slaughtered crammed his
damned pupils, ''No....''

Adrian stepped over the threshold, and the instant he did, his eyes narrowed in
Draco's, ''Well, well, well....'' The boy grinned viciously, ''We meet again,
Malfoy.''
_____
 Ninety-five

This chapter contains mentions of abuse, blood, and rape, along with
emotional trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

''I won't fight for something you're ready to walk away from.''

_____

It took Draco moments, minutes to be exact. Long, hurtful seconds as they

passed ever so slowly, and he watched the boy he saved Amelie from — the
person who robbed her of everything she ever was, step up to stand beside her.

''No...'' He, at last, breathed, shaking his head and trying with every bone in his
body not to give in to the burning rage as it escalated, ''This isn't happening. He's
dead.''

Amelie swallowed the painful lump as it ached in the back of her throat, nearly
fainting right there and then by the look of Malfoy losing his mind, ''Draco, it's
him.''

''Polyjuice?'' The blond hissed, his chest rose, and fell forcefully, ''Is this a
bloody trick to get me loose from the Dark Lord because this isn't funny,
Amelie. This isn't—''

''Oh, so this is your way of saying you didn't miss me?'' Adrian grinned
provokingly. The taunting curl on his lips caused Draco to tense, ''My voice
wouldn't change of the polyjuice.''

He had told Amelie before they stepped through the doors that he needed to be
ruthless. Adrian couldn't hold back on his insults and the way he meant to speak
about her in his presence. It was either Adrian, challenging Draco to a point
where he'd lose it, or it was Teddy trying another week of his method.
He'd done this before. He knew it would work, and even if she knew he enjoyed
this — even if she understood that this wasn't just saving Draco for Adrian, this
was also him getting his vengeance for Malfoy taking her away from him, she
still let him do it.

Amelie needed Draco back.

She couldn't bear to breathe the air if Malfoy weren't the one she'd share it with,
so she allowed Adrian to go as far as he thought to be appropriate.

''You fucking—'' Malfoy growled, ''Don't you dare stand beside her. Get away
from her right now.''

Tears prickled in her eyes because he didn't look at her. Never had he been as
disappointed with Amelie as he was now, ''Draco, please—'' She pleaded, but
without luck.

''Right fucking—'' Rolling his shoulders, Draco grasped at the armrests of his
chair, ''Let me out, Amelie.''

Both of the boys glared at each other from a distance, narrowing forest in ice,
and never had it been a deathlier potion.

''I can't do that,'' She whispered, and now she was the one looking away. She felt
so much guilt. She didn't want to put him through this. Not once did she wish to
pour the memory of what Adrian did to them, over him again, ''He's here to help
us.''

''Let me fucking loose, Amelie.'' Malfoy demanded, so coldly that it shook her,
''Let me out of these chains so that I can kill this fucking—''

''This fucking what?'' Still mocking him, Adrian smirked, ''The reason you're not
a bloody corpse on the bottom of the ocean?''

''Amelie, let me loose.''

''Draco—''

''Right fucking now!'' He shouted, so loudly that it shook the room, ''Step the hell
away from her.''
''Adrian,'' Amelie turned to him, her persona diminished, ''Perhaps you should go
—''

''Not until I fucking kill him,'' Gritting his teeth, Draco spat his words with more
despise she'd ever heard him utter, ''He's not going anywhere with you and Atlas
in the house.''

''Atlas, you say?'' Adrian neglected Amelie's plea for him to leave the room, and
he maintained his smug behavior, ''He's quite good at playing catch.''

Draco snapped his head, glaring at the girl who stood more than beaten in the
middle of the room. The words Adrian spoke caused his blood to ice, ''You let
him near Atlas?''

''Oh, she did more than that.'' Adrian kept pushing, needing Malfoy to lash out.
He knew that was the only way for Amelie to get her Draco back, ''That bed of
yours is quite comfortable, Malfoy.''

''Adrian...'' Scared as she was, she tried to warn Adrian. She knew how ruthless
the love of her life could come to be once someone spoke about her in the terms
he'd done. Draco ripped apart every soul that talked tastelessly about her, ''That's
enough.''

''You bloody imbecile,'' Malfoy roared, wrenching in his chair as the chains
began to unhook from around his wrists. Veins slithered and popped out of his
arms, the blood rushed through him wildly, ''If you're even thinking about
touching her, ever again, I'll rip you to pieces limb by fucking limb until you're
begging me to kill you.''

''Oh please,'' Adrian scoffed, and he stepped ahead of Amelie, walking so close
to the blond that she now feared for Adrian's life.

She knew Adrian to be powerful, strong, and mighty, but Draco was even worse,
''It wouldn't be something we haven't done before. I had her years before you
even earned a chance with her, Malfoy, and let me tell you, I know exactly why
you're so protective over her.''

''Adrian!'' Amelie couldn't bear this. She thought she could, but all of this would
go to waste if Adrian didn't live to see another day, ''That is more than enough, I
think you should leave—''
''Yeah?'' Draco rose his chin, staring daringly back at Pucey. His chest felt like it
would explode, his heart pounding, ''Is that why she left you for me? Because
you're so much better?''

Adrian rose a brow, nodding mockingly, ''Is that why she welcomed me back
with open arms?'' He chuckled, darkly, ''Because you were such an upgrade—''

''She's mine,'' Feeling his temper as it leaked, Draco drew a breath, ''She'll always
be mine.''

''Keep telling yourself that, and perhaps you'll start to believe it,'' The provoking
boy dragged his hands through his hair, and he backed away, closer to the girl
again. He peered around the room, ''But you're the one locked up in here, while I,
Malfoy — while I'm upstairs, with her. Comforting her all alone—''

That was what it took for Malfoy to twist his wrists, and before Amelie could
manage to blink, Draco tore brutally at his chains, ''You're dead,'' He grinned,
sensing the metal as it caved.

Without missing a beat of his heart, Malfoy stood up, flying to his feet almost.
The chains fell to the ground with the loudest of thuds.

''No—'' Amelie gasped, but she didn't stand a chance. He'd already gripped
Adrian by the collar of his shirt, and he tackled the boy to the ground, ''Draco—''

But the blond didn't hold back. His balled fist crashed against Adrian's jaw
repeatedly. Over and over until blood gushed from his nose and mouth, ''You're
not worthy of the air she's breathing,'' Malfoy shouted, not even feeling the pain
in his hands by the ruthless acts he executed.

''Draco, stop it!'' Amelie tried to yank the wild boy back, but he didn't budge.
Instead, he threw Adrian across the room, causing him to collide violently with
the stone-covered floor.

''She's mine,'' Draco growled, storming up to Adrian's numb body, ''She's fucking
mine, and if you as much as look at her again—''

Heaving out of control, he didn't spare Pucey any mercy.

Amelie didn't know what to do. She'd never overrule Malfoy in this state.
Thinking, her thoughts rushed through her head, and just as Draco's hand raised
in the air to deliver yet another punch — Amelie twitched her hand with her
wand firmly hugged in it. The shattered chains coating the ground flew over the
room and snaked their way across the blond's frame.

''What the—'' His arms strained and restricted, the metal wrapped around the
entirety of his raging self, ''Amelie, what the hell did you—''

''You can't,'' She stood petrified, shaking uncontrollably. Not wishing to do this
to him, but she didn't see another way for this to stop, ''You can't do this to him,
Draco. He's the last chance for you to come back to me.''

Crawling across the floor, she tugged at Adrian's shirt, pushing her cheek to his
chest to feel his pulse, ''You'll be okay. You'll be okay....'' She whispered to
herself, and guilt washed over her like a tidal wave.

Theodore always protected Draco, and the utter fact that she couldn't do the
same for the boy Teddy loved tore through her, ''You have to be okay.''

His chest slightly leveled, indicating a beat of his heart and his lungs as they
filled with air. Adrian coughed out, blood stained her clothes.

''Amelie, what is wrong with you?'' Draco growled, still attempting to loosen the
chains she'd trapped him in, ''He abused you, he fucking raped you, and now?
What the hell are you doing now?''

Snapping her head, brown strands of hair smeared to her damp skin, and Malfoy
would cease to exist the instant he saw that glint of betrayal in her eyes, ''I don't
care right now, Draco!'' She couldn't stop crying, ''He's bringing you back to me!
He's not here for you or me. He's here for Teddy!''

Squinting, Draco shook his head, ''What are you—'' And that's when it hit him.
Malfoy might have been cursed, but he wasn't foolish, ''No... Tell me he didn't.''

''He's not here for me....'' Amelie rose to her knees, brushing Adrian's tousled
hair away from his forehead, ''I was with you, Draco. I was yours, and he's not
here for me.''

Slowly, Malfoy stopped fighting her magic, and he fell back into his chair.
Never had he looked as defeated as he did now. A sickening feeling rocked him,
''Was?'' Draco breathed, ''You were mine? You're not anymore?''

Staring at the ground, she stayed quiet. Pinching her lashes shut for a mere
second, ''I am yours.''

Clenching his teeth, he grittily spoke through them, ''You said was.''

''I meant am—''

''Are you still in love with me?''

There it was, once again, she believed. He doubted her, and she couldn't blame
him. Amelie doubted him just as much.

Standing up, her knees nearly crumbled. The panic of not knowing what to do
caused her to feel nauseous. Her pulse towered.

Something crackled within Malfoy. Something that he'd fought so hard for,
something he'd tried to give his life for so many times, wasn't there anymore. He
didn't think she loved him. He didn't believe she was in love with him anymore.

It was the silver lining in his horrendous life. Her. It had been her, ever since he
watched her sprint through the corridors back at Hogwarts, ever since she
approached him and talked to him in the hallways outside the class only they
had, ever since he'd seen her fade away, not smiling, not sprinting, not talking.

Amelie became invisible to the sinful souls as they feasted on her. As they took
every last inch and piece of the girl, he found so mesmerizing. She faded. She
wasn't seen anymore — except she was.

He always saw her, and she never knew.

And he looked at her now, seeing as she stood in a dark blue dress, edging at her
knees. It had long sleeves, and her throat had stains of magic glimmering
through the bits of dust as it misted.

Malfoy failed to notice. He didn't see how he now was the reason she dressed
that way, that he'd hurt her more than anyone ever could.

It wasn't him to her anymore. Oh, how he didn't understand how wrong he was.
''Draco—''

''I had it coming,'' Malfoy looked away, ''I hurt you. I promised I would never
hurt you, and I did. This is my own fault.''

Begging him in silence now, Amelie took steps forward. She knew he wouldn't
recover from this. He'd die once he connected with the deep, hidden emotions he
held. He'd curse himself for doing this to her, ''Draco, I will always be in love
with you—''

''No, you won't, and I can never blame you for it. You're not in love with me
anymore.''

''Stop,'' She began to tremble, ''You don't know what you are—''

''What?'' He snapped, rudely, and once again, Draco spaced himself from all the
feelings he carried, ''What don't I know? That I hurt you? That I tried to fucking
kill you, and it's been almost three god damn weeks?''

Tears rimmed her eyelids.

''I said I would never hurt you, but I did. I've hurt you so many times now, and I
can never be with you once this is over.''

It felt surreal to her, something that wasn't truly happening. Her heart dropped.

''I can't be with you when this is over, when this war is done. I can't, and I won't,
so leave when you still have the chance, Amelie. Leave and save yourself
because I'm already gone.''

Crying. That was what she did. Amelie stood there with her heart as it stopped.

''What happened?''

She flinched, her body jolted backward, and her spine collided with the wall.
Tears fled her lids. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

Theo didn't even bother the two boys. He couldn't mind them when she stood
there, on the far edge of falling apart, ''Amelie—''
''He got out,'' She stuttered, and it looked to Theodore as if she was captured in
some sort of trance, ''He was so mad and he—''

''It's okay,'' Nodded Theo, with so much compassion he could master when he
knew Adrian to be lying bleeding on the ground, ''It's alright, Amelie. I can heal
him.''

''He's—''

''I know,'' Slowly and carefully, Theodore wrapped his arms around her.
Showing her yet again that she'd always be his priority. It would ever so be her
to him, ''Why don't you go upstairs and clean up, take a shower perhaps? And I'll
deal with this.''

''Amelie,'' It was heard as a plea from Draco, but she couldn't listen. She couldn't
hear him because if she let herself catch the words she knew he'd be speaking,
Amelie would fade.

He was letting her go. Malfoy was loosening her from the hold she had of his
heart and never had anything hurt as it did now.

_____

Adrian yet strained to seek mercy within the vicious state of Malfoy's mind. He'd
toiled beyond reason. Worked rigorously, day in and day out, endlessly, almost.
Both of the rivals fought through spilled blood and tears, hurt and pain leveled
— still Draco wasn't ready, nowhere near it.

But he didn't give up, and that was all Adrian needed. It provoked the blond,
extremely so, that Adrian was the one doing this, yet it seemed to be working.
The raging verity of Amelie's worst nightmare being the sole reason for him
coming back caused him to strive further on his own.

What Adrian put him through, every act he'd so ruthlessly forced upon Amelie,
he showed him, over and over, making it sense similar to a memory Draco had
lived through himself. And when that wasn't working, Pucey put their happiness
on display, how he'd taken Amelie traveling. Visiting every country she wished
to see. How he'd treated her better than Malfoy ever thought he, himself, did.
How they were happy with another. How Adrian Pucey, if so for a short while,
made Amelie, the happiest girl he'd ever seen.
Everything hurt.

Draco couldn't bear a single thing of it, not anymore.

It didn't feel worth it to him, not without her.

She wasn't in love with him. That was all he ever thought about since she'd
walked out on him a week ago. One month had they been like this. One whole
month had he been without her, and it caused his insides to wrench and his veins
to sicken.

Malfoy always promised her that she'd be safe with him, over and over until
there wasn't a thing left of him. He'd give her his last piece in a heartbeat, but
now she didn't want it anymore. All because he couldn't keep his promise.

Draco believed that, more than anything, he'd maintained that mindset not to
break. If he for one mere second imagined her, waiting for him — her breaking
apart in the missing of him, he'd cease to exist himself.

He simply couldn't do that. He couldn't vision her putting her entire being on
hold for him to come back to her, yet she did. Amelie waited. She'd always wait
for him.

She did everything Draco refused to see. She missed him. She missed him and
she put every piece of herself on hold for him to come back to her.

Amelie hated her birthday. She loathed it with every nerve-racking bone in her
body, always had she despised it, and she never knew why. Thinking it had
something to do with her mother, that she'd abandoned her close to it. That no
one except Teddy made it count — that she didn't wish to age.

She was scared of leveling her number of years on this planet. Absolutely
terrified she was, because she didn't know how long she'd stay. Every year, it felt
to her as if she was running out of time. It caused her to feel as if she hadn't
accomplished any of the things she urged for.

But today — today, it was worse than it ever had been.

Today she was turning nineteen, and all she could think about was Draco.
Laying on his side of their bed, sinking as deep as she possibly could into his
mattress, she hoped to catch a swift sweep of his scent.

She managed to, sometimes.

If she buried her face enough, she could feel that trapping smell of home he ever
so brought her.

The sun flickered, beams of it tickled at her nose, causing her to scrunch it a
little, but she quickly relaxed. Malfoy wasn't here to brush the tip of his nose
against the spine of hers. He always did that when she woke up, slowly, he'd
stoke his skin near hers, and he'd linger for minutes before he finally kissed her.

He'd praise her, he'd honor her body with his, and it pained her. It suffocated
Amelie to a point where she dragged her sheets over her head to escape reality.
She didn't want to be there anymore.

Hearing the slight noisy footsteps from outside, how they'd wrestle to enter her
room first, she forced a smile. Pinching her lashes shut and taking the deepest of
breaths to prepare herself for the boys she knew would storm into her room,
Amelie trembled.

''Happy birthday!'' Atlas shouted as he slammed the door broad with a thud,
making it collide roughly with the wall, and he marched inside ''Happy, happy,
happy birthday!''

The bliss in his vocals, ripping through her ears at the early hour, almost made a
true smile climb her, almost. Stalling a bit in her doings, she stayed hidden
below the sheets, feeling how her little brother crawled up on the bed.

''Amelie, wake up!'' He laughed, yanking at her bed-linen, kneeling his way
closer to her, ''It's the best day!''

''Is it?'' Amelie whispered from behind the soft fabric, mockingly, and when her
brother least expected it — she flung forward, her arms wrapping around him.
She forced him down with her, ''Looks like I won.''

''You cheated!'' He chuckled, trying to get out of her hug, ''You did that when I
wasn't prepared!''
''Well...'' Amelie smiled, falling next to her brother instead, her hair tickling his
nose, ''That's a you problem and not a me problem, isn't it?''

Stretching his arms and legs out, he began pushing her off the bed, ''Only
because it's your birthday, doesn't mean you have to be mean—''

''Good morning, my love,'' Theodore stood in the doorway, smiling broadly at

the two siblings, ''Special day today, isn't it?''

Blushing, she propped herself up on her elbows. Her chest slightly heaving
underneath her nightdress, ''I don't know, Teddy. Is it?''

But it didn't take long until she jolted, bending over her own legs and wrapping
the sheets around herself, solidly. Adrian stepped up beside Theodore, and no
matter how well they seemed to get along now, she was still, in many ways,
scared of showing too much of herself.

He noticed. She never believed that he did, but Adrian noticed every time.

Even before he returned and Theodore shaped him into a worthy human being,
he'd see how she flinched, how her body coiled, and how her eyes twitched in
uncertainty.

Adrian had spent what felt like a lifetime hurting her, over and over. He could
never escape the responsibility for that. He didn't want to. Knowing that they
would never forgive him for his past, he didn't ask for their mercy. Adrian
adapted. He made sure, no matter in which situation they were held in — that
Amelie was feeling sheltered when he was around.

Never did he cross a line. He couldn't even if he tried. This wasn't the same as it
had been before. Pucey didn't see Amelie with spite and anger anymore. There
wasn't a point to do so. He was happy in Theodore's company, and his mind had
brightened with the way Theo healed him.

Now — now Adrian Pucey didn't fully understand how he was capable of those
things to begin with. He still knew what he'd done, how much he'd hurt her. He
would work relentlessly in order for her to feel secure with him again.

''I'm sorry—'' Amelie breathed, tugging the cover up over her chest, lying flat on
the mattress again, ''I didn't realize you'd be here—''
Shooting her a sympathetic arch as it curved on his lips, Adrian nodded out
towards the hallway behind him, ''If you want me to go, I'll go. You know that.''

Squinting at the roof, she hummed silently to herself before she curled up against
the headboard of her bed, dragging her sheets with her, ''I'd like for you to stay if
it's okay with you?''

Amelie felt nervous. Adrian had seen her in all the ways Draco did, yet it was
different now. She didn't want her body to be on display for anyone who wasn't
that particular blond boy her heart ached for.

''Well, he got you something. So—'' Teddy shouldered Adrian to the side,
smirking as he went up to her bed with a tray balanced in his hands, ''But Atlas
and I got you the best gift.''

''Where is Narcissa?'' Her little brother peered up from behind the sheets, ''She
said she made you a cake—''

Theodore gave Amelie a serious stare, hurtful almost, ''She's... in the basement,
doing laundry, but she'll be here any minute.''

Marching around the bed, Theodore slipped down next to Atlas, and he rose to
bicker with the boy almost immediately. Meanwhile, Adrian rested close to her,
sitting on the bed.

''What happened?'' Amelie asked quietly. Narcissa adored Amelie. If she wasn't
here to wish her happy birthday — something was wrong, ''Tell me what
happened.''

Adrian peered down at the girl, a soft smile on his lips. He wished to lie. He
truly wished he could lie to her and tell her that it's nothing, but he wouldn't do
that. He'd treated her more than poorly in the past, and now — now he hoped to
change that, ''Malfoy had a rough morning.''

Cocking her head, Amelie looked up at him, startlingly, ''Rough morning?'' She
questioned, her pulse raising, ''What do you mean, rough morning? Is he hurt?''

''He's coming back,'' Adrian huffed out, silently as both Teddy and Atlas kept
fighting, ''He's slowly returning, and that hurts him because he, at the same time,
tries to stay away. He tries to distance himself from you because he hurt you.''
Nodding, faintly, she pushed herself up on the bed, slipping her legs across the
edge of the mattress, ''I'm going down there.''

''Amelie,'' Adrian tried to call for her, but the girl had already rushed out the
door.

Sprinting down the stairs, her bare feet soared upon the marble, stinging into the
pads of them, but she didn't stop, and with the air, as it trapped in the back of her
throat — out of breath, she slammed her palms into the stone next to the metal
door she feared.

It was the thing keeping them apart. That door she'd rip off its handles the very
second Draco's mind cleared, and she'd burn it. Never did she want to see it
again.

Taking another step towards the doomed door, she faltered to the hilt. Amelie
couldn't move.

''I can't do this anymore.''

''Draco...'' Narcissa spoke softly, ''She'll be alright.''

''She won't. She might let you believe that she is, but she's not. She won't be
alright, not after this.''

Her heart ached so wildly within the cage of her chest. She was hearing
something so rare. Something she wished she never had to hear ever again.

Draco was crying.

''You need to have faith in her. She'll be alright when you're back with her. She
loves you, Draco.''

''I don't want her to love me. I don't ever want her to love me after this. I'll do
what I can to help her, mother. I'll do everything I can to make sure her brother
is safe and she's unharmed, but I can't do this anymore. I can't be the reason
she's hurting again.''

Narcissa gave out a vague sigh, heard as she stepped closer to her son, ''You're
the reason she's not hurting. If you wouldn't be here, then she'd be hurting, but
this pain she's in now — it's nothing compared to the pain she'll feel if she's
losing you.''

''I'm already gone, mother.''

Amelie slipped down the wall. Hugging her knees to her chest and she wrapped
her arms around herself. She shouldn't be listening. She knew that. This was as
private as anything could be, but never could she leave him. Even if he didn't see
her — she had to be there.

Hoping that he'd always feel her.

''Don't say that, Draco. Don't ever say that. You're my son, even if you don't feel
as if you are my child anymore — you are, and you always will be.''

Narcissa knew that if Draco left this world, Amelie would too. Not once had she
seen two people with souls as tangled as theirs. As laced with tenderness and
devotion. As worshipped and cared for. Amelie and Draco had gone through the
burning depth of hell on their own, and together, only to find salvation and
shelter in another.

It was the heaviest of fears Mrs. Malfoy carried, that they wouldn't survive
without the other. Amelie would never take another breath if Draco weren't
inhaling the same air as she was, and neither would he. Malfoy's heart, drawn
and frail as it was, kept beating for her. Always in bearing with hers and without
Amelie, he wouldn't last. Seconds, perhaps, but not a beat more.

Soulmates, Narcissa believed, and even if it was a heartbreaking time as this one
— it caused her to smile. She never considered soulmates being something to
exist in this world, but that was before she saw them together.

Draco swept Amelie off her feet. He saved her over and over. Ever so would he
guard her soul and protect her heart, but what mesmerized the lady as she stood
in that chamber, looking at her son's breaking self, was how Amelie had saved
him.

Malfoy as a boy was nothing to be explained. He was ruthless, cruel, and hard-
hearted. Most of it, she was to blame for. Narcissa never protected her son, and it
warmed her to see that Amelie did. She brought life into the numb boy. She
watched his flaws, his demons, and all the sins he'd executed, yet she loved him
even more.

She caused him to feel worthy as if he had a place on this earth that was his to
have. It hypnotized Narcissa, knowing that love — love as Amelie and Draco's
still managed to rule over the darkness.

''I know I am,'' Draco muttered through a sob, agonizingly, ''I am your child. I'll
always be your son, but I'm so tired, mother. I am so exhausted without her, but
you don't understand. I can't be with her. I don't want to be with her anymore. I
broke her.''

Taking a deep breath, Malfoy gripped the armrests of his chair, ''I always
believed I saved her, but how could I do that when they turned me against her. I
tried to kill her, twice. There's no coming back from that, and even if it were — I
would never want that.''

''Why is that, Draco?''

''Because she'll forgive me. She would forgive me in a heartbeat, and she'd
convince herself that I didn't hurt her because she doesn't want me to hurt. She
would slowly go back to everything I've worked for her to stop with, and I can't
do that to her.''

''Is that why you're holding back?'' Narcissa asked silently, ''Is that why you
don't let Adrian help you? Because you're scared, she'll accept all of this without
question?''

''I can't do that to her. I'd rather lose her than see her go through all of that
again.''

Amelie had to place her palm over her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut to stop
the tears from rolling. She couldn't breathe.

''I don't think that's your choice to make, son. You wish for her to live freely, but
you're taking that choice away from her. This isn't up to you.''

''I'm not surviving this, mother. You know I'm not,'' His voice calmed, like he
was speaking something so certain, ''I won't make it out of this in one piece. You
know that. If not Dark Lord has me executed. The ministry will. I've done
unforgivable things. I'm a murderer, and in one way or another — I'll pay for
what I've done.

''You don't know that—''

''I do, and it's more than fine. I've come to peace with what will happen to me, as
long as she's unharmed and that Theodore and the little one are safe — I can go.
I could use the rest, mother.''

It was a shaking sound his mother let slip her red painted lips, ''Don't speak like
that, Draco. I won't allow it.''

''It's already done.''

''She won't survive if you leave her.''

''She has Teddy. She has Atlas. She'll get her mother back — she'll have that
little family that I can't give her. I can't give her a life away from all of this. I'll
always be doomed. It's in my blood. So why would I take that away from her?
She could be happy with them.''

''I won't be happy without you....'' Amelie whispered to herself, tears reeled
down her cheeks, dripping onto her arms as she gasped for air, ''I will leave if
you do.''

''She needs you.'' Narcissa spoke up painfully, ''I think it's proven that you two
need each other.''

''I think she did, once. I think she needed me for a while when she was lost,''
Draco smiled proudly through his own tear jammed eyes, ''But she's not lost
anymore. She's not in need of anyone but herself, and that's all I ever wished for.
She changed, mother. She changed, and she became someone I could never
deserve.''

Narcissa was staying quiet now.

''She's not... as fragile as she was when I took her in when I was meant to fool
her. She managed to fight twelve Death Eaters without me. She found her
mother. She leveled Azkaban with the ground. She's letting Pucey in,'' Draco
paused, catching his breath, ''She might have needed me, once, but that was a
long time ago. She's come longer than any of us expected for her to do, and
that's all I need, mother. That's all I could ever ask for.''

Amelie shook. She couldn't take in what he was speaking. He wanted to leave
her.

Draco Malfoy couldn't do this anymore.

''I'm so—'' Nearly sobbing himself, Draco drew a sharp inhale, shaking his head,
''I'm so damn proud of her, mother. We had a beautiful time together, her and
me. I don't know what I would've done without her, and I'd do anything to relive
it, exactly how it was, but this isn't my story. It isn't me this is about. It's her. It
will always be her.''

''Don't do this, Draco. Don't decide this now. Let's try and get the two of you
back together, and then you'll see—''

''I was always meant to go after her. It wasn't a secret, mother. I was meant to
love her, to have something — someone before I went. I had her. My beautiful
Amelie.''

''Please, son. If you just talk to her—''

''She can't know. I don't ever want her to know. I want her to wake up one day —
a rainy one,'' He grounded his stare, ''It has to rain. She'll be happy when it
rains. And then I want her to turn over, to kiss me like she always does in the
morning, and I want to kiss her. I just want to kiss her, mother....''

He couldn't hold his tears in, no matter how hard he tried.

''Then I want her to go up, to take her braid out, like she always does... She
thinks it's a secret that she takes her braid the first thing in the morning, but it's
not. She doesn't like her neck.'' Huffing out half a chuckle, he shook his head, ''If
she only knew how much I love it, her neck.''

''Draco—''

''That's when I want to go. When I lay there, hearing the rain against the
window, seeing and smiling at her in that beautiful nightdress of hers... That's
when I'm done, mother. Silently, as if I'm falling asleep. I just want to fade away
while looking at her.''
Amelie nearly fell over as she pushed herself up from the floor, her spine
crashing against the stone wall.

''Don't do this to her....''

''She'll be happy, mother. You'll look after her, she'll look after you, and you'll be
happy, both of you. Both of my girls.''

Amelie didn't go in. She wished she could, but she didn't. It hurt her so much,
knowing that he was in so much pain that he was meant to leave her. Draco had
a whole plan figured out. He knew exactly how to leave her and when to do so.

Not understanding why. Not truly grasping how he could do this to her. It wasn't
supposed to end this way. This was never supposed to happen. She was
supposed to have him. He was her Draco for a reason and a beautiful reason at
that.

She was his Amelie. She ever so believed she'd be his Amelie.

Never did she think of an outcome where he wasn't hers, and she wouldn't be his.
Never did she imagine that he didn't wish for the same thing she did, and it
shattered her.

_____

Amelie spent the rest of that day with Atlas. She let him bake for her. She
watched as he and Adrian mixed and poured ingredients into different bowls.
Theodore granted Pucey a kiss on the cheek here and there, and it caused her to
feel.

She was so happy for them.

She even smiled, from time to time, but not too often, only when her little
brother was looking.

She didn't want to smile. She didn't want to think. She simply craved to be with
Atlas until he went to bed, and then she wished to disappear.

Theodore caught onto her, dragging her out of the room to talk to her, but she
didn't say much. She stayed quiet.
It wasn't until late at night when she laid next to Atlas, listening to the sounds he
formed as he slept, she felt like she could breathe. Amelie did that often.
Listening to his breathing. She used to do the same thing with Malfoy when he
was the one laying next to her — she'd make sure, all night, that he was still
breathing. That he was alive and that he wasn't going anywhere, but now she
couldn't think about that without crying.

He wanted to leave her.

That was all that flooded through her head.

Not being able to take it anymore, she rose from her lying position, crawling to
the edge of her mattress. She slipped to the floor and walked out of her room.
Hesitantly, Amelie strode her way through the mansion she now was living in.

Quietly marching past every door. She didn't quite understand where she was
going until she stood outside Theodore's room. Her fingers nervously tugged at
the edges of her nightdress as she, as gently as she could, wrapped one of her
fists around the handle.

''Adrian...'' Amelie whispered, dubiously, ''Are you—''

''Mhm,'' He tossed in Theodore's bed, being the one sleeping on the side next to
the door, ''What is it? Did something happen—''

''I need you.''

Not once did Adrian stall it, he flipped the covers off, tangling Theodore's arms
away from him, and he strode across the floor. Amelie backed up anxiously. She
didn't quite know if this was okay. If she could speak to Adrian like she wanted
to.

''Here,'' He mumbled, gripping her wrist in a soft hold, and he dragged her with
him throughout the house until they reached the far end of it. He wasn't wearing
more than a loose t-shirt and his striped night pants, but he didn't bother. Not
when she needed him.

Bringing her up to one of the roofs, he let go of her. Amelie peered around.
She'd never been up there, ''What is this place?'' She let out, airily, ''When did
you find this?''
''A few weeks ago,'' He whispered, looking over his shoulder at where he would
usually sit, ''You know how I love—''

''Roofs,'' Amelie finished for him, smiling shyly to herself, ''You always used to
sneak up on them.''

''I did,'' He hunched, patting the seat next to his for her to slip down to, ''It's...
calming, being alone like this.''

Amelie did what he wished for her to do. She kneeled next to him as the nightly
breeze smoothly grazed against her exposed arms, dancing through her hair, ''I
liked being up there with you. The little spot you had outside your bedroom
window, where your mother always found us in the middle of the night.''

Huffing out a weak chuckle, he tipped his head, looking right at the girl. The
moon glimmered above them. Adrian had missed her. He'd missed the
relationship they had behind all the bad memories. What they were before he
failed her.

The two used to be best friends. They had a love story and a friendship that was
unmatched to him. He cherished the bond he had with her. The way she was his
reason to smile, his way of keep going. She always did so much for him, caused
him to feel in ways he didn't know he could.

Adventures, trips, secret jokes — he missed all of it. He missed her like that, and
he was more than proud to see that side of her again.

It wasn't the same as it was before, not when Malfoy wasn't beside her, but he
still, underneath that coat of sorrow, saw her. She never believed that Adrian saw
her, but he did. He always did.

''I remember when we fell asleep out there,'' She continued, closing her eyes and
breathing the air in, ''Your mother was furious with us.''

''She was so mad,'' He laughed, shaking his head, ''She was terrified that we
would fall off that bloody roof.''

''So was I,'' She shouldered him a bit to the side, ''But you always held me, so it
was fine.''
It hurt. His chest tightened as he looked away, gazing over the surroundings. She
noticed, ''Do you hold Teddy? When you take him up here?''

His shoulders sunk, his brows rested, ''I haven't—'' Breathing heavily now, he
swallowed, ''I haven't taken him here yet.''

She looked away too, gazing across the treetops.

''Tell me what happened,'' Adrian said, his voice low and drowsy, ''You didn't
wake me at eleven just to spend time with me, did you?''

He smirked at her playfully.

Amelie sighed, loudly and her fingers tangled in her lap, looking down at them,
''It's Draco,'' She tried to stay as solid as she knew how ''I overheard him talking
to Narcissa this morning. I shouldn't have done so, I know, but I did and—''

Heaving, her chest rose and fell heavily. Every breath she inhaled stung
miserably. She'd been keeping it together during the day, for Atlas but it was
beginning to get to her.

''One word at the time,'' He placed his hand on top of hers, it was so large,
cupping both of her hands with the pad of his palm, ''Just tell me one thing at the
time, and I'll help you.''

Nodding, she let him hold her hands. Her voice was airy, scared almost, ''He
wants to die, Adrian.'' She whimpered, so quietly that he nearly missed it, ''When
all of this is over — he wants to leave me.''

Adrian gritted his jaws, holding a severe mantle.

''He doesn't want me to know. He just wants to fade away one day and leave
me.''

''Mhm..." Adrian mumbled, tightening the hold of her hand, ''Did he tell Narcissa
why?''

''He's tired. He's exhausted, and he doesn't think he can do this anymore.'' It hurt
her so much to speak like she did now. She couldn't believe her own words,
''He's been through a lot, and he just wants to rest.''
He could see on the constant parting of her lips that she wished to speak more.
So Adrian remained silent.

''And I understand that. I understand that he's tired, exhausted, but he's leaving
me, Adrian. I always thought it would be us after this, but he doesn't want that
anymore.'' She felt tears as they burnt in the lids of her eyes, her insides
weighted, ''He said he loved me, and that's why he wants to do this, but I can't do
this without him. I can't be here if he's not.''

''I know you can't,'' His note softened. He would always shift brighter for her, ''I
think you should talk to him. I think you need to talk to him about this — all of
it, because he's coming back, Amelie. A few more sessions and he'll be—''

''That doesn't matter anymore,'' She said, hewing him off, ''It doesn't matter
because he's leaving either way.''

Adrian shook his head, ''You don't know that,'' He tried to convince her, ''You
don't know if this is a side effect of what the Dark Lord did to him if he's feeling
like this at the moment. I've seen this before, Amelie. I've seen people change on
their way back from that darkness he's trapped in, but they always snap out of it
when they're ready—''

Staying hushed, Amelie simply locked her glance over the world. The sphere
she'd hoped to be sharing with that blond boy her heart kept beating for.

Minutes passed where it was just them — two people that had hurt the other
more than anything pain allowed, yet, somehow — this was the one person she
went to for comfort. She'd never, in a million years, think that Adrian would be
the one making her more assured when it came to Draco. Still, he was now.

''I missed this,'' She finally let out, still smiling to herself, '' I missed this version
of you.''

Adrian rose his brows, startled that she admitted to it, ''I missed this version of
me too....'' His teeth showed for a second, a shy curl on his lips, ''And I missed
you, Amelie.''

Moving her head, it landed on his shoulder. She nestled up to where she once
loved to be, ''I missed you too.''
Tilting his own head, it struck hers. Adrian wrapped an arm around her, holding
her steady upon the roof, ''It will be okay,'' He said, mumbling the words into her
head, ''No one in their right mind lets you go. He won't leave you.''

''You let me go,'' Amelie whispered, catching the edge of his shirt between her
fingers.

''And that I will regret for the rest of my life,'' Adrian revealed, ''That was one of
my gravest mistakes, and I'll spend my days paying for it, but only because I did,
doesn't mean he will. I didn't think it was possible for someone to love you more
than I did, but Malfoy proved me wrong. He loves you in ways no one ever
could.''

''You think so?'' Amelie asked hesitantly, ''You think he loves me? Even if he
wants to leave me?''

Humming, Adrian hugged her tighter, ''I think he's doing this for you. I think that
in his mind — this is for you. Like he's doing you a favor, almost. That he's
taking all the evil away from you, but he doesn't realize he's not the bad parts of
you. He's a part of all the good ones.''

Amelie dipped her chin forwards, hiding her face and the tears cramming her
eyes. Draco Malfoy indeed lived to be all her good days.

''He's everything to me,'' Whispering again, she leaned onto him. Her own arms
hugging around his body, ''He really is, Adrian. Without him — there's no me.''

''I know there isn't,'' He kissed her head unhesitatingly, but he figured she
wouldn't mind. Knowing that she was a soul, constantly thirsting for comfort,
''It's like that thing with rain you told me. He's the rain to your flower.''

Amelie smiled through the painful, leaking tears, ''He's all of the rain. All of my
storms. All of my sunny, joyful moments. He's that beautiful spark in the sky
after a thunderstorm, where the sun breaks through, and the rain pours — that's
how it feels, loving him.''

She sucked in a harsh breath, laced with the cool late hour air as it darkened
even more around them, ''It's beautiful, the love we share. Him and I. It's the best
thing I've ever had, and it hurts that he's willing to give up on it — on us.''
''Amelie—'' Adrian spaced from her, looking down at the girl with daggers of
hurt as it pained his pupils, ''Don't—''

''He's all my reasons, Adrian. Every single one of them. He and Teddy. If he's
leaving, I'm leaving too.'' She could try. Amelie could make an effort to stay
without Draco, but everyone, even Adrian, knew she wouldn't come far. She'd
barely last a minute if he weren't there, right beside her.

''He's not leaving, and neither are you,'' Exhaling sharply, he was terrified to
confess what he was about to reveal, ''I can't lose you, Amelie.''

His tone was filled with truth. This was truly Adrian speaking straight from his
hidden heart, ''I have Theodore, I know I do, and I'll never want anyone else but
him. Theodore means the world to me. But we can't lose you. Not you, Amelie.
Hell, I can't lose Malfoy either if it means that I'll lose you.''

''You'll be fine—''

''I won't be. I'll never be fine without you. I never was fine without you. I will
always be a mess when you're not here. Theodore wouldn't make it a day,''
Nearly heaving now, he shook his head, ''I know it's not the same like it was
before. We're not... in love anymore, and I don't want us to be. I want Theodore
with all my heart, but I still need you. I'll always need you. We need you, and I'll
work harder, Amelie. I'll do better with Malfoy. Just don't go.''

She couldn't tell him. Not like this. Amelie figured something out as they talked.
She came to a realization — no one would agree to, but her. And she wished to
tell him. She wished for him to know what she planned, but she couldn't tell him
now.

''I won't leave,'' Calming him down, she stroked his arm. Her fingers were a
feather-light touch upon him, ''I will always be here.''

''So will Malfoy,'' He attempted to soothe her haunted mind too, ''He won't leave
you.''

''Maybe he won't,'' She smiled so bravely that it cracked his heart. He had no
right, but he was so proud of her, ''But he wants to, and that's what's making all
of this so hard, Adrian. Why should I be the reason he has to stay here? If he
doesn't want to stay, then he shouldn't have to.''
''I think you should talk to him. Like I said — even if he doesn't change his
mind, at least you'll understand him, and he'll know what you think about it all.''

Lowering her stare, she felt so beaten.

''It's your birthday for another twenty minutes, isn't it?'' Adrian smiled again,
nodding towards the tiny window they'd climbed out of, ''Go talk to him,
Amelie. Go talk to him and have faith in him. He's all your reasons for a very
good one at that. Don't give up just yet.''

Her tear-crowded eyes caught his, and she leaned closer, pushing her lips into
his cheek, ''Thank you,'' She said, breathily, ''Thank you for listening to me and
thank you for being Teddy's reasons.''

Amelie left Adrian on that roof, and she hurried her way down the house she'd
bought for her and Draco, trying to decide within her mind what she was
supposed to do now.

Even if it was so crystal clear to her, Amelie knew what she needed to do —
what she had to accomplish in order for everyone she held dear to live freely.

Amelie was leaving them.

In her mind — she was all the causes to how wrong it ever so went. She was the
reason behind all of it, and if she vanished, if she simply turned herself in —
they'd be safe.

Standing petrified on the free side of the door, she plainly gripped her handle.
Not stalling, not pausing. She needed to get this over with.

Amelie had to see him before she wished to disappear, in the early morning after
Atlas was awake and she could hug him, hold her little brother in all the ways no
one else could.

The second she shoved the door open, her eyes fell upon Malfoy, still resting in
his chair, fiddling with the edges of his chains, ''I thought you'd come to see me
today.''

Halting a bit in the doorway, she looked away, ''I wanted to. I planned to.''
''Planned to?'' Draco questioned, dropping his chains. He stared right at her,
''Then why didn't you?''

Swallowing the biting lump in the back of her throat, she attempted to hold
herself in one piece — even if all she wished to do was to shatter into a million
of them, right there and then, ''I don't know.''

''You don't know?'' He raised a brow, arching it, ''What happened?''

''Nothing,'' She was so quick to reply. Regretting her decision to come down in
order to talk to him. She just wanted to see him, hear his voice and memorize it,
''I'm sorry if I bothered you. I didn't mean to come down this late,'' Backing away
now, she held her breath, ''I should go.''

''Amelie, wait—''

''I'll come down for dinner tomorrow,'' She wouldn't. She knew that. Turning
around now, she gripped the handle of the door again, ''Goodnight—''

''You didn't let me wish you a happy birthday, Amelie,'' Draco said, tipping his
head to the side as he looked at her. She got him hooked every time. He loved
looking at her.

Staring at the ground, shocked, she yet faced the door. Her hair spilled
chaotically around her, ''You remembered.''

''Of course, I did,'' It was a laced dash of honesty in his vocals. He was working
his way back to her, ''I could never forget.''

She paused for so a second, taking a deep breath before she looked up at him, ice
melting with bronze as their sights collided, ''And still you're leaving me?''

Quietness trickled around them. He just blinked. He gazed at her, emptily now,
''What?''

She looked away, ''Nothing.''

''Amelie—''

''I should go,'' The shaking girl whispered, her insides burning and cracking, ''I
just wanted to see you.''

''Don't you walk away from me like that,'' Draco raised his voice, ''It's enough
with the running away every time you don't feel like talking to me.''

Amelie froze, her limbs aching, ''I'm not running away. I just don't know what to
—'' She sighed again, louder this time, ''I was down here, before....'' She
whispered, ''But I went back upstairs.''

Draco's eyes broadened, his hair tousled across his head, ''When?''

He knew exactly when. She wouldn't have come down to see him this late if she
didn't hear him and his mother's conversation earlier.

''You know when.''

''Amelie—''

''I won't fight for something you're ready to walk away from.''

She would. She'd fight until there wasn't anything left of her. Amelie would
drain herself for Draco.

That caused his veins to ice, his breath shallow. He didn't know how to turn this,
how to make her understand what he so desperately wished to tell her.

Propping himself up a bit, he closed his eyes, ''I'd never walk away from you or
us.''

''You want to leave me—''

''I never said I want to leave you,'' He stated, shaking his head as the cold eyes
warmed up. She always made him so warm, ''I—''

''It doesn't matter, Draco,'' She moved towards the door again, ready to leave, ''It
doesn't matter anymore. Any of it.''

''Don't you dare say that,'' Malfoy sounded offended, struck right in the chest by
a nerve, ''You won't lose me, Amelie. I'll still be there. I'll always be with you.''

''No, you won't.'' She breathed, still not looking at him, ''I thought you'd be
mine.''

''I am yours. I'm yours, and you're mine.''

''Not anymore. You're leaving me.''

Another hit. This time it caused his blood to boil. Scowling at her now, ''You
don't get to say that. You don't ever get to say that I'm not fucking yours. I'll
always—''

Amelie's face fell, ''I don't want this. I don't want to live on borrowed time with
you. I want you, but you don't want this anymore. You're leaving me.''

''I never said—'' Huffing out, he knew she'd set her mind to it. She wouldn't
believe him either way, ''You're not listening to me. Just— just come here. Let
me hold you, and I'll show you.''

Hesitatingly, she tried not to. Not to give in to what she knew she couldn't have
anymore, but as she always had done, she caved. She'd always cave for him.

Using slow steps, her eyes hooked in his. She let herself closer, nearer to
someone she could never be without.

''Amelie...'' Draco breathed, wrapping his arms around her the first chance he
got, and he dragged her in, ''Fuck. I've missed you.''

Letting her lashes flutter shut, he dragged her down to his lap. Positioning her on
top of him, ''Don't ever say you're not mine and that I'm not yours.''

Amelie scanned Draco, her sight flickering, taking him in as best as she knew
how, ''Why?'' Her fingers found his hair, pulling herself closer, ''Why can't I say
that, when you did?''

''I never...'' Barely being able to talk when she held him, he groaned, ''I never
said I wasn't yours. I would never say that. Nothing has been further from the
truth.''

Staying put for a minute, she let herself loose with him. She allowed herself to
hold him.
She sheeted his head with her arms, and she tensed her knees on the side of his
hips. Amelie held Draco. Sitting in his lap, with his breath hotly fanning her
shoulder, placing light kisses upon her skin, she drowned herself in the longing
of him. Over and over, he silently whispered how much he loved her.

How she'd miss him. She didn't think she'd miss anyone as much as she'd miss
him. So she stayed, but only for that one minute — until she straight away
jumped off.

''You did, and I don't want you to be with me if you don't want to. I would never
blame you for that, and I'm sorry if I ever did.'' She whispered, blurting out the
words. Still standing ever so near him. That heartbreaking smile she carried, he'd
seen before. It's as if he recognized it, ''I'm sorry.''

Stretching his spine, his tied limbs tried to grip around her again, but she avoided
it. She stepped back, ''Amelie, please. Don't do this to me.''

Still holding onto the brave curl on her lips, she yet held so much hurt in her
heart, ''I could never force you to be with me, Draco. I love you too much to do
that.''

Tears shaped in his eyes, ''Amelie, it's not about me not wanting you. It never
was, and it never will be. You know I want you. You're mine—''

''At one point I was...'' She said it silently as if a heavy memory haunted her, ''I
like to think I was yours and you were mine through all of this. I just don't know
when we stopped.''

''We never stopped,'' Malfoy breathed, panic began to score through his hoarse
vocals, ''I will always belong to you, Amelie. I'm yours, and you're mine, no
matter what happens.''

She needed to leave. Amelie needed to flee, all because she believed it would
save them. Save him.

''I used to believe that too,'' Her fingers traced across her own arms, almost
giving herself the comfort he couldn't, ''It was nice... believing that.''

Malfoy couldn't breathe. He couldn't lose her, ''Do you hear what I'm telling you,
Amelie? Are you even listening? I love you. I love you. I love you, and I'll never
stop loving you—''

''I'm sorry that I let you down, Draco. I'm sorry that I, somewhere along the way,
didn't make you feel like I was worth it anymore. You deserve more than I could
ever give you.'' Her spine struck the basement wall, and she tipped her chin,
looking up at him, ''You deserve the world, Draco. No matter how you want it.''

''Just listen, Amelie—''

She was silent for a while. Just standing there with the weight of this sphere on
her shoulders. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want him to feel as if she
was giving up on him, but she craved to go. She craved to save them.

''Thank you.'' She said, spacing herself from him. She'd gone through loss before.
People left her all the time. She could do this.

''Don't, please—'' He nearly sobbed out, yanking at his chains. He couldn't let her
leave. Everyone left, and he could never lose her. ''Don't leave me, Amelie.
Please.''

''Thank you for loving me like you did. It was the best thing that ever happened
to me....'' Taking another moment, she looked down at the floor, ''You were the
best thing that ever happened to me. I'm just so sorry that I wasn't enough for
you to stay.''

''Amelie,'' Malfoy pleaded, ''I beg you.''

''I love you.''

''Amelie—''

Her hair leaked in a mess around her, parts of it smeared to her face in fusion
with the rolling tears. Her knees had been weak before but never like this. She
took one last moment, staring blankly at the door she was aiming for, ''It's
raining today....''

Draco couldn't see properly anymore. The tears in his eyes turned everything
blurry, ''I can't live without you, Amelie.''

''You don't want to live with me either,'' Her neck moved, and she finally saw
him again, ''I don't want to be the reason that you're not doing what you want. I
don't want to keep you somewhere you don't want to be.''

In reality, she wished to fall to her knees and beg him to stay. To reconsider
what he wanted to do, but she couldn't. She did this for him.

''You're everything I want. You're all I'll ever want, Amelie. You're mine. Please
stay.'' He begged, his voice broke, ''Please be mine.''

''I'll always be yours,'' She smiled again, tilting her head a bit, ''I was yours, even
when I wasn't. I'll always be yours.''

It was the right thing. It was the right thing. It was the right thing. She tried to
glue it to her mind. That all of this — that her leaving him in the morning was
for the better. They'd be safe.

Draco wouldn't be in harm's way. She was finally the one saving him now. Even
if it tore both of them apart, she needed to do this.

All for him.

''Please—'' He watched how her feet slowly tracked closer to the door, ''Amelie.
Don't you dare—''

''Your mother will be down in the morning,'' Stalling, she gripped the handle,
''She's making you—''

''I don't care. I don't fucking care. I want you, and if you leave me—''

''I love you, Draco.''

He blinked. He blinked so quickly, yet that one second it was flickering dark, as
his lashes rested against his skin, Amelie left.

And never had Malfoy regretted anything as much as he regretted this. He lost
the one person who'd choose him above everything. He lost her.

His Amelie.

_____
 Ninety-six

Mature content ahead. This chapter contains mentions of abuse and

emotional trauma. Please read with caution.

_____

''Marry me.''

_____

Draco was panicking. Never had he panicked as he did now. She walked out.
Amelie never walked out on him, except she did now.

He hurt her this time. This wasn't about what he'd done a month ago or what he'd
done leading up to this day — this was what he said to his mother. Malfoy
wanted to leave when he was done protecting them. He wished to rest, and
Amelie heard him.

Clearing that this was simply her believing that he rather fade than spend his
days with her, Draco didn't understand how she got his words so wrong. He
never meant that. He never said that he would leave her in ways she believed he
would.

Draco loved Amelie. Draco loved Amelie more than he loved anyone, more than
it was humanly possible to care for another. He cared for her.

Amelie was everything to him, if not more, and it crackled and burnt in his chest
as he was left with the heartbreak of her walking out. She'd leave him. He knew
she would. She said she loved him. She said he loved him, and Draco knew what
it meant.

She was leaving them. He knew her deeper and more intense than anyone. She
could simply look at him, and he'd know what she was up to. Hearing that tiny
flicker of hesitation in her voice and he understood she'd place herself in harm's
way.
Malfoy knew her better than she knew herself.

He wished to rest, indeed, but he didn't comprehend why — why he said it in the
ways he did — why he said it like it was a choice, like it was a thing he craved
to do more than to be with her. Foolish, he cursed to himself, regretting every
little thing leading up to this moment. The door slammed shut, and the thud of it
echoed along with the emptiness her absence brought.

Ache. It ached.

Everything ached without her.

He counted the minutes again. There wasn't a thing he could do in his chained
position. Adrian had secured the bonds around his wrist tighter now, ever since
he attacked him weeks ago. He couldn't get out.

So Draco counted. He calculated every hour that passed until steps began to
sound through the basement roof and morning rose around them. She hadn't left
yet. He could tell from the way she was walking upstairs.

He knew because it was always four feet. Amelie and Atlas. Her unsteady tracks,
followed by the tiny tripping ones. Atlas still pathed her everywhere.

She must be waiting until dawn, Malfoy thought. She'd spend one last day with
them before surrendering, and hell, how Draco would make that day count.

Knowing that Pucey would reach him any minute, he began to turn impatient.
Adrian ever so paid him a visit in the morning before he did anything else. At
the beginning of it — it shocked Draco. Horrified him almost. That Adrian so
willingly helped him back into sanity, that he did everything he could to help
Amelie get him back.

Nothing made sense to the blond. He despised Adrian, and he promised himself
that he'd get his vengeance for how he treated Amelie all those years, but that
wasn't what he prioritized because she was leaving.

''Morning,'' Adrian mumbled. His voice drowsy, ''Did you sleep—''

Draco rolled his eyes, not out to make conversation with the boy who stood with
a shoulder brushing against the doorway, his arms tightly crossed, ''You need to
push me today.'' Draco's words pressured, his eyes narrowed, ''You need to push
me further than usual today. She needs me.''

''I know she does,'' Adrian dragged his hands through his hair, scratching his
neck with a yawn, ''She came to see me last night.''

Lifting his brows, Draco scowled, ''She did what?''

''She came to see me—''

''I heard what you said,'' Malfoy snapped impatiently, ''What did she want?''

Jealousy started to boil within. Draco didn't quite know why it did. He trusted
her. She'd never hurt him in that way. He knew that, but the thought of her
seeking comfort in someone that wasn't him, himself, chewed within.

Adrian stared at him from the doorway, wide-eyed now, ''I don't think she'd
appreciate if I told you that,'' He informed, hesitant to overstep since he finally
earned parts of Amelie's trust, ''But she's not doing good, Malfoy. She's giving
up on herself.''

''I know she is,'' Looking away, Malfoy gritted his jaws, ''That's why I need you
to push me. I need you to break me today. She can't do this without me.''

Humming quietly, Adrian nodded. He truly knew she couldn't. Amelie needed
Draco more than ever, ''I'll be back in an hour, and I'll think of something.''

''An hour—''

''Yes, an hour,'' Adrian fired back, pointing towards the hallway behind him,
''She's making us breakfast.''

She's making them breakfast. Draco panicked a bit more now. She indeed was
leaving.

''We don't have an hour to spare, Pucey.'' He spat angrily now. He didn't have an
hour to spare. He couldn't risk losing her, ''We don't have a fucking hour. We
need to start now.''

''I can't—''
''I don't care!'' He shouted, shaking his head, ''I don't fucking care about what you
can or can not do. She's leaving, and she needs me, so whatever small precious
plans you have going on with Nott — you cancel them, and you break me. Break
me into loving her.''

Adrian dithered for a second. Weighting the things Draco had splayed out for
him and with a deep, doubtful sigh, he nodded. Agreeing that Amelie would be
more important than any set of plans could be.

''What do you mean she's leaving?'' He questioned, clocked within his mind by
the spoken terms, ''She's upstairs—''

Troubled and hesitant, Draco grumbled, ''She was down here, late last night, and
she said things. Things she wouldn't have said if she'd still be here.''

Lowering his sight, the brunet took a step into the room, letting the door slam
shut behind him. Grasping at his jaw, Adrian muttered, ''So that's what she hid
from me yesterday....'' Whispering, almost, ''Damn it. I should've known.''

Draco stretched his spine, knitting his brows in theory, ''What?'' He was spitting
the word, ''What the hell are you—''

''She...'' Rolling his neck, Pucey grew mad at himself, ''She woke me up late, and
we talked for half an hour. She said things that didn't quite add up. She was
hiding something... Something she didn't want to tell me, and now... now I know
what.''

''That she's leaving?'' Malfoy gripped the armrests, raising a bit in his seat. He
ever so tensed when it came to Amelie, especially since he wasn't there himself
to keep track of her, ''What did she say?''

''It wasn't what she said. It was more what she did... she was saying goodbye
without saying it,'' Locking eyes with the blond, he inhaled, sharply, ''She was
saying goodbye, and I didn't notice. She kissed me on—''

''She what?'' It was more of a threat than an asking. Draco jolted forward on the
spot as Adrian flinched back, ''What the fuck did you just—''

''Can you give it a damn rest?'' Adrian defended, trying to sound solid yet so
aware of the mistake he'd just committed, ''She kissed me on the bloody cheek
and thanked me for being there for Theodore. Stop trying to make something out
of nothing.''

''She kissed you?''

''On the cheek.''

''Still, she kissed you?''

Adrian rolled his eyes.

''Did you kiss her back?''

''Malfoy—''

''Did you place those filthy lips on her?'' He shouted now.

''What the hell does that matter—''

''Because—'' Draco was losing it, completely missing himself in the rage of
Adrian even touching her, to begin with, ''Because you can tell yourself all you
want that you're here for Theodore. That you're not in love with her anymore —
that you're a changed man and that you don't want her. When the truth is simple,
I know you still love her. Hell, I'm so fucking lost in her. I know how it feels.''

Heaving, Draco was intimidating now, ''She's fucking addicting. She's a fucking
goddess. A temple, and believe me when I say that I don't blame you for loving
her. I'd blame you more if you didn't, but let me make one thing — one single
thing clear to you.''

Adrian blinked, surprisingly. Holding quiet in front of the blond.

''She's mine. She's been mine. She is mine, and she'll stay mine. She's mine even
when I'm not here anymore. She's mine for the rest of her god damn life. Amelie
is mine, and if you ever think for so a bloody second that you're leaving Nott for
her — I'll rip that rotten heart right out of that pathetic chest of yours.'' Malfoy
growled, ''Break Theodore's heart, and I'll come for you. I'll make you regret
even looking at him in the first place. And approach her, one more time, Pucey,
and I swear to god you'll wish you weren't born. I'll make you regret your foul
place on this earth, and I'll do so still tied up in this chair without magic.''
Adrian gulped. His eyes broadening for each word that slipped the blond's
tongue.

''She's my fucking witch. In my right mind or not — Amelie Avery belongs to

me. Always. So keep your filthy thoughts to yourself and get to work. Fix me,
and I might consider sparing your life once this is over.''

Startled was an understatement, and Adrian tried so hard to keep his tough front,
''Threats won't—''

''Then fucking fix me,'' Malfoy was hysterical within. He'd lost her over and
over. He couldn't be the sole reason he lost her again. He couldn't be the thing
the forced her across the edge of her own reason.

Amelie wasn't leaving because she didn't love him. She wasn't going because she
wasn't in love with him. She was surrendering because she was all of the above.
She'd constantly give her life up if it meant she'd save him, and Draco loathed
himself for that.

He questioned her love for him when he knew he never needed to. Amelie would
love Draco regardless. Relentlessly and unconditionally, no matter the cause.

''Fix me and bring me back to her.''

Adrian did. Adrian locked the door behind him, raising his wand, and then they
got to work.

_____

Adrian spent numerous hours of that day torturing Draco, letting him loose
before he poured dark magic across him. Over and over. Again and again.
Adrian was ripping his soul to pieces, lapping it back together only to shred it
apart again. And that's what they did—hour in and hour out.

Steady. Repetitive. Relentlessly.

Adrian pained him. Adrian hurt him. He brought the dark skies crowded with
hidden angles of death down upon Malfoy. He showed him everything, but this
time — as the darkness trickled around them and he saw how close Draco was to
breaking, he showed him something he'd never thought of before.
Adrian showed him them. He showed Draco and Amelie.

He put whatever piece he caught of them in Malfoy's head on display.

The first time he saw her years ago. She was standing on the stairs leading down
to the Great Hall with her hands stretched above her head, and she waved at her
best friend. She was happy, beautiful.

The time in class when he sat behind her a few years later. He didn't bother
much for her. With his head buried in denial of what he was becoming privately,
he looked around. Yet his gaze always trapped her. Watching her hair as it
spilled around her shoulders, her shoulders straight and tense.

It was the first time he noticed that she'd changed. Her hands continuously
dragged her shirt down her arms. Hiding. She wasn't smiling. She wasn't happy,
but she was still beautiful.

The first time he laid eyes on her bruises. The time he knew something was
wrong. It was in class. She was standing on the side of her table, mumbling
something to her best friend as she reached across the wood, and that's when he
saw it. When her shirt parted from her skirt, he saw the purple, yellow shade
marked into her skin. He looked away. It ached. She was still beautiful.

The day he approached her in the hallway, she was crying into her best friend's
arms. She was hurt. Her fingers were broken. He hurt her again. Still beautiful.

The shattered mirror in the bathroom.

The night in the library.

The moment in the lake.

The morning she woke up in his bed after he saved her.

The look in her eyes as she looked at him. Only Amelie saw him. All of him.
Always.

The disguised night's in the Manor.

The night he kissed her. The night she ran away. The night she found him again.
The night she kissed him.

The night he lost her. The night he forced her to leave. The night he said he
didn't want her, that he was done with her.

The weeks he spent looking for her. The weeks he had Adrian locked up in his
basement. The weeks he hurt.

The night he found her. Rain. It was raining.

The morning on the couch in the cabin.

The first time she took him to the beach.

Their nights in the Manor.

The night she agreed to sleep in his room.

The night she found out that he killed her father.

The night he left her.

The day she took him back.

The time he was put together. His time with her.

The day she cut his hair.

The night she became his in all ways possible. The night he kissed her scars. The
night she kissed his.

So beautiful.

The night he lost her. The night he wasn't there to protect her.

The months he searched through the entirety of England to find her.

The night he found her. The night she died. The night she lived.

The night he lost her again.

The week she slept.

The weeks he spent in the missing of her mind.

Her. He had her again.

The time he was happy.

When they visited her old house.

When she put herself in harm's way.

When he almost lost her again.

When he got her back.

Their night in the garden.

When she found her brother.

When they bought a new home.

When she gave all of her to him again.

Everything.

When he lost her again. When she came back.

When she lost him.

When she found him.

When she saved him.

When he failed her.

''Malfoy. Right now!''

Hell, how he'd failed her. He'd failed her since the first time he saw her. He
could've saved her years ago — but he was too weak. He didn't have the strength
to stand against the Dark Lord. He became a Death Eater, and he failed her
before he even knew her.

It had always been her to him.

''Malfoy. I'm not telling you again. Kneel—''

Always Amelie.

Every arch on her lips she tried to hide because she didn't wish to reveal that he
was the reason she was smiling. Every blush of her cheeks as he came close.
Every touch. Every damn touch. She hated touch, but she worshipped his. Every
tiny word, meaningful or not. Every urge to be close to the other. Every moment
of longing. Every piece of lingering. Everything.

''Malfoy, get down on your knees, or I'll take her from you!'' Adrian was
screaming, growling, and roaring. He was so intimidating he possibly could be,
''Now!''

So close.

Draco was so close to breaking free. To be back with her. To love her. To save
her.

Oh, how he'd love her if he got another chance to do so.

''One!''

Her. Her. Her.

Her smile. Her laugh. Her eyes squinted in the morning sun when she rolled on
her back, and he followed. His body glued to hers. Her fingers in his hair. Her
lips on his neck. His hands on her body.

Amelie.

''Two!''

Malfoy fought it.

Oh, how he fought it. He battled his head. His heart slaughtered his mind. The
darkness leveled. More gloom. More torture. More hurt.
Hurt.

He was hurting without her.

She was leaving.

Amelie.

His beautiful Amelie.

His. His. His. His Amelie.

Her. All of her. Always.

He loved her.

Draco loved Amelie.

But Amelie was leaving.

He couldn't love her when she was leaving. He couldn't have her when she
wasn't there, when she wasn't his. He couldn't kiss her. He couldn't hold her. He
couldn't hear her laugh. He couldn't see her smile. He couldn't watch her. He
couldn't admire her.

He couldn't lose her.

He'd lost her enough this lifetime. He'd lost her enough for every lifetime he
knew he would spend with her.

Her. Her. Her.

Always her.

Snapping his head. Draco peeled his lashes wide. He clenched his jaw, and he
swallowed. Sweat rolled down his skin. His forehead was coated in it. His frame
flushed yet ice cold. He laced his fingers tightly behind his head.

And then — then Draco Malfoy fell to his knees.

He dropped. He fell. He surrendered.

He won.

Draco won.

It left Adrian gawking, gasping for air as he watched how Malfoy's head fell
forward. His chest violently heaving. Malfoy did it.

This was never about him making Draco jealous. Never about him seeing how
much she hurt. This was about him and her. This was about them. Draco and
Amelie. This was about Adrian, reminding Draco of how lucky he truly is. How
much he had to fight for. What he had to lose if he didn't.

''It worked...'' Adrian whispered, shocked, ''It worked, Malfoy. It worked. You...
you came back for her.''

''Where—'' Draco coughed out. His body frail and worn, letting his hands fall to
his sides, ''Where is she?'' His head still hung, his shoulders sunken, ''Where is
she?''

No time. He had no time.

Panic. Sky-rocketing pulse. Heartbeat pounding in his ears.

She was leaving.

It hit Adrian. The asked question. It's late. It's late, and Atlas has gone to bed.
His eyes were broad in realization. His movements restrained as he backed
away, ''I just—''

''No...'' Draco forced a shoe into the ground, only standing on one knee now, ''Is
it raining?'' He asked, silently between the panting breaths, gripping his
kneecaps. He remembered what she told him when she was down there, ''Was it
raining today—''

''I don't—''

Malfoy stood tall. Rolling his neck and shoulders, before spat out the lump of
blood in his mouth, wiping it away with his thumb and looking at the door that
had kept them apart for over six weeks, ''I know where she is....''
 ______

The first step out on the yard hurt her more than she thought it would. It was
raining. It was raining, and he wasn't there. It wasn't raining with him. It didn't
feel like rain without him.

It felt like something heavy. Something that used to be there but wasn't anymore.
Something missing. Something ghastly that visited her. Something she hoped
would find its way back to her.

Her bag draped over her shoulder as she walked towards the roses Narcissa had
planted in the tiny house made of glass in the far end of the property. She
stopped. Amelie halted right outside it. Looking up at the skies and damning
herself for doing this.

They wouldn't forgive her if she didn't make it back.

She couldn't go in. She couldn't go into where his mother had planted every
single color of roses as she'd done in her own garden. One for each year he aged.
One for a new year with him. Nineteen different shades of roses representing
him. Draco. Her Draco.

Bringing her wand out from the waistband of her dress, she closed her eyes. She
couldn't go in there. She couldn't take one step across the threshold of that glass
house. She wouldn't be able to leave if she did.

And Amelie needed to leave.

She needed to save them. Raising her wand to the skies as it poured across her,
soaking her in every memory she held of him, she inhaled. Pinching her lashes
shut, clenching her fingers. She was leaving. She was saving them.

''App—''

''Amelie!''

Her heart stopped. It absolutely stopped beating. Not a pound. Not a beat.
Nothing.

It was her hallucinating, she believed. It had to be. All she thought about was
him. Draco. It wasn't strange she'd be hearing his voice before she left her life
behind her.

Taking another breath, she closed her eyes again, whispering the magic.

''Amelie, for fucks—''

She turned around rapidly. Her hair smeared to her face, across her shoulders.
She looked at him. It was him. She wasn't hallucinating. She wasn't imagining.
She wasn't dreaming. It was Draco, standing feet away from her, shouting in the
heavy downfall.

''Draco...'' She whispered, below her breath, her bag slipped down her arm, the
strap rested in her grip while the rest slammed to the wet ground, ''No....''

She dropped it altogether, shaking her head as drops of water leaked around her,
''You can't do this....'' She breathed, feeling defeated, ''You can't—''

His shirt unbuttoned, his chest flexing, and his muscles angling. His hair
drenched, his fingers dragged through it, ''Amelie....''

''No.'' She said again, harsher now, her bones crumbling. He wasn't here. He
couldn't do this, ''No, Draco. Not now. Not when I decided. Not when I waited
and—''

Taking a step closer, Amelie took one back. The rain struck the ground with
force, nearly bouncing back up as they looked at each other.

Pain. Hurt. Heartbreak.

Never had she portrayed as shattered as she did now. It looked like Draco to her.
It looked like the boy she loved more than words could be spoken or drawn on
paper. The boy that carried her heart in the pads of his palms.

It surely seemed to be him. He had that glint, that tiny flicker in his icing eyes as
they so roughly collided with bronze. He didn't stare through her anymore. He
looked at her. Right at her.

''When?'' She asked, silently, keeping her distance.

''Just now,'' Draco took another step closer. His heart was racing. His pulse
towering. She was so near him now. She was so close, and there wasn't a single
urge to harm her. There wasn't an inside voice. There wasn't someone telling him
to finish her, "Just now and I ran here—"

This was him. All him. All him, and all her.

''Draco—'' She whined, confused out of her own mind. She didn't understand a
thing anymore. She'd said her goodbyes. She'd left him with the beliefs that she
gave up. She had a plan. She had it all figured out. Never did she think he'd fight
harder for her.

''No,'' Amelie took several steps back now. She couldn't fall for this. She was
saving them, ''No. You can't do this. You can't do this to me. I said goodbye. I
am leaving—''

Draco was so close to her. So close that her knees weakened by the scent of him.
So close that if he came just an inch nearer, she'd kiss him. Looking up from
below her lashes and the pearls of rain lined up across them, she tried to stand
against it. Him.

''You're not leaving,'' Malfoy said. His voice was low, demanding, ''You're mine,
and you're never leaving me again.''

''You hurt me,'' She managed to let out painfully. He did. He hurt her. Even if he
didn't mean to, even if it wasn't him, in her mind — with her history, she still
feared it, ''You hurt me so much.''

''I know I did,'' The rain muffled his hoarse note, ''I know I hurt you, and I'll pay
for it. I'll spend the rest of my life regretting what I did to you, but that wasn't
me, Amelie. That was a part of me that you fixed.''

Carefully, he traced his hand upwards, closer to her. She wanted to yank away.
She wanted to haul back and leave. She wanted to save him, but she could never
do that, ''Look,'' He said, gently pathing his thumb across her damp cheek,
wiping a few drops of tears and nature off, ''I don't hurt you anymore.''

His touch was kind, humane, and bearable. It felt safe. It ached in her chest.
Cracking and bursting, but it didn't hurt. Slowly, she allowed the weight of her
head to tip against his palm, ''You feel safe....''
Draco could rupture on sight. Feeling as her body in small pieces, one at the
time, caved into him. She was still his. She'd always be his Amelie, and this
proved it.

Amelie had come such a long way that Draco himself had trouble understanding
it. If this had been years ago — she'd fear him. She'd blame him, and she'd been
manipulated into forgiving him, but this.

This wasn't even about forgiveness because she'd not once put the blame upon
him. Amelie was so clear that this wasn't Draco. That this was darkness and that
darkness she'd seen before. She had grown so much. More than anyone could
ever think she would.

She was as free of her darkness as he was of his.

''Don't hate me,'' Draco's eyes begged for her mercy, even if he knew he didn't
have to, ''Don't hate me for what I said to my mother. You know that I could
never leave you.''

Rain soaked her clothes, dripping down her skin, ''I don't hate you,'' She
admitted, quietly and she looked away, flooring her stare, ''I could never hate
you for wanting peace.''

''You are my peace,'' Draco cupped her other cheek, pushing his thumbs
underneath her jaw, and he forced her to look at him, ''You are my rest, my
peace, my freedom, Amelie. You're it. You're it all. Everything I want.
Everything I need. Everything I never thought I would need.''

Tears rolled uncontrollably from her eyes, flooding down.

Malfoy leaned in, lightly brushing his nose over the spine of hers, ''You're it,
Amelie. You're the reason I was brought back to life. You're the reason I want to
stay alive and the reason for when I decide to go, after you.''

She cried. She sobbed. She whimpered.

''Everything. A life without you wouldn't be worth it, but a life with you in it...
Fuck — I can't imagine anything that could top that.''

Amelie finally found the strength to hold him back, slowly wrapping her arms
around his waist. She shook her head, ''You're back?'' She gasped, ''You're back
for good?''

''For you,'' He corrected, a shy curl on his lips, ''I'm back for you.''

She smiled, still crying. Her soul pinned his to the brim, and she kept him
steady, ''You came back for me....''

''Always.''

Amelie didn't spare a second following that. Stretching up on her toes, she let her
lips melt with his as nature wildly gushed around them.

''I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.'' He said. His lips desperately
crashing against hers. Breaking. That's what he did. Draco broke, ''I love you. I
love you, and I'll always come back for you.''

And she let him. Amelie let Draco love her. Nothing could ever compare to the
love he poured across her torn soul as they stood bare and exposed in the
thunderstorm, rising above them and ripping the skies apart — only to put them
back together.

''I missed you,'' She whispered, her arms clinging around his neck, bringing him
down to her level. He was so tall compared to her, ''Never leave me again,'' She
pleaded. It was always him asking her that, but now it was her, ''Don't do this to
me again. No more games. No more hiding plans from me.''

''No more,'' He pushed her spine against the glass behind her, savoring every
piece of her he could. He touched her like she was godly. So gentle, so
respectful, yet so longing, starving, thirsty, ''No more anything. Nothing else but
you.''

''I love you,'' She finally said, and he cracked. He broke and melted. She loved
him, ''I love you. I thought I'd die without you.''

''A part of me did,'' Slowing down, he bent back. Looking her straight in the
eyes. Still, tears crowed. Filled with both relief and regret, ''A part of me died
with those weeks without you. Everything I said, all the things I did... I hate
myself for putting you through that.''
''Something kept me here,'' Amelie didn't know what, but something, similar to a
force, begging her to stay beside him. Something urged for her not to give up,
and she'd never felt it before. Usually, it was her, but this was more. This was as
if something else, besides herself pleaded for it too, ''Something made me stay...
It was a feeling.''

Humming, he pushed his lips to hers again, ''You stayed. You stayed after I hurt
you. You stayed every damn day of those fucking weeks.''

''I said I would,'' She mumbled, quieted by his kisses, ''I will always stay. No
matter what.''

Draco smiled into her mouth, letting his tongue battle hers, ''Really?''

She froze. She hadn't heard those words in what felt like years. He felt it, curving
back from her, he met her glimmering eyes, moonlight from above alighted
them, ''Say it back.''

Still, she hesitated, ''Draco....''

''Say it.''

Tilting her head to the side, she dusted. She shattered at the tips of his fingers as
they traced gentle circles upon her. Giving her all the courage she could ever
need, ''Really.''

Draco kissed her again. Harder this time. More demanding, more powerful.
Fiercely yet so emotionally. He kissed her again. And again. And again.

Her back colliding with the glass-covered greenhouse behind her, and he lifted
her. Wrapping her legs around his waist. She followed the movements willingly.

''Amelie,'' He doubted, ''Perhaps we shouldn't—''

''I want you,'' She whispered, starved of his touch. Deprived of everything they
had missed out on over those weeks, ''I haven't had you. I never get to have you,
Draco. The second I do, you're gone again. I just want to have you.''

He softened at that. His hands grazing across her frame, feeling every last inch
of his girl, and he didn't spare a minute. Tugging her with him off the wall, he
pushed his hand into the door of the greenhouse. The sound of pouring rain
mirrored throughout the glass square, and the smell of fresh roses overwhelmed
them both.

Draco kneeled down, and he placed her upon the dry grass in the tiny house, her
hair brimmed in chaos over the greenery. Her skin was soft and soothing. He
couldn't get enough, just looking at her — he could never get enough.

She smiled. She smiled like only she does. Her lashes battled, her clothing
soaked from the thundering weather.

Pushing his dressed body in between her bare thighs, he settled an elbow against
the grass, propping himself up, ''How I love you,'' He whispered, his body heavy
on top of hers, ''How I fucking love you.''

''Really?'' She smirked playfully. Her fingers moving through his hair, spreading
her thighs wider for him to sink closer. She needed him so close. Her Draco was
back, and at last, she felt like it was worth it again. Life lighted in meaning. In
hope. In that long-lost hope, she failed to feel for months. It was back. It was
back because he was.

He came back for her.

''Really.'' He muttered, ramming his lips to hers. He kissed her again. Over and
over. Everywhere. On her lips, on her chin, her cheek, her neck, her throat.

His forehead against hers, he felt her fingers slipping beneath his shirt, ''Amelie,''
He stopped her, kneeling back up, ''Are you sure? You're overwhelmed. A lot
happened. I don't think—''

''I have never been more sure of anything....'' She let out, arching her spine off
the grass, sitting up next to him, ''I know you think you broke me, Draco, but
you being here again. You coming back to me, fixed everything.''

''I just—'' He rushed a ring-clad finger through his light strands, staring blankly
at her through the darkness, ''I don't want you to do anything you'll regret. I don't
want you to think that this is all I want from you. I didn't come back for your
body, Amelie. I came back for you and that addicting head of yours.''

She smiled.
''I don't care about this,'' Malfoy kept going, reassuring her that she was enough,
more than enough. He had said things he didn't mean. He lied while being
chained and out of his mind. He said he cheated on her. He said he didn't want
her like this. He lied, and he craved for her to know that ''I care about you and I
—''

''Shhh...'' She hushed him, still with that gracious curl on her swollen lips, her
cheeks stained in a feverish color, ''If you don't want me, it's okay. You must be
tired. We can go inside—''

''Want you?'' He scowled, his brows dragged together, ''You don't think I want
you?''

''I know you do,'' She fired back, frowning, ''I know you want me, but you've
been through a lot. I don't even know what Adrian had to do to get you back. I
don't know what you've done—''

''You,'' Draco let his shoulders rest, his hands lingered on her bare thighs, ''He
showed me us. He showed me every last memory I had of you. Good and bad.
He made me relive them, over and over until I couldn't be without you.''

Her breaths hitched. Only the sound of rain hammering against the glass rang in
her ears.

''You saved me,'' He whispered, inaudibly almost, ''Again, Amelie. You save me
every damn time.''

Shoving her palms into the soil underneath her, Amelie clung to him. Her arms
found his neck, her lips forced to his. She was the one kissing him now, ''Tell
me,'' She whined, feeling his hands as they traveled underneath her shirt, ''Tell
me what you saw.''

''I saw you,'' He growled into her mouth, teeth clasping, ''Sixth year when you
stood leaning against that wall outside of potions... You looked—'' He didn't find
the patience to unbutton her blouse. Draco ripped it apart.

She gasped at the chilly air, smoothly spotting her heated skin. The buttons
clinkered along with the glass.

''Like a fucking angel,'' He murmured, tipping her head to the side with his nose
as he kissed his way down her throat, over her chest, ''You looked like a fucking
angel, and if I didn't know better, I'd think I fell in love with you right there and
then.''

Shivers. Shivers raced down her spine as he flipped them over. Her back once
again struck the grass.

''I saw you in that school uniform, and fuck me—'' He grunted, kissing down her
stomach. Staying and pausing across the scars she carried. He kissed them again.
Honoring them. Praising her. Over and over, ''Fucking hell, Amelie. I wished
you were mine.''

''I am—''

''Back then,'' He cut her short, kissing the scar across her belly, ''I wished you
were mine back then. I would've done anything for you. I would've taken you
away from there, from all of them.''

Her spine arched off the grass, her fingers tangled into his hair, ''Draco, you
already do everything for me.''

''I saw you in between my sheets,'' He huffed out, half-chucking at the

remembrance of how far they'd come, ''In the manor, before Christmas. You
looked like an angel between my sheets.''

''Please—'' She breathed. His hands traced goosebumps all over her, ''Draco—''

Looking up at her, he rolled his tongue along the inside of his cheek as he
reached the hem of her skirt and underwear, ''Goddess....''

Squirming. Amelie squirmed underneath him.

He did the same thing to her skirt as he'd done with her blouse. He ripped it to
pieces. He had been gentle with her in the past. He was as gentle with her now,
but at the same time — he was so close to losing her.

Amelie was Draco's. Every single thing. Every breathtaking inch of her body
was his.

He lowered himself, still fully dressed above her, and he placed one of her knees
over his shoulder, ''My Amelie....'' He hummed in sync with her ragged
breathing, ''My beautiful Amelie.''

Her lashes fluttered shut. Her mind flooded as his mouth melted with her core.
He used slow, emotional strokes across her. Flicking his tongue from time to
time as he caught her moans. Silent strings of symphony to his ears. He could
never grow tired of that. Hearing her moan for him.

Her fingers tousled his hair, grasping at the roots of his blond strands when he
put more pressure upon her. He was quiet. He usually spoke so much during this,
but he didn't now. Neither of them did. They took it in now.

They let their bodies speak for them. Moving in concur. Harmony balanced
between them as he pleased her. He honored her again. He always did that. He
praised her body, every perfect inch of it, he worshipped.

Amelie was falling apart. She was falling and collapsing and crashing. She was
melting underneath him. He had his ways with her. He knew when to swirl his
tongue, when to go slow, when to increase. He knew her.

''Draco,'' Amelie cried out, squared with the rain as it poured. Their rain. He
caught it. He caught her with his lips. He caught her on his tongue. He caught
her. She was everywhere now.

The hand she had nestled into his hair, he grasped at it, and he tangled their
fingers together as he leaned back up, hovering over her as she dragged his shirt
off his arms softly. He kissed her.

Over and over.

Pinning one of her arms above her head, she used the other one to unbuckle his
pants, still kissing. Never stopping. Peck following peck. On his mouth, on hers.
On his jaw. On her neck. On his shoulder. On her chest. On his cheek. On her
nose. They kissed and kissed.

Oh, how they'd missed each other.

''Amelie—'' He whispered, brushing his nose against hers, kissing the tip of it,
''We don't have to.''
''I want to,'' She pushed his boxers down, using her legs to thread them down his
ankles until he was as bare as she was, ''I will never stop wanting you.''

''Even after everything I've done?'' He asked, scared for her answer, yet he
wished to know, ''I couldn't blame you if you stopped wanting me. You deserve
more.''

''I don't care,'' She gasped, ''I don't care what you think I deserve or not. I want
you. I need you. I am in love with you. I love you.''

It soothed every sin within the coat of his damned skin. It calmed the mighty
ocean inside him. It slaughtered every devil. She loved him. She was still in love
with him. She always would be.

She couldn't imagine a life where she wasn't. This life, the next, a completely
different than this one, in another universe — she'd love him all the same.

It would always, no matter where they were, no matter what pain she was living
under, what regime ruled, which weather stormed outside, it would always be
him to her.

Nailing his sight in hers from above, he lowered his whole self. Her legs
splayed, her thighs spreading. He took himself in his palm, and he led his
erection to where they both needed him to be. Amelie whimpered at the feeling
of him sliding inside her. He was careful. Slow and steady.

He was measured and calculated. Draco pushed forward. Her body adjusting and
following.

''I love you,'' He kissed her again before leaning his forehead to hers, still
looking at her. Never did he stop looking at her. Every twitch of her eyebrows he
wanted to see, every curl her mouth made, every breath leaving her lips, ''I am so
unbearably in love with you. That never stopped. It will never stop.''

Amelie held onto him as he dove into her. Filling her up and working inside her.
They didn't do this often. They barely earned a chance to do so. The world was
crumbling, falling apart around them. Yet, they strived to find the small, tiny
pieces of heaven in between their very own hell.

He groaned into her mouth. She was driving him crazy. Her nails scratching his
back. Her neck as it arched and her lips as they found his shoulders. She bit, she
kissed, she praised.

Amelie traded his torture with love. She marked him with her. She left bruises,
little ones. She made sure that if he ever looked in a mirror following this — he'd
see his hell. He'd see his sins, but he'd see her too.

She'd be there. She'd always be there.

Her hair leaked wildly around her. Her spine brushing against the grass she was
placed on with every thrust he granted. He drove deeper into her. Harder. Faster.
Her moans urged him on. Her nails clawing at his skin for release. Her lashes as
they battled.

Draco made her feel good. More than good. So good.

He loved her. Looking down at her, his eyes falling upon the parted lips she
possessed, her skin as it blushingly shifted in color — how exposed she was.
How bare she was for him.

His life was hell. His life was a nightmare. Abyss. Suffering. Anguish. Torture.
He'd killed. He'd murdered. He'd sinned. He'd ripped souls to pieces. He'd seen
the light as it drained from the human eye. He'd enjoyed watching mortals fade.
He'd been broken. Shattered. Torn. He'd been everything but whole.

But looking. Watching. Scanning as she laid there, underneath him as he reached
further, marking her his, over and over — he doubted he was ever as ripped
apart as he believed himself to be. Perhaps he was whole.

He wasn't unbroken. Unharmed. Uninjured. Undamaged. Untouched. But

perhaps he wasn't broken. Perhaps it was a bump in the road. Something on its
way to greatness. Something more. Something that wasn't ripped to pieces.
Peace. Her. Peace with her. Peace because of her. Amelie. She saved him. He
saved her.

She moaned again. Let out that heavenly sound he could hear forever. It sounded
from the back of her throat, silently yet so filled with power. Draco made her
powerful.

''Beautiful.'' He groaned, his body tingling. His skin lathered in sweat—pearls of

it. Drops of liquid as their bodies moved in sync. Together. Always together.
Pulling away and wetting his lips, he slammed them against hers again. So
forcefully yet so devotedly, ''My beautiful girl.''

Amelie hummed, her vocals not coming to the words she sought to speak. It
leveled in a gasp. A hum. A noise that made him shiver. A sound that would stay
with him forever.

He pulled back, his body easing the friction from hers for so a second before he
was back at the same place. Rolling his hips into hers. Crashing and falling.
Colliding and hitting. He bucked and rocked and rolled, and moved. She
followed and altered. Her hands roaming his body, his fingers tensing into her.

He was kissing her jaw again, down her neck as she cried out. Rain mirrored.
The world was hushed. Them. It was just them for a second. The sphere, the
verity of what they lived in, let them have each other like that. Tangled. Raveled.
Tied. Never had she been as happy as she was now. Bounded. Chained to
someone as she was to him.

Amelie was reaching her peak. Gathering her high as he filled her. He kept
rolling into her. She was wrapped around him. Knotted and snarled around the
boy she loved. Gasping and musing. She didn't have much more to give. Draco
noticed. Neither did he.

''With me,'' Malfoy breathed, his lips traveled across her shoulder. The hand that
wasn't holding him up above her moved up her thigh as he gripped it, and he
pulled her even closer. Needing to be nearer, ''Come with me.''

Nodding, her face was so relaxed. She was weak for him but not as weak as he
was for her. If weakness were considered strength and not the thing causing you
to kneel ahead of your sinner — he'd be the most powerful wizard to walk their
earth. He was so weak for her. And it made him so dynamic.

''With you,'' Amelie let out, hushed and out of breath, ''I'm always with you.''

Draco kissed her. His forehead tipped to hers, ''Now,'' He said, driving in and out
of her steadily.

She did. Amelie fell. She shook. She trembled. She came. She let go for him,
with him, near him.
Euphoria rose within her. Her veins lighted with it. Her limbs shaking. Her
nerves alighted, ''I love you, Draco.'' She let go with it, and that was what it took
for him.

Thunder. Lightning. Tempest. Blast. Gust. Sun. Wind. Cloudburst. Rain.

Everything. That's how it felt to him, coming as undone as she'd done. Letting go
of himself and be with her. Inside her. Her. She was everywhere.

His head fell to the soft place between her shoulder and neck. He loved it there.
Safety. It felt safe to him, and he said something. He murmured something
against her skin. Her chest was heaving with his. Rising and falling. Just like
they'd done.

''What?'' Amelie swallowed the lump of relief as it massed in the back of her
throat. Her fingers touched his flexing spine, ''You said something—''

He repeated it. This time she caught it. She heard it. She heard him and the
damned words he was speaking.

''Draco—''

And again. He said it again.

She couldn't quite understand it. Grasp what he was doing as he laid on top of
her, now looking at her again. Pinning her soul with his cold eyes.

It turned silent for her. She could see his lips parting. He said it again. She
simply couldn't get it through her head. She didn't deserve this. She didn't
deserve him.

His love was raw. Honest. Heartbreaking. He loved her so much. She could
never deserve that.

''Please,'' Draco kissed her upper lip, brushing his nose against hers.

Amelie blinked. She blinked so slowly. Savoring him. Remembering him.

Memorizing him. Him. Her Draco.

His heart missed its beat when he watched that tiny curl in the corner of her
mouth. She was smiling. He made her smile. He was panting, his sight flickering
all across her angelic self. Perfect. She was perfect like this. He couldn't have
this question being asked at any other time than this one.

Underneath the pouring rain and still above her. Amelie's bare body glued to his.
Perfect. It was perfect.

''Don't...'' She whispered. Amelie was so scared. So incredibly frightened to lose

him again, ''Don't promise me anything. Not yet. Not until we know that we'll
make it out of this.''

She couldn't imagine a life with him after this until she was sure they'd have it.
Amelie didn't want to get her hopes up again. Not until she knew.

Malfoy studied her. His pupils were blown and his sight intense, ''I won't.'' He
said. He understood. He was scared too, ''I won't, but you know what I want
now. You know what I want and what I need, and that's you, for the rest of my
god damn life.''

She smiled. She smiled as she sheeted him with her arms. Guarding him with the
strength, she still carried. The tiny ounce of it she still had, she gave to him until
there wasn't anything left of her.

_____

''You're a fucking bastard,'' Draco growled from across the room, holding
himself from throwing a spell and paralyzing the boy he argued with, ''You're a
vile excuse of a human—''

''That's enough, Draco,'' Narcissa tried to meddle, but without luck. Malfoy was
furious, ''Think about Atlas. He's in the house, and I don't want him to hear—''

''I don't care right now,'' He tried to tame himself, not lashing out, ''I can't have
him here. I don't want him here. I want him out. Gone, mother.''

''Well,'' Narcissa fired back, settling her hands on her hips and glaring at her son,
''That's not up to you, is it? I want Adrian here. Amelie, Atlas — Theo wants him
here too—''

''Of course, he does,'' Draco quirked a brow, dryly staring at the two brunets, ''I
don't care what you want. I want him out. I don't want him anywhere near her.''
Malfoy had tried working along with Adrian. He sought to function and to strive
next to him, but he couldn't. He couldn't do that when he saw how Adrian
touched her from time to time. An arm over her shoulders, a hand glued to her
lower back. He even caught him kiss her head.

That's when he lost it. He hated Adrian for touching her. She wasn't his to touch,
to feel, nor to kiss.

They had, despite the fact that they lived to be obvious rivals, gotten along well
—all of them. Even Narcissa agreed to keep Adrian's well-being a secret. It had
to be a secret. It was their secret. They could use him.

They needed him as some sort of secret weapon. If the war closed in faster and
harsher than they were prepared for, they'd have Adrian. They'd have Adrian to
help and save them. He knew more. Not as much as Draco did, but he possessed
a great deal of knowledge. So that was what they did.

All of them hid Adrian from the world, and they wished to everything that he
could assist them in finding Atlas and Amelie's mother.

That's what they did for six weeks. Every day following Draco's release from
underneath the darkness, they looked, they searched, they located, but they never
found. They never found her mother. Not as much of a clue. No sign. Nothing.

Athena and the Dark Lord were nowhere to be found.

It angered the blond. It piled up along with everything else he felt so responsible
for until there barely was anything left of him. Malfoy felt like he failed her,
over and over. Again and Again.

Amelie was distant. He'd noticed. She was there, but she wasn't. It was as if she
held missing in her own head. Especially the three later weeks she struggled, she
stayed clear of everyone, and he didn't know why.

Draco couldn't grasp why she would act the way she did. She locked herself into
the bathroom for hours, and he could hear her cry. When she wasn't playing with
Atlas or reading to him — she hid. She made herself small, tiny. She didn't want
to be there. She didn't want to be close to anyone.

On certain days she even avoided Atlas. So Draco took over instead. Usually, he
played the piano with the little boy. Her brother loved it at night. Listening and
falling asleep to the sound of Draco playing for him.

There were days the world turned too heavy for the boy too. Nights where he
came running into their room, crying and shaking from nightmares of his mother
not being there anymore. Amelie ever so allowed him to crawl beneath the
sheets and sleep close to her even if she wasn't herself.

''That's not up to you, Draco,'' Her tone came unexpectedly from behind, hewing
them all off as they stared blankly at her. Not used to her voicing anything
anymore, ''That's up to Teddy. If he wants him here—''

''Like hell it is,'' Draco scowled, disappointed in her for not taking his side, ''I
don't care—''

''Well, I do,'' Amelie cut him short, shaking her head at him as she slammed her
fists into the table. She stood up, sighing, ''He let you stay at the cabin when he
wasn't sure of you — after you kicked me out of the Manor. Adrian saved both
of our lives, and then he saved you, so a bit of gratitude wouldn't hurt Draco.''

''What the hell is up with you?'' He said, not thinking straight. Not clear that the
room was filled with their family, ''You can not expect me to be okay with him
being here, touching you like he's been—''

''I forgave you, didn't I?'' Amelie spoke. He didn't recognize her. This wasn't her.
She was hiding something, ''I forgave you for trying to drown me in our own
bathtub, Draco. The least you can do is give Teddy the courtesy of a chance of
happiness.''

Even Teddy gasped now. Adrian stared at her wide-eyed. Neither of the three
boys had a clue to what was happening with her. Meanwhile, Narcissa tipped her
head. She studied the insecure girl, and it didn't take her more than ten seconds
to figure out what Amelie was going through.

''Amelie—'' Draco tried to reach out to her, but she'd already marched her way
through the doors, leaving all of them behind.

Adrian and Theodore turned to each other as Draco spun around, confused.
Scratching the back of his head, ''What the hell....'' He mumbled before he ran
after her.
''Amelie,'' Draco meant to soothe her, but it only caused her to tense more as he
stormed into their room, slamming the door shut behind him, ''What the hell was
that?''

She didn't look at him. She stood with her back facing him. Amelie couldn't look
at him even if she wanted to.

Feeling as if she'd failed him. Failed herself. She was so lost. She was so so lost
in what she was meant to do.

''Amelie,'' His note was soft, quiet, ''Talk to me please.''

She didn't. Amelie heard how he stepped closer from behind her. She couldn't
move. She tried to step away, but her body wasn't moving.

''What happened?'' Draco was desperate now. He gave her space. For weeks as
the world shifted darker, uncertain — he gave her all the space he believed she
needed, but he couldn't do that anymore. He didn't want her to work through this
alone. Amelie always helped him. He wanted to help her too, ''Please, talk to
me.''

Pinching her eyes shut, she stood by the window. The air in her lungs ceased the
minute she felt his arms wrapping around her. He coated the whole of her with
himself.

She needed him. She needed him more than she'd ever done, but she couldn't
speak. Unable to shape the words she meant to form, she stayed hushed.

Draco held her closely. His heart was breaking for her.

''You know I'm here, Amelie. I'll always be here.'' Trying to make her sure, he
kissed the back of her head, ''You can talk to me. You don't have to hide from
me.''

''I'm—'' She breathed her words, ''I'm sorry.''

Draco kissed her head again. Meaning to turn her around in his arms, but she
didn't follow. She stayed like that. His arms across her body, ''You have nothing
to apologize about.''
She didn't. Yet, it felt like she did. She felt like she had the whole world to
apologize for.

''Is it about me?'' Malfoy asked, his voice harder, displeased with himself, ''Is it
about us? Do you want me to leave?''

Shaking her head, she finally tucked her arms around his, holding him back. She
at last held him back, ''It's about us....''

Draco's heart stopped.

She didn't think she could do this. She didn't believe she was meant for this. She
was scared. She was so scared. So terrified. So in pain. But she was also happy.
Happier than she'd ever been because one night, three weeks ago, she found
something out.

Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, Amelie was shaking. Her whole self shook out
of control. She didn't have any command over herself. Her bones crumbled. Her
skin shivered.

''Please don't be true....'' She whispered to herself in the steam of the heated
water. Not wishing to go through this alone, but she didn't want to bring him
into it yet. Not until she was certain.

Lifting her wand, she whispered the trails of spells to reveal if it indeed was true.
What she feared since the night they spent in the greenhouse. Since he won.
Since he came back to her.

Light shone brightly around her. She didn't dare to look yet. Not yet. One more
second in doubt. One more minute of not knowing. Just one more.

Inhaling so sharply that it caused her to cough out, she looked at the colors, and
she read them.

She cried. Amelie burst out in tears, slipping down into the water.

Even if this was the end of her, the final destination of her sanity — she smiled.
She smiled through her tears.

Bittersweet, she thought to herself as she heard the sound. The sound she hoped
she'd hear one day. She heard it now, and it tore her heart to pieces. But at the
same time, it put her back together.

Malfoy hated himself at this moment. Absolutely loathed everything about the
situation. He couldn't help her. All he wished was to help her. Helpless. He felt
like he was helpless.

''I'm sorry,'' She untangled herself from his arms, and she turned around in her
shoes, looking at him with space between them now. Her skin was pale. Sickly
ashen, almost, ''I'm so sorry for this.''

''Is it about me?'' Draco questioned her again, sticking his hands in his pockets.
He stared at her, but she simply gazed at the ground, ''Is it about that night? In
the rain? What I didn't ask you?''

''Draco—''

''Is it?'' Sounding severe, he gritted his jaws, ''Because I wanted to, Amelie. I
have wanted to ask you every day since then. Every day before.''

''Not like this, Draco. You—''

He walked away. He strode into the closet, cursing underneath his breath before
he came back out with a black velvet box in his hand. Oh, how she'd thought
about that tiny box ever since he told her about it months ago.

''Draco, don't—''

She had tears that rimmed in the lids of her eyes. Pearls of both confusion and
happiness as she scanned him. His hair was sleekly done over his head. His suit
fitted him far too well. His chest flexing. His shoulders were straight and tense.
He was so ready for this.

He had waited almost a year for this. He wanted to do this, to ask her that very
special question ever since he fell in love with her. Ever since he crashed and
stumbled into loving her.

This was what Draco was meant to do. This was what he'd worked so hard for.

Dropping to one knee, he stared up at her. Hope and future looped in his eyes, ''I
had a whole speech prepared for this....'' He huffed, a curl twitched in the corner
of his mouth, ''I had this whole thing planned. I wanted to tell you all about my
feelings for you but looking at you now... I don't know what to say.''

Amelie cried. Tears fell from her eyes, rolling down her chin as he leaned
forward. His forehead rested against her stomach.

Her stomach.

''That's how it's like,'' He said, ''Loving you is like that, Amelie. Speechless. I'm
speechless around you all the time. Your love leaves me breathless.''

She cried even more now. She wanted to tell him. She just wished to tell him her
secret.

Draco closed his eyes, feeling her fingers as they brushed across his hair, ''And I
wouldn't have it any other way, Amelie. I am so in love with you. I am so damn
and bloody in love with you that it hurts. It hurts loving you.''

Amelie sobbed out. One of her hands stayed stroking his hair while the other
muffled the sound of her cries. She wasn't sad. These weren't sad tears. These
were heartbreaking tears—unresolved ones.

Draco arched his neck. Something broken within him was put together when he
saw her again, ''I love you, Amelie. I have always been yours, and you will
forever be mine.''

Shaking her head, her hair leaked so messily around them. He moved just an
inch as he lifted that box in between them. Feeling small drops of her tears
landing on his hands.

Draco was nervous. He was so so nervous.

Lifting the lid, the exposed diamond ring he'd so carefully picked out for her was
on display, and it caused her vision to turn dizzy. She couldn't see anymore. She
was crying too much.

Malfoy felt tears in his own eyes as he let the tips of his fingers coat the ring,
and he raised it to her, ''Amelie....''
''Draco, please—''

Standing up, one arm placed around her. He held her again. He kept her steady.
He always did that, but he did so for his own sake as well because no matter how
steady he kept her — she balanced him more.

His eyes. Those icing, freezing eyes pierced through hers. Silver daring bronze,
almost. He stared into her soul. Finding places within her and saving her from
drowning without her even realizing it.

She could feel his breaths on her lips. His eyes were watery from his own tears.
He was so close now. She wanted to cave. She needed to cave. He needed her to
cave. She caved.

A slight tip of her head gave him all the permission in the world to do what he so
longingly wanted to do. He was meant to do this. Loving her. It was all his
reasons. She was all his reasons. All the good, all the bad. All of it. Always.

She looked at that ring he held, then she looked at him, she was shaking.

It was time.

She had to tell him. It was his too. Hers and his. Them. Fused and mixed
together. A beautiful piece of them both. Agony and suffering crossed into joy
and bliss. Rain and storm merged with sun and warmth.

Amelie and Draco. Only them. Finally. This was theirs. He loved her. She loved
him. They would love what they'd created too. They had to.

''Marry me.''

''I'm pregnant.''

_____
 Ninety-seven

_____

''Only ours.''

_____

Amelie stared at Draco, frighteningly and wide-eyed. He failed to speak a word

for minutes, but to her, it felt like hours. It felt like those weeks she kept it from
him.

He didn't say a thing. He simply looked at her. Straight in her eyes. Into her soul,
and he pinned something there. A piece of himself. A piece of him. Peace. He
placed his peace with her, hoping it would be enough to protect her. Protect both
of them. Her. His Amelie and their baby. But he didn't say it. He didn't speak it.
He just meant it.

She could feel it. She could always feel him. Amelie felt how he gave them the
last of his soul, how he granted her everything that was left of him. Everything
but the sinners that kept feasting on him.

''Draco...'' She said, so quietly that he barely caught it, ''Please say something.''

He didn't. Malfoy swallowed hard as he wrapped the hand still holding the ring
around her neck, and he pushed his lips to her forehead, ''I love you,'' He
whispered.

''Please,'' She begged him, ''Please, don't go.''

Sealing his eyes and breathing in the calmness she brought, before he let go of
her altogether, and he walked out. Leaving her in tears behind him.

Draco couldn't see her like that. He couldn't possibly look at her when she cried,
when she stood there in front of him carrying his child. He couldn't stand himself
for doing that to her. How he so desperately despised himself at that moment.
He did that to her. He settled himself inside her, and now he was more
vulnerable than he was before. He put her at risk. He had spent nearly two years
protecting her. Shielding her from everything he could, only to be the absolute
downfall of her.

Believing that he ruined her, he hated himself. He couldn't do this, not to her.

''Draco—'' Narcissa called out for him as he marched past them, heading down to
the cellar where he'd been locked up for weeks. She could hear how infuriated he
was on the steps he was taking, ''Draco, dear!''

He was already gone, storming down the stairs, he reached the bottom floor, and
he yanked at the door. It was locked. The door was locked, and he didn't have his
wand. He'd left it upstairs with her. Her. He failed her.

Malfoy was angry. So angry that it only took three boots with his foot to cave
the metal.

He booted it open. Leaving it shattered behind as he stepped through the

entrance. He didn't spare a second. He went straight for the chair, for the table,
for the chains. He ripped it all to pieces. He threw it as it shredded along the
walls.

He took it all out in that room, over and over until he fell to his knees. His chest
heaving. Rising and falling uncontrollably. Draco usually had control. He didn't
now. He didn't own any rule over himself, and before he knew what was
happening, he shouted.

He shouted so loud that the rocks coating the walls shook. The floor vibrated. He
broke. He broke and broke and broke again.

He razed her. He destroyed her. He ruined her.

She was stuck with him for eternity now. Not that he didn't want it. He did. If
there was anything Malfoy ever wanted in this life, it was a life with her. Filled
with her. Crowded with them. Him and her mixed and fused together. He wanted
her to carry their children. He wanted her to have them, to have them with her.

He just didn't think he deserved it. He didn't deserve what was happening. He
didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve the child she was carrying. He didn't
deserve any of it. He didn't deserve to be a father. He couldn't even stay when
she told him about it.

He ran. He fled. He escaped. He left her upstairs in tears. He asked her to marry
him, and she was pregnant. She is pregnant. Amelie is pregnant. She's growing a
child. Their child. Them. She's growing a part of him and a part of her as they
speak, and he walked out. He didn't deserve her.

''Draco, darling...'' Narcissa stood in her own tears, staring at what her son had
done in that cellar. Everything was torn and ripped to pieces. Her son was
spiraling again, and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop it, ''Tell me what
happened.''

Draco didn't tell her. He stayed on his knees with his hands tugging at the roots
of his hair. Tangling his fingers into the blond strands and pulling. He wanted
pain. He deserved the pain.

''Dear...'' Narcissa kneeled next to her son, lifting a hand and stroking his
forehead with the spine of it, ''Whatever this is, we'll figure it out. We'll take care
of it, and it will be alright.''

He merely scoffed at that. A shrug of his shoulders was what he gave.

''I know it might seem pointless now, but you are together again. You have her,
and with her by your side, it will be—''

''Amelie is pregnant, mother. She's bloody pregnant.'' He raised his chin, looking
at the tears rolling down his mother's cheeks, ''She's nineteen years old, and I
made her fucking pregnant.''

Her face held so much worry for her son. He had been through enough, ''I see....''
She said, sympathetically, ''I could tell something was wrong.''

''Wrong?'' He hissed, cocking his head and looking up at her again, ''I got her
pregnant, mother. She's carrying my fucking child at nineteen, and I can't—'' His
voice broke again. His neck arched as he buried his face in his hands, ''I can't do
this to her.''

''You're nineteen too, son,'' Narcissa said, placing her hands on his shoulders,
''You're only nineteen as well.''
''I know I am,'' Draco's voice ruptured, ''But this isn't about me. It's about her. I
wanted more for her. I wished so much more for her. Not this. Not this life. Not
stuck with me and what she's carrying.''

''What did Amelie say?''

''Nothing'' He was quick to reply, ''I didn't give her a chance. I just walked out.''

''Draco...''

''I know!'' He gritted, clenching his jaws in shame. He knew how wrong it was of
him to do that to her, ''I know I fucked up. I shouldn't have walked out. I
should've stayed.''

''You should've,'' His mother pathed her hands up his neck until they settled on
his cheeks. Bending his face in order to see him properly, ''But if anyone
understands that you need a minute — it's her. She knows that you're not going
anywhere. This is a lot for the both of you, and I presume she has had a few
weeks to deal with this on her own?''

''That's what bloody hurts, mother,'' His eyes flickered. He felt so at fault, ''She
didn't come to me right away. I think she doesn't trust me after... what I did to
her. I don't think she wanted me to know in case I would hurt her again.''

''Oh, Draco,'' Narcissa brought him into a hug now. A warm embrace that healed
so many wounds he didn't know he held. They didn't do this too often anymore.
Talk. His mother had enough to take care of when it came to Atlas, and he didn't
want to stand in the way of that — while he, himself, wished to be with Amelie
in all the ways he could, ''You have no idea how wrong you are.''

Draco huffed out, on the edge of tears.

''She trusts you more than anyone, but to find out about something like this, at
her age, with her background... that isn't easy, son. She trusts you. She just needs
to find the strength to trust herself.''

''I didn't want to hurt her,'' Draco was breaking again. It felt to him as if
everything was coming down over him. Everything he tried to push away.
Everything he'd neglected. It crashed. He crashed, ''I didn't want to do this to
her.''
Nodding, she felt how her son was nearly crying into her shoulder, ''Do you want
this, Draco? Do you want this future with her?''

''Of course, I do,'' Malfoy didn't even hesitate. He answered even before he could
hear her question fully, ''There's nothing I want more than this, and especially
with her. I want her, mother. All of it. She's it for me. You know that.''

Narcissa smiled. She smiled because she heard how far he'd come.

When Draco was a child and growing up — he wasn't like the person he tended
to be today. He was everything she never wished for him to be, and to see him
now, to see him opening up and to see him be the man Amelie caused him to be,
that was everything to her.

Narcissa did it. She succeeded. They made it.

''Do you know...'' Being hesitant, she doubted her question for a moment, ''Do
you know how long?''

''At least six weeks. Since the night I made it out. We had a... moment after that,''
Draco felt a coiling feeling, something speaking against what he told his mother,
but at the same time, it didn't feel strange telling her. He liked being truthful with
her, ''Or before that. We did things before I was captured.''

''You haven't been with each other after that? So that it can be later on?'' She
asked but was greeted by him, drawing back from her and giving her a
suspicious glare, ''I don't... I'm just trying to understand, Draco. It's alright if you
don't want to tell me.''

Malfoy's mouth twitched a bit in uncertainty, ''We have... a few times.''

''But you're sure that it was six weeks ago?''

''If it were earlier, it would've shown when Teddy healed her after her mother
stabbed her. I think we would've known.'' Draco wiped the tears that were close
to falling. Before they fell, he didn't deserve to cry, ''It had to be then. It just feels
like it was that time. It meant a lot to the both of us.''

Nodding, she let her hand brush across his hair, smiling, ''I can help her
tomorrow, do a spell, and we'll find out everything we need to know, but for
now, Draco, for now, I think you need to go up there and be with her. No matter
how terrifying this is for you — imagine how it is for her. She's been alone in
this for six weeks. That can't be easy.''

The guilt swallowed him again. His veins ached at the thought of it. Her being
alone. Her going through that alone. Finding it out alone. He couldn't even
envision what that had to be like for her.

''I just...'' Shaking his head, he withdrew from his mother. Shifting in his position
and hugging his knees to his chest, ''I don't know if I'll be good at it. Being...
responsible for another human like that. Being a—'' He couldn't even speak it.
He didn't feel worthy of speaking the term.

''A father?'' Narcissa held that gracious smile on her lips, ''You don't think you'll
be good at being a father? Well, let me tell you something, Draco. I was only a
couple of years older than you when I became your mother, and I have never
feared anything as much as I feared not being enough for you at that age.'' She
took a breath, gazing at her son, ''But I don't think age has anything to do with it.
I think it's about you and how you are as a person, and if that's the case — I can't
think of anyone that would suit better as parents than the two of you.''

Draco was so close to tears again. He wanted to believe that. He wished he

could. He knew Amelie would be amazing, even with her background — it
would only strengthen her to be an even better mom than he'd ever thought she'd
be.

Mother. Amelie would become a mother. She would become the mother of his
child. That should scare him, but somehow, that only caused him to fall harder.
He loved her even more, knowing that she was at that very moment, carrying
their child.

Their child. It was something special with those words as they went on repeat in
his head. Hitting his mind and blurring his thoughts over and over. She would be
a mom. She would be a mother, and she'd be the best mother he'd ever met. He
didn't doubt that for a second.

''That child, Draco. Your child will be the luckiest child in the world.''

He hoped so. Oh, how he hoped so. He knew so. He knew his child would be the
happiest luckiest child there was because it was hers. Hers and his. Theirs. Their
child. She's pregnant.

''You think so?'' Malfoy peered up at his mother, dragging both of his hands
through his hair, ''Do you think I can do this? Do you think I could be a father?''

''I know you can,'' Narcissa said softly as she bent forward, planting a kiss on her
son's head, ''I know you will. You'll be the best father I have ever seen, and she'll
be the best mother.''

Mother. Amelie was becoming a mother. He still couldn't get that through his
head. The mother of his child. Lucky. He was so lucky. Not only was their future
child lucky, but so was he. He was so lucky that she was the one he got to do this
with.

That feeling of joy quickly faded. It went so fast that he barely felt it until it was
gone. He saw his mark. The dark mark that was carved into his skin. He hated
himself again. Hate. Hate. Hate.

Narcissa noticed. Ever since her son got that mark, she could always tell how
insecure it caused him to be, ''That mark changes nothing, Draco. Nothing.''

''Except it does,'' He mumbled. His voice leveled harder, more disappointment

increased, ''It changes everything. I don't want my child to have a Death Eater as
a father.''

''You did,'' His mother spoke, brushing her hair out of her face until her hands
settled in her lap, still seated on the floor with her son, ''Your father is a Death
Eater, Draco, and that changed nothing in how he felt about you. Your father
loved you, even if he did all the wrong things. You turned out better than I ever
thought you would with the background you have. That mark changes nothing.''

That wasn't what scared him. Draco knew he wasn't the mark inked in his skin.
He knew he wasn't a Death Eater like the rest, but it scared him. It scared him to
think about the future. Knowing that the symbol he carried would one day come
to haunt his child. His family.

Her. She was his family.

''It's everything,'' Malfoy sighed, looking away, ''It's everything around it,
mother. It's what will happen next, what will happen to her and our child, and the
little one upstairs. Atlas. Is the Dark Lord going to find them? Will he turn their
mother against them? Will he kill them? Will he take them from me? It's that I
don't know. I don't know shit, and it makes me feel so fucking helpless. If I don't
know — I can't protect her.''

''She has a whole house of people to protect her, including herself. She's not the
same girl you brought home almost two years ago, Draco. She's stronger now.
So much stronger and with the will of protecting all of you, her brother, you,
Teddy, Adrian, and that child growing inside her... She'll be unstoppable. I don't
think you have to worry much about her.''

''That's all I do. All I do is worry about her.'' It was. He did. Amelie was it all to
him. The person worth being worried for. Nothing would change that. Even in a
life where she'd immortal, he'd still worry, ''I'm... I'm scared, mother. I'm scared
for her. I'm scared of what she'll do when that day comes. When they come for
her. I'm so scared that she'll give herself up to protect Atlas and her mother.''

It ached again. It ached so much. It turned unbearable on that floor. It crawled

within him. It ached and stung.

He stood up, pacing around now, ''I'm so scared that I'll lose her. What do I do,
mother? If I don't lose her because of the Dark Lord, I'm sure I'll lose her for
what I've done. Even if we find a way to beat him — I'm still guilty of murder.
Not only Death Eaters. I killed for him. I slaughtered for him even before she
came into the picture. I'll be put on trial, and I'll be found guilty because I am,
mother. I am guilty. I killed good people. For God's sake — I killed children.''

She did what he'd done. Narcissa stood up. Brushing her long skirt down and
fixing her hair before she looked at her son again, ''If that's the case, we'll deal
with it when we get there, but nothing is going to happen to you. If you have to
serve time for what you've done — I'll be here. Or I'll take the blame for you.
You know I will. She'll never be alone, and neither will you.''

''Promise me, mother,'' Draco demanded, seriously now. He stopped. He didn't

pace around anymore, ''If anything happens to me. You'll take care of her. You'll
protect her — them. All of them. You choose her. You choose her over our
child. We can make another child. Hell, we can make ten more, but there's only
one Amelie."

''Draco—''
''No,'' He wasn't playing around now. Amelie was everything, ''I need you to
promise me that you'll choose her. That you'll make Teddy choose her if it ever
comes down to it. She would never do that. She'd choose that child, unborn or
not. She'd choose our child over herself without question, but I need you to
promise me that you won't let that happen.''

He'd do it too. He would choose their child over himself without a second
thought, but he couldn't let her do it. Never.

Narcissa tipped her head, stepping closer to her son over the chaos he'd made,
and once again, she wrapped her arms around him, ''You know I will. You know
I will protect that girl with my life and especially now when she's carrying my
grandchild. I'll do my best to protect them both, Draco.''

It warmed Draco, hearing that. It almost made him as warm as Amelie did. He
was giving his mother a grandchild. That was something he never thought he
would.

''But speaking of her... I think it's time, Draco. I think you need to talk to her.''

''What if she doesn't want this?'' He was scared again, ''What if she doesn't want
this like I do?''

''Sometimes, dear,'' Narcissa chuckled amusingly, ''Sometimes I wonder where

all that sanity you usually hold goes when you speak foolish things like that.''

_____

Amelie had gone to bed. She stayed up for as long as she could, but from being
exhausted by the sickening feeling she so constantly carried — to crying her
heart out at the way he left her earlier, she couldn't stay awake any longer.

Not wishing to run after him, she understood that he needed time. He needed
time to think, to process what she told him. Amelie had the three weeks she kept
this to herself to gather her thoughts of what this meant. Draco needed time too.
She knew that.

So she tried to sleep. She tried to cry herself to sleep because that was the one
thing she couldn't stop doing. Crying. She couldn't stop crying.
Amelie was happy. She was so happy that she indeed had a child growing inside
her. That no matter how this would end, what would rule the world, and what
regime would concur — a part of them both would live even if they didn't.

A part of Draco's love for her, a part of him would still be there. And a piece of
her. A piece of her unconditional love for him. Their love for each other.
Nothing calmed her more than that. If she didn't make it, he'd have someone to
love, someone to care for, someone that would care for him. He wouldn't be
alone.

But that also made her terrified, scared out of her mind. Amelie was frightened
to a point where she didn't know what to do anymore because now she had one
more soul to shield. Something more that Draco would feel responsible over, and
it ripped her apart. It caused her heart to shatter.

Stroking her hand over her stomach, she tried to ease the pain. All the pain she
felt. All the hurt that could come from this.

It wasn't until she heard the door to their room open and close. His steps
marching quietly over the floor as he shut the wood to the bathroom behind him.
Hearing how he showered and how he later walked out of it. It wasn't until the
moment he lifted the cover on his side of the bed and until she sensed his arms
wrapping around her chest, she felt like she could breathe again.

He didn't touch her belly. His touch landed across her ribs, and he pulled her
spine into his chest. Draco's breaths fanned against her shoulder, trailing shivers
all over her skin.

''I'm sorry,'' He whispered, kissing her neck, ''I'm so sorry.''

Amelie felt tears in the lids of her eyes. They burnt. They stung. They were so
threateningly close to falling.

''I'm sorry I walked out on you,'' Draco continued, holding her close, ''You didn't
deserve any of it.''

''Don't—'' She breathed her words so silently, ''Don't be sorry. This is a lot. This
is so much.''

''It still wasn't fair to you,'' There was a tear in his vocals. He held so much
remorse for how he'd handled the situation, ''I shouldn't have left.''

Amelie grasped at his hand, carefully bringing it up to her lips. She kissed the
palm of it, ''You did what you had to do, Draco. It's fine.''

It wasn't fine. To him, nothing of what he'd done was fine.

''I just...'' Pushing his mouth into the back of her head, he mumbled, ''I just
needed... a moment. I did this to you. I caused this.''

Amelie shifted around in his arms, her pulse quickening at his words as she
faced him in the darkness, ''It's not your fault. This is as much my doings as it is
yours. I didn't stop it. I let you... be inside me.''

''I should've stopped it,'' He said. He wasn't regretting it. He loved being with her
in that way. Even if this were the outcome, he'd do it again, ''I didn't mean to do
this to you. It was reckless—''

''I don't—'' Her fingers brushed along his jaw as she admired him. She was
looking at him so lovingly. She loved him so much. Amelie loved Draco more
than she thought was possible. She read a lot of love stories in her life. Teddy
used to read her romance, but never did she think she'd have her own love story
right there. In front of her. Him. Draco, ''I don't regret it....''

Draco blinked. He blinked surprisingly. He didn't regret it either. He just thought

she did. He didn't think she wanted this. He didn't think she wanted this with
him. She had been crying when he walked out. He thought that meant no, that it
meant something bad. Something they'd never be or never have.

''I know you do. I know you regret it, and I'm so sorry that you do. You don't
have to be a part of this, any of it. I can do this, Draco. I think I can do this by
myself—''

''Shut up,'' He muttered and without resting another second. He kissed her. He
pulled her body to his, and he kissed her. So deeply, ''For a Ravenclaw, Amelie.
You're more than foolish sometimes.''

It took him minutes. It took him so many kisses that he was out of breath before
he held the strength to pull away from her.
He needed her. He needed her so much that his lungs didn't fill with air unless
she was breathing the same as he did. His heart didn't beat unless it was in
bearing with hers. His heart. That's what she was. Amelie was his heart. She was
all of him. All the good and all the bad. Everything. She was every little thing of
him.

''I don't—'' She clung onto him, with everything she was. She was his. He was
hers. It was them. Had been. Will be. Is. It's them, ''I didn't think—''

''That what?'' Draco smiled shyly. He still didn't dare to touch her stomach, ''That
I'd stay? That I'd leave you? That I'd walk away after everything? After what
we've been through? That I'd give up on you?''

She was shaking now. Crying. She was crying again. Happy. He knew that now.
She was crying because she was happy. He made her happy.

''I'm yours, and you're mine, Amelie....'' He whispered, silently against her lips,
''And this....'' He took her hands in his, and he placed all four of them on her
belly. He finally touched her. Them, ''And this is ours.''

Sobbing out, Amelie's forehead leaned to his as he continued. He was speaking

to her, he was speaking to her heart, he was speaking to the tiny human living
inside her, ''I'm yours, and you're mine, and this is ours. Just ours. Only ours.'' He
said, and never had he meant something as much as he meant this.

''Just ours,'' She nodded, tears gushing and wetting the both of them, ''Only ours.''

They laid there for a while. Him kissing her. Her kissing him. Their fingers
tangled. Their hands steady over her stomach. Their stomach. Their doing.
Them.

''You never let me ask you my question, earlier,'' Malfoy huffed out, his tone low
as her breaths struck his chest, ''Or I asked it, you just never answered.''

Amelie closed her eyes, pinching them shut, and she buried herself deeper into
him, hiding her face, ''I wasn't sure you wanted me to answer,'' She whispered,
hesitantly, ''I didn't know if you wanted me after what I told you.''

''I love you,'' Draco kissed her forehead softly, propping himself up on one
elbow as he towered her in between their sheets, ''I love you more than I thought
I would, Amelie. I am so in love with you, and this... all of this only causes me
to love you more. What we created only makes me fall harder for you. Nothing
you tell me, no matter what it is, can change that. That's the one thing that will
never change.''

She was crying again. She was crying so much. That was all she did. She loved
him. She loved them. She cried. Crying. Draco cried too, sometimes. He loved
her.

Oh, how he loved that stubborn, reckless girl she lived to be. He loved her with
everything. She was everything. He loved her with every fiber in his body, with
every tear he owned, with every breath he took, with every drop of rain that fell
outside in the autumn weather.

Rain. He peered to the side. Seeing and hearing the sound of it as it collided with
their windows. It was raining.

Autumn. It was Autumn. It made him happy. It gave him hope. Another season
passed, and they made it out. They made it through summer. It made him more
than happy. It had him smiling. She was right there. Looking down at him
through her tears, her hands steady over her own body, already protecting what
they'd created.

He loved her.

He loved her. He loves her. Draco loves her.

Her. Her. Her.

The only difference was that it wasn't just her anymore. It was them. Her and
that beautiful piece of them both living inside her. Growing. She was growing a
human. She was growing the person who would become the biggest love of his
life. She was growing the person who would change the world for him. Someone
that he'd give it all to, and that was strange for Malfoy.

He never had many people around him, but now — now he had two. His own
persons. His own human beings. A miracle. His miracle. Her miracle. Their
miracle. Theirs. Only theirs.

''I know,'' Amelie's head felt so heavy upon her pillow, she was so tired, yet she'd
never felt more awake, ''I know it won't, but I just... I didn't know what to say.''

Draco lowered himself underneath the duvet but still on top of her until he was
lying on her legs. With his chin close to her belly. He gave it a swift tip of his
head, and she nodded, giving him the permission he sought to drag up the
nightdress she was wearing. He let it rest over her ribs as she pushed herself up a
bit, leaning against the headboard and looking at him.

His hands moved over her. The tips of his fingers brushed over her stomach, ''I
love you,'' He whispered before pushing his lips into the bump that wasn't even
there. He kissed her. He kissed them, ''I love you, Amelie. And I want to marry
you. I want you to marry me.''

The girl smiled. Her own fingers found his hair, combing through it, ''I want to
marry you.'' She said. Her voice was like a heavenly orchestra to his ears. He just
fell in love with her again. And again. And again. Over and over.

''My beautiful girl,'' Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his chin against her
stomach, looking up at her through his lashes, ''I don't deserve you. I don't
deserve this life with you, and you can think I'm crazy. A fucking maniac for
wanting this at nineteen, but I'm not. I'm just so in love with you. I always will
be, and I don't want to waste it. I don't want any of us to go to waste. It's proven
that we have no say in what happens around us, so I want this. I want you. I want
us. All three of us. Hell, I'd even stand Adrian and Teddy as long as it means I
can spend the rest of my god damn life with you.''

Amelie kept touching him. She kept dragging her fingers through his hair, ''You
do, Draco. You deserve so much.'' She smiled. He did. He did. He did. He did.
He just didn't know it, ''You deserve the entire world, Draco.''

''You then,'' He kissed her skin, his hands holding her tighter, ''You are my
world. You're it.''

Her heart skipped a beat. Her skin flushed in warmth, ''You are my world,
Draco.''

''Both of you,'' He hummed now, brushing his nose along her belly before he
arched up a bit again, looking her straight in the eyes. Into her soul again. He felt
her. She felt him, ''I'll take care of you, Amelie. I will take such good care of
both of you. I promise.''
It was a quietness as he gazed at her. Admired her. Adored her. Her hair, her
skin, her lips, her nose, her eyes, all of her. This was the perfect place to do this.

A bed. It started on a bed.

The day he realized he couldn't stay away from her — it started on his bed back
at Hogwarts. He had taken her away from Adrian, and he brought her up to his
room. That's when it fell. When he fell. That's when he couldn't do nothing
anymore.

She belonged to him. He couldn't stay away. She was made for him. Her bones
arched where his did, and they fitted perfectly together. His hands were made for
touching her. His lips made for kissing her. His voice made for speaking how
much he loves her. He was made for her, and she for him.

''Marry me,'' He said again. For the third time, ''Marry me, Amelie.''

And there it was again. The ring. He brought it into bed. He placed it on her
stomach. He looked at it before looking at her. Her. Only her.

It started with a slow nod, a gentle tip of her head as it leveled into her crying
again, ''I'll marry you,'' She sobbed out, bending forward as he sat up, catching
her body in his arms, ''Yes. Yes. Yes. I'll marry you. I'll marry you, Draco.''

He kissed her. His hand placed on her stomach again. He just wanted to be there,
to feel her. To feel what was theirs. He kissed her head. Slipping that ring onto
her finger and holding her. Kissing her. Holding them. Kissing them.

''Can I show you something?'' Amelie laid on top of him now, his hands in her
hair, her lips on his, ''I want to show you something.''

''Mhm,'' He groaned at the feeling of her rolling off him and crawling between
his legs to sit in his lap. Her spine pressed against his chest as he peered over her
shoulder, looking down at her wand, ''Amelie, what are you—''

She mumbled the same words she'd done in the bathroom the night she found
out. The magic that allowed her to hear the heart of the little life beating inside
her, ''Listen,'' She said, reaching for one of his hands and bringing it to her
stomach, ''Do you hear? The heart beats with ours.''
He cried. He didn't think he would, but he did. More than he'd ever done. More
than he'd ever cried before. He couldn't stop it. Not this time. Silently, he cried at
that tiny sound as it echoed around them. Filling the room.

Heartbeat. Heart. His heart. Both of them. His. Only his.

''It does...'' He tried to mutter into her head, kissing the pad of it as he held her.
Them. He held them. His reasons. His heart, ''It beats with ours, Amelie.''

______

''A girl?'' Draco was standing next to Amelie, on his side of the bed. One hand
was knitted with hers, while the other gripped the headboard, hovering over her,
''Why do you think it's a girl? Any reasonable explanation for that?''

''Why don't you think it's a girl?'' Narcissa smiled, hunching to sit on the edge of
the bed, her hand brushing along Amelie's stomach, ''If you haven't noticed,
there's enough testosterone in this house as it is, Draco, All I can do is wish.''

''Well, it's my child, mother, no matter what gender he is—''

''There it is again, Draco,'' She glared at her son, finding Amelie's hand without
looking, ''He. You always refer to the baby as he.''

Merely rolling his eyes at his mother, he pathed Amelie's fingers he was still
holding up to his lips as he kissed them, ''What do you think, Amelie?'' He
hummed, kissing her hand once more.

He did that a lot. He kissed her so much now. All the time. Everywhere. If he
couldn't get enough of her before, she didn't know what this was. He was next to
her at all times.

One month had passed since she told him. Since she agreed to marry him. Since
they, in some sort, became even closer. More in love. More of everything. The
world around them was darkening. The number of people going missing and
bodies being found was uncountable, but not there. Not with them. Amelie and
Draco tried so hard not to let it get to them.

She did everything she could to hide Atlas. To protect her little brother and
Adrian. The Dark Lord couldn't know about either of the two boys. They had to
be hidden, shielded no matter the cost. They had to hide—all of them.

Draco himself wished to go out and battle. Try and help people that didn't stand
a chance, but he couldn't. Not when she was there. Not when she was pregnant.
She'd be put at risk. He couldn't have that. So instead, he settled. He stayed.

They were meant to do this earlier. The day after she told him, but Amelie didn't
want to. This went so much deeper than to hear a heartbeat. This was everything.
This would expose everything about their unborn child. She was so scared.
Amelie didn't tell Draco that, but she was terrified.

Not sure whether the torture she had to go through as a child or the injuries she
earned as an adult would play a part. Not knowing if her body was meant for
this, if she was ready.

Amelie didn't even reveal her secret to Teddy, even if he was suspicious of them.
She didn't tell him. She didn't want to. She couldn't. Not until she knew it was
okay. Not until she knew that her child was safe. They kept it a secret. They kept
everything a secret.

Even if it was so hard to do so. To lie and pretend like nothing when they, in
reality, were so happy. Sneaking around, finding small precious moments to
themselves.

Draco kissed her knuckles again, stroking his nose along the spine of her hand.
Something was off with her. He could tell. He could always tell. Even more
now. He read her like an open book.

''I don't know....'' Amelie looked at Narcissa, shaking her head as she, after a
minute, stared down at her stomach. She was showing a bit more now, especially
lying flat on her back, and oh, how Draco loved that. It was his favorite thing,
her stomach. Their child, ''I don't think it matters,'' She stuttered, ''I just want the
baby to be healthy.''

Draco sighed. He understood now. He realized why she was shaking the second
she said that ''It will be,'' Malfoy tried to ease her, his eyes finding hers, and he
nodded, ''You know it will.''

Forcing a smile. She looked down at her belly again before she gazed wide-eyed
at Narcissa's wand, ''Whenever you are ready, dear.'' Draco's mother spoke, and
she smiled warmly at the trembling girl.

Amelie tilted her head back. Staring up at the roof and nodding. She shut her
eyes. She couldn't look. She didn't want to. She didn't want to see it until Draco
said it was safe to do so. She didn't want to hear. Not see. Not feel. Not hear. She
was terrified. So scared.

Malfoy was scared too, more than it, but he had to keep it together for her. He
couldn't panic as she did.

Her chest was heaving. She gripped his hand so tightly that if he didn't restrain
himself — he'd scream out. It hurt. Her nails digging in. She was breaking. She
didn't want to break. Feeling as if she'd be the absolute worst mother in the
world if she did. She couldn't hold it together. She couldn't hold it back.

Draco looked at her. The whole time it took for his mother to hum the spells, he
looked at her. Bending down the second he saw her tears. He kissed them away.
He loved kissing her. He loved feeling her.

''Amelie...'' He whispered silently. He didn't want to interrupt Narcissa's magic,

''You're beautiful. So beautiful.''

She smiled fearfully, ''You're the beautiful one.'' Still having her eyes closed, she
didn't dare to look yet.

He huffed out a chuckle, pushing his lips to her forehead. His hand was yet
wrapped around hers, ''It's alright....'' He breathed, calming her, ''Just be here
with me.''

''Draco—'' Narcissa cut him short, and he immediately arched back up, staring
blankly at his mother.

''What?'' Amelie choked out, squeezing her eyes together so firmly that she saw
stars, ''Draco? What is it?''

He didn't say a word. He barely breathed.

''Draco,'' She said again, harder this time, ''Draco, tell me. Tell me what's wrong
—''
She panicked. Something was wrong. She knew it was. She could feel it. So
terribly wrong. She wasn't meant for this. She knew she wasn't.

''Draco, please—''

Those seconds felt like hours. She couldn't breathe. She didn't find the strength
to breathe. She couldn't move. All she felt was her own hand finding her
stomach, unconsciously, almost.

Amelie could hear them talking. Yet, not a word was understandable to her.

Malfoy fell to his knees beside her. His heart missed a beat as he took their
hands to his face. Tears. She could feel tears. He was crying. He never cried. It
was done. Over. She knew it was. He'd never forgive her for this. He'd never
look at her the same again. She'd lose both of them. Over. Over. Over.

Amelie felt her own tears as they rolled quietly down her cheeks. She still didn't
look. She just felt the magic around her. Her heartbeat rang in her ears. Swelling.
She didn't hear anything else but that. Her heartbeat. Panicking. Panicking.
Panicking. She was hysterical inside. Everything crackled. Her heart broke.

''Amelie...'' Draco whimpered, holding her hand so tightly that it turned pale, ''It's
a girl....''

It hit her. Like a thunderstorm. Something so forceful. Rain. Storm. A tidal

wave. A train at high speed. It hit her, again and again. It wasn't her own
heartbeat she heard. It was their baby's. It was theirs. Not hers.

''What?'' Her skin was red, feverish, and burning. She yanked forward. Finally
watching the magic as it flooded around her. She saw it. She saw what he saw. It
was a girl. Her girl. His girl. Their girl.

A daughter. She would be a mom. Her mom. Draco would be a father. Her
father. A daughter. Their child. She made it. They made it.

''No—'' Amelie shook her head. She broke. She broke, and she broke again. It
couldn't be true. She couldn't believe it, ''No....''

Draco let his forehead fall to her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around
him, ''It's a girl, Amelie.'' He sobbed out, ''A girl—''
If she thought that she was breaking — Draco shattered. He was so happy that he
couldn't describe it with words. He could just cry. He didn't know what to say.
What to do. How to act, ''I love you,'' She whispered into his head, ''We love
you.''

''Almost three months....'' Narcissa smiled, widely with tears as they rimmed in
her own eyes, ''Your little girl is strong. She's so healthy, Amelie.''

That only caused Draco to sob out even louder. He was shaking. Shaking and
breaking. He couldn't breathe. He just caved. He caved into her. Her. Her. Her.

The girl ripped him of his insanity and replaced it with reason. Reason. She was
his every reason. Both of his girls. His girls. The loves of his life.

''Nothing's wrong?'' Amelie asked, her words thin and hesitant, ''She's healthy?''

''Amelie,'' Narcissa's voice laced with peace and composure, ''She's healthy.
You're having a healthy little girl.''

''I love you,'' Draco lifted his head from her shoulder, still shaking,
unwaveringly, ''I love you. Both of you. She's perfect. Our little girl is perfect.
So are you. You're perfect, fuck — you're perfect.''

It stung in his chest. In his eyes. He'd never felt like this before. Never.

His girls. His two girls. Them and them only.

His body jolted. Flying up to two feet almost. Looking at her with shock and
excitement in his eyes. He nearly forgot, ''I need to show you something.'' He
traced her hand up to his lips again, placing a peck on her fingers. She smiled.

And somewhere, she believed, somewhere in all the chaos. Somewhere in

between the life she'd lived through. Between all those lines crowded with hurt
and torture — the hell she both kneeled in front of and the hell she overcame,
perhaps it could turn out for the better. Maybe they could have their happy
ending.

They deserved it. All of it. They deserved to live freely with their daughter, even
at a young age as this one. Nineteen.
Amelie never thought she'd make it to nineteen. She never believed she'd age.
She never thought she'd be able to see the world as she saw it to this day — even
if it was dark. Horrendous. Dangerous. Menacing. She managed to see the good
in it. Always.

Draco saw the good through her. She was good to him. She was good for him.
He had lived nineteen years on this earth that kept failing him, but with her by
his side, she made it count. Every damned day, she turned to the better.

He dried his tears, and he pulled her up on two feet with him, holding her close,
''Come here,'' He mumbled, ''I have something for you.''

It hurt when she looked at him. It hurt to see him happy. Because she knew. She
wasn't foolish. They all knew.

She knew what was coming. She could feel the storm rising. She could feel the
thunder as it echoed. The hurt, the fire, the screams.

She knew it was happening, around them, close to them, among them. This
wasn't forever. This calmness was simply the heaven she was meant to cherish
before it all went straight to hell.

_____
 Ninety-eight

This chapter contains the mention of blood and emotional trauma. Please
read with caution.

_____

''Let's end this war, Malfoy.''

_____

''Where—'' Amelie chuckled at the way he was so unsteadily leading her out of
their room, hearing how Narcissa softly laughed behind them, ''Draco, what—''

Malfoy was covering her eyes. His palms barricading every chance she held in
seeing a thing. He didn't take her far, only to the room next to theirs, ''One
second,'' He said, still blocking her sight with one hand as the other one found
something in front of her.

Whispering in her ear, he kissed the side of her head, ''Alright, you ready?''

Amelie nodded. Her own hand was placed on the bump she carried. She was
showing even standing up now. Even if she dressed in looser dresses and shirts,
it wouldn't be long until Teddy figured it out, ''Ready.''

He smiled. She didn't see it, but she felt it. His touch was warm, caring. He cared
for this. He cared so much for what he was about to show her.

''Don't make fun out of me, yeah?'' He mumbled, his voice low and hoarse into
her head, ''It's not...something I do, but for my girls — I'd do anything. Even
this.''

She was getting more excited now. Nearly jumping up and down at the way he
was speaking. She wasn't much for gifts. She had never been, but she could hear
the eagerness in his voice and the intensity in his embrace. Amelie already knew
she would love this.
''We would do anything for you, Draco,'' She tipped her head to the side, into the
palm of his hand, ''Now, show me or I might—''

Draco let go of her. Hastily and abruptly. His arms sliding down her frame and
landing over hers. He held her belly too, now.

''Draco—'' Amelie gasped. Her eyes were wide and tear-filled. She was close to
crying again. She always cried, ''You—''

''I did,'' He said, trying to sound unbothered. When he, in reality, was more than
thrilled. He'd been working on this for a month. Ever since he found out about
his little miracle, their miracle — he'd worked and worked. He both studied and
came up with new spells and magic to create what she was looking at. He built a
room for her. Draco had built a room for their daughter, ''For you, both of you.''

She couldn't comprehend it properly. It felt surreal to her. Real. This made it
real. He made it real by putting it in full view for her. This made it all so clear.
They were actually having a child. A daughter. A girl. Her girl. His girl. Their
girl.

''Draco...'' Amelie whispered, almost scared to walk inside. She didn't want to
ruin anything. She didn't want to mess it up, ''This is....''

Her gaze fell upon all of it. The soft yellow shaded walls. Just like he'd painted
the walls in their bedroom, he painted their daughter's room in the exact same
shade. In the same color, she adored as a child herself — in the color her father
took from her, Draco gave to their daughter.

Something as simple as the tint of the walls made her fall in love with him all
over again.

The tiny crib in the corner of the room was white and oval. There was a thin, soft
covering that hung from the roof above it, spilling so beautifully around the crib.
The bed-lined was made. He even made her little bed.

Amelie looked to the side, finding an armchair similar to the one he had in his
room back at the Manor. He loved that chair. She remembered.

Bookshelves draped one entire wall. It was as if Draco had made it feel like a
library on that wall. Amelie adored libraries, and he knew. The mat covering the
floor was fluffy and soft. The curtains hanging around the windows were thin,
light. There was so much light in this room. Stuffed animals covered the end of
her crib, all kinds of them, and she lifted her stare. Walking closer to the bed
when she saw it.

Rain.

He made it rain right over the place her beautiful little head would lay. Threads,
invisible ones, hung from the ceiling, and at the ends of them, it was crystal
formed into drops. Rain. He made it rain.

''Diamonds,'' Malfoy mumbled, sneaking up behind her and gripping the edges
of the crib. He trapped her in his arms, one placed on each side of her, ''Only the
best for our little girl.''

Amelie cried again. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she allowed the tips of her
fingers to touch them. It made a heavenly sound as they brushed against each
other, all the pearls. ''Draco... this is beautiful.''

''You are beautiful. She will be beautiful,'' He said, his arms moving to hug her,
''This is just things. Things for us, for you. It doesn't really matter, it's material
things, but it's all I can do for you right now. I can't do more than this.''

Leaning back against his chest, she tilted her head, burying her cheek against the
white shirt he was wearing. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve him.
Never did Amelie believe that Draco had so much love for their unborn child
already, but he did. He loved his little girl more than he understood himself.

''You do enough, Draco,'' Amelie tangled her fingers with his, holding their girl
together with him, ''Everything you do is more than enough. No matter what you
do. If it's those back rubs in the middle of the night — you massaging my feet,
brush my hair, play the piano for Atlas, talk to the baby. Everything you do is
enough. I couldn't ask for anything else but you.''

His heart pounded. That made him so warm. She saw every little thing Draco did
for her. Never did Amelie take a single act for granted. He adored that about her.
That she saw him. No matter what, she saw everything about him.

Malfoy held her tighter. He didn't know what to say when she spoke in the ways
she did now, so he held her, and Amelie knew. Every time he wrapped his arms
around her, bringing her body closer than it had ever been, she knew it was his
way of thanking her or saying it back. He kissed the side of her head.

But he froze. Quickly and unexpectedly. Amelie winced because of it. He

brought their tangled mess of hands up into his view, studying the ring she
wasn't wearing. His heart ached, but he stayed silent. Brushing the weight of her
not telling her best friend any of this yet, off his shoulders.

She'd told him that she wasn't ready to tell Teddy. She wasn't ready because she
didn't want her best friend to hurt more than he already had done. Theodore hurt
and hurt. He placed everyone above himself, and she only wished for good
things when it came to him. That had nothing to do with Draco. It was all her.
She was scared that Teddy wouldn't survive if all of this ended in heartbreak.

He was happy now, even if the world was so uncertain. Even if they didn't know
what would happen next. Teddy was happy with Adrian, and that was everything
Amelie wanted. She didn't need him to worry about her baby, she didn't want to
take the spotlight off him and Adrian to tell him about the ring Draco got for her.

Malfoy knew it wasn't about him, yet it felt hard for him. It felt suffocating
knowing that a boy she once loved lived underneath the same roof as them. That
same boy vandalized everything there was to scar about Amelie. Yet, he tried to
play along. To let Amelie have this. Have both Adrian and Teddy close, but
when she wouldn't admit their engagement to them — Draco felt insecure.

She noticed. Amelie always noticed.

''Draco—''

''Are you ashamed of me?'' He bluntly asked, still holding her. He would never
stop holding her, ''Is that it? I understand that you don't want to tell them about
her,'' He put pressure upon her stomach, ''But I don't understand why you have to
take that ring off your finger every chance you get—''

''It's not...'' Amelie turned around, her hands splayed out on his chest, ''It's not
like that. You know it's not.''

His arms tensing around her, gripping her neck. He just looked down at her
while her own stare was bored into the white shirt. ''I'll tell him. Both of them,''
Amelie said, honesty riddled her voice, ''I will tell Adrian and Teddy about both
the baby and about the ring. I promise. I'll do it tonight—''

''You don't—'' Draco breathed, pushing his lips into her forehead. He felt so bad
now. He didn't mean to pressure her. She knew he didn't, ''You don't have to do
that. We can wait.''

''I don't want you to feel like this, Draco,'' Her voice was softer now, silk almost,
''It was never my intention to make you feel like I was hiding it because I'm
ashamed of you. I'm just scared. I'm still so scared, Draco. Every day.''

His hands found her jaws, tilting her face up so that he could admire her. So that
he could admire every tiny detail of her. All the way from her caring heart that
carried more love for everyone around them than herself to that adorable nose of
hers. He kissed it. The tip of it, gently.

''I don't care,'' Draco let out, ''I don't know why I feel like that. It has nothing to
do with you. It's just Pucey. I still don't like him being here.''

''I know you don't,'' Amelie whispered, ''And I love you for letting him be here. I
love you for letting Teddy be happy.''

Rolling his eyes, he huffed an annoyed chuckle.

''I'll tell them,'' Her fingers lingered on his suit jacket, gripping the edges of it,
''I'll tell them now that we know she's healthy. I just want her to be alright, and
now that we know she is, I will tell —''

''Oh my—''

Both Amelie and Draco's heads snapped. Staring blankly at the boy standing in
the doorway. Adrian's eyes had never been so wide as they were now. His
breaths held so shallowly. His skin paled.

''Adrian—'' Amelie gulped, shaking her head at the way they'd been caught, ''I
need to—''

Draco turned back to face her. His hands moving to her neck, ''Not in here. I
don't want him in here. This is ours.''

She nodded, rapidly and she took a step around the blond boy. Her hands stayed
on his chest for a mere second, giving Draco all the comfort she thought he
might have needed at that moment.

This was indeed theirs, and even if she was leveled with the fact that Adrian was
living here, she understood that she needed to comply with Draco's boundaries.
She couldn't take this away from him.

She reached the place Adrian was standing at. His lips still parted in shock as she
stretched her hand out, meaning for him to take it, but the second she meant to
do that — Draco cleared his throat. He looked at Adrian with a death stare that
even caused her to shiver. She withdrew.

''Come with me.''

_____

Amelie brought the boy to the roof he once had taken her when she was in need
of him. The night she decided to leave. The night before Draco got back to her.
The night before she got pregnant, and now — now Adrian knew.

''Amelie....'' He whispered through the chilly seeps of wind. It was cold around
them. It was autumn, and the brisk breeze tugged at both of them, but he couldn't
focus. That room he accidentally walked into as he looked for her trapped all his
attention, ''What was that room?''

She smiled. Looking out over their property. All her mind circled was how she
hoped her daughter would be able to run around out there. It was that time of day
where the sky was coral, where all the shades of day fused with the gloomy
night, and all the worries in this sphere seemed to fade.

Clocking out of her thoughts, she peered over her shoulder, seeing how he sat all
curled up, his knees hugged to his chest. She laid down close to him, causing
him to let go of his legs and taking her head to his lap. She stayed like that for a
minute, close to him,

''I'm pregnant.''

It felt good speaking those words. It made her smile even more. She was
pregnant. She was carrying the most beautiful part of both her and Draco.
She could hear him swallow. His fingers nervously toyed with the ends of her
hair. Taking a moment, he looked out over the same world she did, ''Say
something, please.''

Bending down, arching his spine, he pushed his lips to her forehead. He wasn't
sure if he was allowed to do that, to touch her in that way — but he did it
anyway because he was so proud of her.

Thinking back to a particular time in their life, Adrian smiled to himself. They
were lying on his bed, back in school. It was at the beginning of them, and they
talked about their future. She spoke about it with so much happiness. She was so
thrilled telling him everything about how many children she wanted, to what she
wished their names to be, but with time.

With their love as it darkened, his love for her turning poisonous, her love for
him escalating, those wishes she had, faded.

The next time they talked about kids, she wanted less. And less. And less. Until
she wanted no children at all, she never told him, but he knew it was because of
him. All him. He broke her.

''Four,'' Amelie smiled, her chin placed upon his chest as her body was covering
his. Adrian stroked her back, tracing tiny circles across her skin, ''I want four
kids, I think.''

Adrian took her hand, kissing the spine of it, ''Only four?''

She felt her cheeks burning out of the way he was looking at her. So much love.
He loved her so much. She could tell. It was so easy to breathe with him.

He dragged her up, closer to where he wanted her to be, ''Is it too little? Do you
want more?''

''With you?'' Adrian kissed her lips, lingering for moments before he kissed her
again, ''I could never have enough.''

_____

''And how about the future?'' Adrian was looking at her from the edge of the bed,
''Still four? Mother thinks that's too many.''
Amelie forced a frail smile, staring at the marks on her shoulders through the
mirror, ''Two, I think. I don't want to disappoint her.''

''When?'' He laid down, peering up at the ceiling instead. The tips of his fingers
brushed along the bruised knuckles he had, ''Mother thinks we should have them
early. After you turn eighteen, the sooner, the better.''

She swallowed, thickly and hard. It was a bit harder to breathe now, ''That's
fine,'' She said, still gazing at the marks carved into her skin, ''As long as you're
happy.''

_____

''I don't want you to raise my fucking kids!'' He shouted, throwing the glass he
was holding in her direction, ''I don't want anything to do with you. I want you to
turn eighteen, so we can leave this damn school. I don't care what my mother
says. I want this over with. I want you to be pregnant, and I want you to birth
these fucking children so I can leave with them.''

Amelie made herself tiny. Invisible as she tried so hard not to cry because of the
splinter of crystals that struck her skin, ''Please,'' She whispered, her teeth
shattering, ''You can't take them once they're ours. They will need me—''

''As soon as you're pregnant and as soon as they're born, you'll never see them
again. That's all you're good for — your last name and your bloodline.

Another glass came her way. She didn't stand a chance. She couldn't breathe. It
was so hard to breathe now.

_____

He failed her. He failed her graver than her father had failed her. He failed her in
ways worse than he learned how his own father failed him.

He failed her.

He took that happiness she wished for a future away from her. Adrian ripped her
of everything just because he wasn't strong enough. He was never strong enough,
but she was.
Adrian always believed that he was the powerful one and she the weak one. He
ever so believed that she was frail and fragile, and he ruled over her — when
Amelie was the capable one all along. She was so powerful. Amelie was so
forceful, and he never saw it. But seeing her now, resting with her head in his lap
on the roof of her own home — he was so proud of her. He knew he had no right
to be proud, but he was.

It was always him to her, but never her to him. In ways, he regretted that today.

''I am so happy for you,'' Adrian finally whispered, placing his palms behind
him, holding himself up, ''I wasn't expecting it. We were thinking you got
engaged, but this... Amelie, this is something else.''

Her neck moved, looking up at him from below. She still held onto that adorable
smile of hers, ''You know Draco asked me to marry him?'' She sounded startled.
She thought they hid it so well.

Adrian chuckled, playfully shaking his head at her, ''Amelie, you two have been
sneaking around like you've been on a honeymoon for almost a month now, of
course, we noticed. I just...'' He blinked. It hurt. She made it, and it hurt. It didn't
hurt in a bad way nor a jealous one. It hurt because he was pleased for her, ''Of
course, we knew something was up. I just didn't think it would be this.''

''Does it bother you?'' Amelie asked as she looked away, locking her sight at her
fingers in her lap. She indeed remembered all the times they spoke about
children, even before he turned vile, ''That I am with Draco like this?''

Adrian frowned, his brows drawn together, ''Are you happy?'' He asked.

Amelie brought up the ring, hanging around her neck, fiddling with it between
her fingers, ''I am.''

''Does he make you happy?''

''So happy,'' She whispered, ''He makes me so happy, Adrian. I never thought I'd
have this. I never thought I'd have a love like the one he gives me.''

''Then I'm happy. You deserve happiness, Amelie. All of it. In every form
possible. I might not stand much of Malfoy, but I am happy for you. Both of
you.''
She felt the tears again. She always cried, ''Thank you....'' She whimpered, lifting
her upper body from the roof and shoving herself closer to him, ''Thank you,
Adrian. For everything. For being here with Teddy, for saving Draco, for saving
me, for being wonderful with Atlas. Thank you.''

He smiled. She didn't see it often, but when she did, her heart pounded, all
because she finally had the Adrian she deserved all along.

Taking his hand to her hair, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lingering
over her cheek. It hurt again. This time it was pain. So much pain. Everything he
ever put her through, ''I am sorry,'' He didn't take his touch away, and she let him
be there, his hand stroking her jaw, ''I never apologized for everything I did to
you. I don't want to apologize. No apology in the world will be enough for what
I've done.''

''Adrian...'' Amelie tilted her head, letting the weight of it rest in his palm.

''No. If I could, I would leave. I would leave you to be happy and not be a
constant reminder of everything I did to you. You never deserved any of it,
Amelie. Nothing. You deserve the world, and I am so sorry I took that from
you.''

''I'm not,'' Her lips arched carefully, ''It might sound foolish, but if it weren't for
you and everything that happened between us... I would never have met Draco
when I did. He wouldn't be my Draco. I wouldn't have this....''

She hesitated at first, but then she reached for his hand, and she placed it over
her stomach, ''I wouldn't have her. I would still be so scared of the world if it
weren't for you.''

"It's a girl?"

Amelie nodded proudly.

She saw something she never thought she would see. Tears. Adrian had tears in
his eyes as his hand brushed over her clothed belly, ''This really is something,
isn't it?''

She looked at him. She looked at him so dearly, so deeply. Amelie had never
looked at Adrian as she did now, ''And it wasn't all bad, Adrian. We had so much
fun together in the beginning. Do you remember France? How you took me to
that library? And Italy? When those doves chased us around? I know you hate
yourself for what you did, but you should love yourself for the moments we
were happy.''

Adrian sobbed out. His body shaking.

''Just promise me,'' She said, quietly as she placed her hand over his, ''Promise
me you'll give our little girl everything you didn't give me. Promise me she's safe
with you and that you'll love her as you loved me in the beginning. Promise me
that, Adrian. That you'll protect her.''

He nodded. He nodded so quickly. It wasn't anything to think about. He would

always protect that little heart beating within Amelie.

And that — that little moment between them when her eyes met his. When she
saw all the regret, she wished he'd shown her all those years ago, when she
watched all that hurt and pain level into love. He loved her daughter already. He
would do anything for her child. She saw that. She saw it all as the downpour of
sorrow gathered in his irises.

This was the moment she'd waited for. This was the time she never thought
would come. That was when she knew that her little miracle growing within her
would be safe with him. When she, after everything he'd ever so put her through,
she could finally trust him.

That was when Amelie Avery forgave Adrian Pucey.

As much as she did it for herself — she did it for her daughter too.

Amelie had grown up in a world very different from the one she knew now. Her
world was dark, dangerous, hurtful, and evil. All she knew growing up were the
sinners feasting on her life and draining her of it every chance they got.

She shouldn't be alive. She was meant to die, to fade, to pass a long time ago.
She wasn't supposed to be there, but she was. She was there. She was there in
every way she never thought she would be.

''You will do great, Amelie,'' Adrian murmured, smiling at her and wiping his
tears, ''You will do amazing as a mother. There's a reason I chose you all those
years ago. You will be amazing.''

''What about you?'' Her hand stroke across his, looking up at him and the swollen
eyes he had, ''When are you and Teddy becoming more than just this?''

Adrian scoffed, and he gave a shrug of his shoulders, ''I want us to be more, but I
would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I can feel the darkness coming. It's like
he's calling for me, the Dark Lord. I can just... I can feel it.''

Her head tipped, bowing it in understanding to what he meant. She could feel it,
too, sometimes. Especially at night, when the gloom took over, and the shadows
rose, she could feel them closing in.

''That's just another reason to be happy right now, to do everything now before
it's too late,'' Amelie stood up, reaching her hand down for him to take it, ''I
know it's terrifying but don't take this for granted. Any of it. We don't know how
much more time we have.''

Grunting at the stiffness in his legs, he brushed his pants off before leveling her,
matching her kind eyes, forest and bronze as his mother used to say, ''I want to
be with him, in all ways possible, Amelie. I adore him, but it's—''

It came to her mind as she reached for her wand and looking at it. She never
thought about it until now — well, once, right after Draco bought it for her. It
was in Edinburgh, her first time using it when they were still on the hunt for her
mother.

The silver ring. It was a beautiful mess of silver details on that wand, but that
ring was in the very same silver her ring was in, her bracelet — the same silver
Draco's rings held.

''It's perfect....'' She whispered to herself, cutting him off as she began threading
the silver away from its place, ''Adrian, this is so perfect.''

Her voice laced with excitement. She was so happy with what she came up with,
''Here—'' She held it up between them, ''Teddy can have the same silver Draco,
and I do.''

His eyes grew wide. Slowly, he lifted his hand, taking the ring from her,
''Amelie, what are you—''
''Don't waste time, Adrian. Ask him. Life is too short. We've established that
now, so don't let it go to waste.''

He smiled. Adrian smiled again as the sun lowered completely, and it turned
utterly dark.

_____

Amelie rolled her shoulders, feeling how Teddy's hands slipped down her arms.
She was seated on the living room sofa, in her best friend's arms, with her little
brother sleeping in her own lap. The fireplace sparkled, shooting a soft, warm
light to spread across the room at the late hour.

''Why does your hair always smell like flowers?'' Teddy sniffed, taking a strand
of it up to his nose and smelling it properly, ''I always liked that smell.''

Amelie scowled playfully as she huffed out a quiet chuckle, leaning her head
back against his chest. She ever so found her friend's small statements a bit
funny, ''I like the scent of flowers.''

''Yeah,'' Theo smirked, tipping his head to the side and staring mockingly at the
blond across the room, ''It's a good thing one of you smells nice.''

''Teddy!'' Amelie laughed out, surprisingly as she put pressure upon Theodore,
''Play nice.''

Draco merely rolled his eyes from his armchair, narrowing his eyes at the brunet,
''At least my name isn't Teddy.''

Theodore gasped dramatically, slapping a hand across his mouth. Portraying to

be hurt by Draco's comment for so a second before his face stiffened and he
looked far too serious, ''Funny, Malfoy. You're one funny guy.''

Amelie smiled, looking down at Atlas and stroking her fingers across his hair as
he was deeply placed within the world of imagination, ''You're acting like
children.''

''I'm acting like a child?'' The blond bent forward a bit, gripping the armrests of
his chair and digging his fingers into the wood, ''I'm not the one—''
''Oh, you're certainly the one—''

''Enough,'' She mumbled softly with a hint of laughter as it ripped through the
severe tone she held, ''Let Atlas sleep in peace, will you?''

''Oh, so the kid gets to sleep in peace, but when I lay on this sofa, sleeping,
everyone seems to—'' Amelie looked up over her shoulder, frowning at her best
friend as he hushed, ''Fine.''

It turned silent for a second. Only the sound of the flames was heard.

Amelie tried so hard to gather the courage to tell Teddy about everything. How
Draco asked her to marry him and how she was growing a little human, but it
was easier said than done. She was so scared that he'd be upset with her for
keeping it to herself for so long.

But she didn't want to tell him, not until she knew it was safe to do so. This was
hers. She and Draco's. Their little secret. Their little miracle. Their little girl. His
girl. Her girl.

''So...'' Theodore meant to break the silence, sucking his bottom lip in between
his teeth, ''When were you two planning to tell me about that ring?''

Amelie froze. Her hands stilled around her little brother's numb body, and she
nearly choked on her own saliva. While Draco once again rolled his eyes at
Theo, ''What?'' The brunet lifted his brows, ''Are you denying what we all
already know?''

Amelie tried to sound surprised, ''How did you know?''

''How did I know?'' He mimicked her, stroking her hair as she kept peering up at
him, ''Well, let's see... You two have been sneaking around like kids on
Christmas, trying to open their gifts before Santa Claus even had time putting
them out. Malfoy is never this polite to me. You trying to keep that ring you're
hiding on that necklace a secret is also pretty obvious. Malfoy is never this polite
to me. I have been your best friend for over a decade, Amelie, and did I forget to
mention that Malfoy is never this polite to me? Oh right, don't forget the fact
where I'm not stupid.''

Amelie laughed out silently as she hugged Atlas closer. She shot Draco still
sitting in the armchair across the room, a roll of her eyes, ''Guess we weren't that
secretive after all.''

''No, you weren't,'' Theo chuckled, kissing the top of her head. Draco's jaws
gritted, ''Oh, ease down there, tough guy. If you haven't noticed, I'm not playing
for her team anymore.''

Amelie had to slap her hand over her mouth to suppress the laughter that kept
coming. She didn't want to wake her little brother at the late hour.

''Just keep your hands to yourself, Nott, and perhaps you'll live to see another
day.'' Draco scoffed, mockingly, tensing his hands around the armrests, ''She's
my fiancé now. So If you thought you had a chance before — you certainly don't
have one now.''

Theodore merely grinned at that, ''We'll see about that, Malfoy.''

''You fucking—''

''Draco!'' Amelie whispered harshly as she pressed her palms over her brother's
ears. Knowing that he was asleep, but she still didn't wish for them to curse
when he was around.

''My apologies, Mrs. Malfoy,'' Draco rose a brow, liking the way her future name
sounded, a bit too much, ''Won't happen again.''

Her cheeks blushed. The burning feeling caused a feverish shade to grow upon
her, ''I'm not Mrs. Malfoy yet,'' She smirked, taunting him right back, ''But keep
dreaming—''

''Where is my best friend, and what have you done to her?'' Theodore cut her
short, stroking the tips of his fingers down the length of her arms, ''As much as I
like your humor, you're starting to sound a bit too much like me—''

''What did I say about those hands, Nott?'' Draco interrupted, dragging a hand
through his own hair and shifting a bit in his position, ''Keep them to yourself.''

Theodore ignored the blond and settled all his focus upon Amelie instead, ''So,
when's the big day? Now? Soon? Before our lonely mass murderer over here
gets us all killed? Or before our beloved Dark Lord comes to slaughter us?''
She smiled again, shaking her head at Theodore's lack of seriousness,
''Actually...'' She was going to do it. She had to do it. It was now or never.

Tell him. Tell him. Tell him.

''I just have to bring Atlas upstairs, and then I'd like to—''

''Let me take him,'' Draco pushed up from his seat, marching over the floor to
where she was seated, and he hunched next to her, wrapping his arms around the
little boy's sleeping body, ''I barely had a chance to see him today.'' He mumbled.

That made tears pool in her eyes again. He planted a kiss on her forehead before
he bent back up and strolled over to his armchair with her brother as he now
slept in Draco's arms instead, caused her heart to miss a beat.

Amelie loved seeing Draco with Atlas. She adored how protective he was over
her brother and how he truly cherished being with him.

She couldn't wait to see him with their own little heart. And there it was again,
she believed. Their little girl. She was everywhere. In all her thoughts, all the
time. All Amelie managed to think about was her daughter. Their daughter.

''Well,'' She sat up, turning around and facing her best friend in the shadowed
room, ''We don't want to have our wedding for another six months... because
we're waiting for someone.''

She was so nervous. So, so nervous that she thought her veins would rupture.

''Who?'' Theo scowled, cocking his head, ''Who are you waiting for now? And
for half a year? Amelie... are you still hoping for your mother to return? Let me
tell you. She's either dead or in love with that—''

''Teddy!'' Amelie waved her hands in his face, glaring at him now. His comment
caused Draco to snicker, silently, ''Focus, please.''

Straightening his spine, Teddy sat up properly, ''Fine, fine. Okay, who are you
waiting for? All our friends are....'' He stopped himself, closing his eyes for a
second, ''We don't have anyone to wait for.''

Her pulse quickened. A thunderstorm ripped through her, and she placed her
hands on her belly. She even put on a dress that showed that beautiful bump she
had, ''You haven't met her before, but she'll be here in about six months.''

Theodore looked at Draco, then back to Amelie before he stared blankly at

Draco again, ''Is she okay? Because this is—''

''Teddy, please.'' Dragging the last letters out, she sighed, moving her hands over
her stomach now.

Draco tried so hard not to, but he smiled discreetly from his chair, still with
Atlas sleeping in his lap. It was the best thing he knew, seeing her hands upon
her own stomach. It felt so real to him when she did that, when she felt and
shielded their little girl.

Leaning his head back, he admired that girl he was so deeply in love with. She
was glowing. She was so unspeakably beautiful to him. Carrying his daughter
only caused him to fall so much harder for her.

''I still don't get it,'' Teddy scratched the back of his head. His eyebrows knitted
in pure confusion, ''I don't know what six months have anything to do—no.''

Her eyes were broad now, biting down her bottom lip.

''No...'' Theodore shook his head, curls spilling wildly over his forehead. He
began to move away from her, pushing himself back a bit to see her more
clearly, ''No, no, no. Tell me you're joking.''

''Teddy...''

His lower lip shook. His chin trembled, ''Amelie....'' His eyes were glued to her
stomach. He didn't even look at her anymore. He simply stared at that little bump
he cursed himself for not noticing earlier. Theodore didn't even notice how
Adrian joined them, slipping down in the armchair next to Draco's.

''Tell me you're joking,'' He said again. His heart crashed and floundered within
him. He couldn't breathe. Just looking at her and that smile she held. She wasn't
joking. Amelie wasn't joking.

''It's a girl,'' Amelie brushed her hands along the sides of her stomach, ''We're
having a little girl, Teddy.''
He tried so hard not to break. Theodore tried with everything he owned not to let
that piece of sanity he still carried escape, but that was impossible. That was the
most out-of-the-question thing he could ever think of because she was pregnant.

His Amelie. His best friend. His reason. His savior. The person he'd given his
life to protect. The person he would keep sheltering until he took his last breath
on this earth, until the last beat of his heart trickled him, until the blood gushing
through his veins ceased, until there was nothing left of him.

Theodore had spent his entire life, the whole of himself, the brim on his magic,
and the downfall of everything he lived to be — he'd given it all to her. Ever
since they were kids, ever since his mother died and he was left to what felt like
loneliness, she was there. Amelie was always there.

He had fought, bled, nearly died for her to make it and looking at her now. The
most precious person he would ever know, sitting there with that beautiful smile
playing on her lips. That was his reason. She ever so spoke of how much he
saved her. How he always gave everything up for her to be happy, when in
reality — she saved him too.

Amelie made his life worth living. He'd seen his father crumble as his mother
died, and he was going there too. Theodore was fading and slipping and
vanishing from this life when she pulled him out of it. Amelie saved him.

She found him on that bathroom floor when he was not older than twelve, with
scars and cuts so deep that she didn't think he'd make it, but she didn't give up.
Amelie did everything she could on that cold tile ground, covered in blood. She
didn't stop fighting for him, and she brought him back.

Twelve.

Theodore was only twelve when that happened.

Amelie sat with him, humming and rocking his body in her arms until he woke
up. She kissed his scars. She kissed his forehead. She kissed his cheek. She
kissed his ear. She kissed his hair. She didn't stop. Amelie tried to take his pain
away, blowing small breezes of wind over the cuts he'd caused himself.

And ever since then, even if they were friends long before his mother's passing,
even if she was the reason he still felt like he belonged, before he tried to leave,
they became inseparable after.

She was everything to him.

Many people sometimes had more than a hard time understanding the bond the
two best friends shared, but not them. Never them. Amelie and Teddy knew
exactly what they were a part of, what their friendship meant, what they meant.
Them. It had always been them for as long as he could remember.

Always them reading, always them laughing, always them crying, always her
loving how he scented like honey and always him rolling his eyes at her when
she said he did. Always her trying to beat him to his favorite words in his
favored book and always him speaking it louder than her. Always them.

He gave up his father to be with her. To keep her safe, and if Theodore had a
chance to do it again, to change things around, he wouldn't. He would keep it
exactly how it was. It was their story. It was them.

''You— you're having a baby?'' He stuttered now, hardly understanding a thing at

that point. His vision blurred, his voice crackled, ''You're having a girl?''

Amelie smiled so warmly at him. A smile only she carried, and she took his
hand in hers, pathing it up to her stomach, ''We,'' She said, certain and fixed,
''We're having a baby.''

Draco watched from a distance. Stroking his hand down Atlas's back and
holding the little boy close. He didn't think it was achievable. He didn't think he
could love her more than he did. Malfoy questioned himself every day — every
hour of every day. He questioned that because he seemed to love her more every
minute that passed.

She was hugging her best friend now. Both of them were crying and sobbing
into each other's shoulders. The greatest love of his life was hugging the very
reason in her own, smiling and holding her stomach. Holding the most precious
thing Draco would ever know. His daughter. His girl. Both of his girls. Every
beautiful part of both of them.

His beautiful girls.

He was so in love with her, and even if he tried to hide that smile that kept
tugging at the hem of his lips, he couldn't. She made him happy. It made him
happy seeing her happy.

''Easy there, Malfoy,'' Adrian grinned, ''That smile is starting to show a little too
much now.''

And quickly as a puff of wind, Draco's smile faded, and he scoffed underneath
his breath.

Amelie withdrew from Teddy, softly wiping the tears streaming down his
cheeks, ''Is this alright with you? Us having a baby?''

Theo hugged her again, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into the
tightest hug yet, ''It's more than okay, Amelie... We're having a baby... We're
having a little girl.''

Amelie breathed heavily into his shirt, feeling as if she could finally rest for a
moment. Teddy was happy for her, and that was all she needed.

His sight darted across the room until it reached Malfoy's, and he gave a rapid
nod of his head. Silently giving Draco all the blessing in this world for what they
had created.

Theodore bent back, taking a deep breath as he collected himself, ''Okay, so

what about names? Have we—''

''Not so fast,'' She hewed him off, and she became nervous again. So, so nervous,
''There's one more thing to take care of.''

Theo's face fell into a cloak of worry, frowning at her, ''What is it? What
happened?''

She rose to her feet, brushing her dress down. Her fingers twitched against the
palms of her hands, ''Adrian....''

Theodore snapped his head, looking straight at the boy he failed to notice as he
stepped closer. Amelie backed up, smiling widely at them.

Adrian dragged a bothered hand through his hair, slightly tugging it back before
he halted at the edge of the sofa, gazing down at the brunet, ''Theodore....''
''Wait,'' Teddy choked, shaking his head. His sight rushed from Amelie to
Adrian, then to Draco and back. His veins froze for seconds, ''It's not yours, is
it?''

''For fucks sake!'' Draco groaned, throwing his head back in frustration.

''What?'' Theodore raised his hands in defeat, shifting a bit scared from the
blond's reaction, ''What the hell do you want me to think—''

He stopped breathing. His heart didn't beat anymore. The second he watched
Adrian drop down on one knee, he ceased to exist, ''No....''

''I never thought I'd do this,'' Adrian shakingly breathed out through a whisper,
making Theodore straighten up on the couch, ''I never thought I'd have someone
like you in this life, Theodore.''

''No....''

Amelie dragged her steps back across the room, stepping behind Draco as she
placed her hands on his shoulders, kissing his head.

''I want to throw up,'' Draco muttered, rolling his eyes.

Amelie chuckled quietly into his hair, ''Shut up and let them have this.''

''I never thought I would find someone like you in this life. When Amelie left
me, when we were done, I thought I'd be alone for the rest of time.''

Theodore had to swallow hard not to cry again.

''I was a monster. I was something a human shouldn't be allowed to become.''

''Finally, something we agree on....'' Draco huffed out as Amelie carefully

slapped his shoulder, ''What? What am I—''

''Shhh!''

Crossing his arms around Atlas, Draco groaned again.

''I thought love was something you were forced to do. Not something you earned
or felt. I was taught that love was evil if you didn't take control and make it your
own. I didn't believe in love. I trusted power, that what you control was what you
had.''

''Adrian...''

''Until I met you,'' There were the tears again, Adrian was crying, ''And how
lucky I am to have met you, Theodore.''

Teddy was shaking. His chest stung with every inhale he managed.

''So...'' Adrian was so sure about this. Ever since his talk with Amelie, ever since
she gave him all the confidence he could possibly need, he was so certain.
Theodore was it for him. The boy he once hated more than anything came to be
the most important one.

''No—'' Theo shook his head, staring down at his boyfriend, ''Adrian—''

''I don't want to waste more time. We don't know what will happen. We don't
know what will come, how it all ends, because it does, Theodore. It ends.
Everything comes to an end, and it wouldn't be the end for me unless it is with
you. I don't want us to waste a second of it.''

Amelie sobbed out a muffled cry. Sheeting her arms around Malfoy's neck as he
kissed her wrist. He would never admit to it, but oh, how happy he was for
Theodore. Even if Adrian was the one, he still wished Theodore so much
happiness.

It was beautiful to him, seeing how Teddy finally had the love he deserved.

Adrian reached down into his pocket, pulling the ring Amelie had given him up
as he held it between them, ''Theodore Nott, will you marry me?''

It turned silent. Barely the sound of Atlas breathing heavily in his sleep cut
through their ears.

Theodore only blinked. He blinked so slowly, nearly debating if this was real life
or not, ''Adrian, are you sure about this?''

He smiled, nodding, ''I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life,''
He shot a sneaky look across his shoulder, ''If the fact of that child really being
yours, Malfoy—''

''Watch it.'' The blond gritted, not finding Adrian's joke funny at all.

He looked back at Theo, still smiling, ''You are it for me.''

''Then yes—'' Teddy sobbed, taking Adrian's jaws in his hands and bringing him
up onto two feet, ''Yes, yes, yes—''

He kissed him. Theodore kissed Adrian with everything he had. They kissed and
kissed and cried and cried. Emotion and feeling filled the room as Amelie
whispered into Draco's ear, making him stand up with Atlas nestled to his chest.

They walked out, leaving the two boys to have their moment to themselves.

_____

''Why do I feel like we are forgetting something?'' Amelie gazed around, staring
skeptically at what she had created in her backyard, ''Your mother knows about
the flowers, right? That she needs to cut them—''

''She does.''

The girl still didn't rest. She shook her head at the sun as it traveled lower, ''And
they know they have to be out here by six? I don't want to miss the sunset.''

''They know.''

''Then what is it?'' Amelie huffed out, biting down her bottom lip as she meant to
think, to vision everything in her head. She had this all thought through. It had
been two weeks since her best friend got engaged, and she had worked day in
and day out to create the most magical little place out in the garden, ''I just feel
like I'm forgetting—''

Draco kissed her. He caught her jaw in his hand as the other one settled on her
belly. It had grown. It grew more and more for every day that passed. He could
see it so clearly now, ''You aren't. There's nothing to forget. My mother is getting
Atlas dressed. She knows about the flowers. Theodore is getting ready in our
room and Pucey in theirs. There's nothing you have forgotten, except....''
He kissed her again. Slowly and her hands grasped at his neck, pushing herself
up on her toes to be closer to him, ''This. You're beautiful, Amelie.'' He admired
the dress she was wearing—the dress he'd given her for Christmas. The first
dress she owned that didn't have long sleeves to cover up her body.

She smiled, leaning her forehead against his, ''Promise I'm not forgetting
anything. I just want everything to be perfect. They deserve this, Draco.''

Malfoy mockingly rolled his eyes at her, kneeling down so that he'd be leveling
her stomach as he kissed the material of her dress, ''If you turn out like this, I
might have to give you to Teddy—''

''Draco!''

''Fine,'' He chuckled close to where his little girl was growing, ''Keep your
mother in check today, will you? Because I can not deal with her, my mother,
Teddy, and Pucey at the same time. I might just grab Atlas and run—''

''And leave her with me, alone?'' Amelie placed her touch on his shoulders,
peering down at him with her hair as it fell like curtains around her, ''Then she'll
definitely turn out like me.''

Malfoy sucked his inner cheek in, pretending to think for a moment before he
kissed her stomach again, ''Fine, I'll just wait until you are here with us and then
we'll—''

''Amelie!''

Amelie spun around as Draco flew to his feet, barely standing straight until the
little boy threw himself in his arms. Clinging onto the blond with all his strength,
''You two look pretty,'' His head went from staring at his sister to inspecting
Malfoy, ''So you are kissing my sister's baby?''

Draco let out half a chuckle, sending a confused look in Amelie's direction, ''It's
my baby too, you know, and you really need to stop spending so much time with
Theodore, because this isn't funny anymore—''

Atlas began to twist and pull in Draco's arms until he let him down, and he
marched up to Amelie, ''It's my baby too. She's my sister, Draco.'' He crossed his
arms, lowering his chin and glaring at Malfoy, ''And I'm the youngest, so the
baby is mostly mine.''

Amelie smiled, shaking her head. Her fingers brushed over her little brother's
hair as she fixed it, feeling how his arms wrapped around her legs, ''It will be my
baby too, right? I can play with her?''

''Of course, you can,'' Amelie hugged him, warmth spread within her at how
everyone was so thrilled and invested in their little miracle, ''She'll be all of
ours.''

''Most mine.''

Draco scoffed playfully as he began stepping closer to the two siblings, ''No,
most mine. I'm the one who made her—''

''Draco, please.''

''What do you mean you made her?''

Amelie looked at Draco like she'd seen a ghost, yet with an annoying dash in her
pupils, ''He's seven.''

Malfoy pushed his lips together, firmly and then he gave a nervous grin,
''Well....''

''What does he mean he made her?'' Atlas peered up at his sister, scowling at
their way of not speaking to him, ''I want to know too—''

''I need to check on Teddy.'' Amelie glared at the blond, ''I need to make sure he's
not freaking out, and you need to take care of what you just caused because I'm
not having this conversation with a seven-year-old child.''

''Hold on—'' Draco marched towards her, kneeling in front of her again as he
leaned his forehead against her stomach, always near their little girl, ''You better
hurry back, because I don't know for how long I'd be able to be without you
two.''

Amelie's heart skipped a beat as Atlas did the exact same thing Draco did,
hunching down and giving her bump a quick peck. Their girl. All of theirs.
Reaching back up, he pushed his lips into the side of her head, ''Get Nott and
let's get this over with.''

She smiled, breathing him in, ''I love you for being on board on this.''

''Mhm,'' Draco hummed, tousling Atlas's hair as she walked away. Both of the
boys stood behind and looked after her as she stepped inside the house, ''You
have a beautiful sister, little one.''

''He does!'' Narcissa snickered, marching up to the two with roses hugged to her
chest, ''And I will have a beautiful grandchild thanks to her. I'm happy you chose
such a beautiful girl, Draco, because with you and your father's genes—''

Rolling his eyes, he took a swing with his arms and lifted Atlas up, ''Yeah, yeah,
don't forget the part where my genes are your genes as well.''

Narcissa laughed out, feeling happy about this whole day. It was late autumn
outside, yet it had never been warmer like the world knew how special today
was for them.

''What will her name be?'' Atlas grasped at Draco's ear, tugging at it, ''I think you
should name her Atlas. It's a pretty name.''

He chuckled. Malfoy let out a grunt from his chest at the pain of Atlas playing
with his ear as they walked up to the altar Amelie had so beautifully prepared,
''You can't tell your sister yet, but I thought of a name, and it's perfect.''

Frowning, the little boy looked like a question mark, ''Then why can't she
know?''

''I want it to be a surprise,'' He let the boy down onto the ground before hunching
down himself, fixing Atlas's tie.

It was adorable to Draco, seeing an all-black suit in this tiny size. Atlas had
begged Narcissa to make him a suit just like the one he himself wore, ''And it's a
truly special name. I don't want her to know yet.''

Atlas gave a suspicious grimace until he finally nodded, ''Okay.''

''Talia,'' Draco said, and his insides ached at the name. It meant more to him than
anyone could come to explain, ''Talia because it means rain.''

Narcissa gasped, catching her son off guard in the missing of her eavesdropping
on them, ''Draco....''

The blond didn't want to. He tried so hard not to, but he blushed. His mother
knew exactly how much rain and everything that came with it meant to Amelie
and Draco. She was so proud of her son for coming up with such a name, ''It's
perfect, Draco.''

''Mhm....'' Atlas lips tightened, thinking long and hard for a minute until he burst
out in a full-on smile, ''I would like Atlas more... but I love it!''

Narcissa made her way up to her son, folding her arms around him, ''I'm so
proud of you. I'm so proud of the both of you.''

''Yeah, yeah...'' The blond shrugged, portrayed as bothered as he held his mother
back, ''Let us keep it to ourselves until I tell her about it, yeah?''

''Of course.''

They fixed the last things surrounding the altar Amelie built. She spent days
making it absolutely perfect for her best friend, and she didn't let anyone as
much sneak a look at it until she was done.

Adrian joined them, and they stood all lined up at the bow of roses she'd made,
waiting for Amelie and Teddy to come out, but the time ticked and the sunset
Amelie had been so stressed about began to fade.

''Go get your sister,'' Draco whispered to Atlas, knowing that she was probably
doing some last-minute fix on Theodore's suit. He didn't want Adrian to be
outside with him all alone, ''And tell her to hurry, I miss her.''

''I miss her more!'' Atlas barely had a chance to hear him properly before he
sprinted off. Aiming for the backdoor as he disappeared out of Draco's sight.

The blond stretched back up, standing on the opposite side of the altar. He stood
on Teddy's side. He would always be on Theodore's side. In his corner, no matter
what. Even if he didn't find one ounce of joy in the matter of Adrian being the
one he wanted to be with, he still had his back. Theodore had grown on him. He
had become the brother he never knew he needed, and he would protect that
brunet with his life. If it so came down to it.

The time kept passing, and Atlas didn't come back. Panic chewed within Draco
as he turned to his mother, ''I'll go look for them.''

But he didn't take a step forward until the sky, as it shifted in color, darkened. A
brutal wind stormed up around them as he locked eyes with Pucey, already
standing with his wand in his hand.

''What the—'' He mumbled as the crowns of the trees brutally brushed together,
and the clouds nearly shifted in an inky color. Something wasn't right.
Something wasn't right at all. Everything was wrong. He could feel it.

Malfoy didn't earn a chance to think properly, nevertheless get inside before he
saw something he never thought he'd see again. It was a ghost. Someone he was
hoping he'd never have to see again, rushing towards them.

His father.

His father was hurrying closer, and he could see how his lips moved, but not a
word fled them. Draco couldn't hear a thing as he met his father's gesture and
marched up to him. Malfoy gripped him by his collar and shoved him back the
first chance he had, ''What the hell did you do?''

''He—'' Lucius panted, his chest heaving as Draco's caved. His girls. His two
girls were everything he could think about. Amelie and their unborn daughter.
His daughter, ''He found—''

''What the hell did you do?'' Draco shouted now, once again forcing his father
back, ''Where is she?''

''I didn't know, son. I didn't know until he took us here. I didn't know....''

''Malfoy!''

He heard how Adrian called out for him as the thunder echoed around them. It
was pitch dark outside now.

They found them. The Dark Lord found his Amelie. Atlas. Teddy. He found
them. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't even blink. He just ran inside, up the
stairs until he was standing in their room.

Their room. His and hers. And he watched how they had trashed it. How glass
from the mirrors now coating the floor spilled in a mess. He saw her ring. Their
ring was covered in blood.

His heart stopped. Dropping to the pit of his stomach.

Falling to his knees, he gripped the roots of his own hair, and he breathed out the
heaviest breath he'd ever exhaled and with that breath. With that burn in his
chest as he lacked air, something flipped inside him.

Adrian halted in the doorway, his eyes wide and his lips parted, ''Malfoy, they
took all three of them.''

''I'm killing him,'' He didn't falter. Draco rose to his feet, with her ring in his
hand as he stared down at it, ''This ends now, Pucey.''

His girls. His miracle. Her miracle. Their miracle. His Amelie. His daughter's
mother. His daughter. Their daughter. Teddy. Atlas.

Malfoy had never been this angry. He had never been so furious that he kept
calm, but he was now. He was so inflamed that even Adrian feared him at this
moment, but he nodded, agreeing to what Draco spoke, ''Let's end this war,
Malfoy.''

His chest heaved. His insides felt like they were on the far edge of exploding. He
was burning. He was burning just like he was about to burn the world for her,
"Let's end this.''

_____
 Ninety-nine

This chapter contains major character death, along with violent actions,
blood, emotional trauma, and other disturbing subjects. Please read with
caution.

_____

''It was you.''

_____

Amelie strolled up the stairs in her house, walking up step by step not to trip
over the dress she was wearing. That dress meant a lot to her. It was the very
same piece of clothing Draco had gotten her for Christmas. It was the very first
dress she owned that didn't cover up every single thing there was about her.

This dress allowed her to be her, with all the sinful scars and marks of demons.
She never felt ashamed in it, and she had waited for what felt like forever to
finally be able to use it, and now she could. She saved it for a special occasion,
and nothing fitted that criteria better than this day.

The day her best friend was getting married.

''Teddy!'' She called out for her friend, reaching the top floor and taking aim for
her and Draco's room. Malfoy thought it was a good idea for Theodore to get
ready in here since he borrowed the brunet a tie for the navy blue suit he was
wearing.

As a child, Amelie had a conversation with his mother, and she made her
promise on her death bed, right before she fell into an oblivion of sleep — that
she'd honor her wishes in getting Theo something old, something new,
something borrowed, and something blue.

His mother knew, even if she was very young at the time of her passing — that
she wouldn't be able to see her son grow up. She would never attend his
wedding, cry as he walked down the altar, hug him as they would've said yes,
throw flowers at him once they sprinted out, dance with him underneath the
stars. His mother knew that. She understood that she'd be gone long before
Theodore would have that and that Amelie wouldn't.

Amelie would be there. Amelie would stand beside him, and she made that little
girl promise to give all of it to Theo once it was time. And that — that was a
promise Amelie wouldn't break for the world.

Draco merely laughed at her as she worked on the details of this day because he
didn't know just how important this was for her. This wasn't just for Teddy. This
was for his mother too.

So Amelie did that. She worked and worked to make every last piece of this day
perfect.

She made Narcissa get him a blue suit, something blue. She helped Atlas scrap
together an adorable bracelet with thread and pearls Narcissa had given him,
something new. She made sure that Draco borrowed him one of his favorite ties,
something borrowed. And Amelie, she searched and searched to get him the one
last perfect piece of Theodore Nott's puzzle, and just the other day, she found it.
Their old Romeo and Juliet book, something old.

Perfect, she smiled to herself as she found him standing in front of their mirror.
He looked more like a mess than she thought he would. He held a ghastly cloak
that seemed to be breaking at any second, ''Teddy, what's wrong?''

''Am I an idiot?'' He choked out, turning to face her with dread-filled eyes, ''For
doing this? I am nineteen, Amelie, and he's twenty. What the hell are we doing?
A few months ago, we didn't even know each other, and before that, he beat the
living hell out of me every chance he got, so tell me — am I an idiot for doing
this?''

She swallowed. Her heart ached a beat for him as she let her hand rest on her
stomach, and she felt a smile slightly form across her lips, ''Here,'' She said,
walking closer without taking her sight off him.

Amelie took his hand in hers, and she placed it on the beautiful bump she
carried. Draco didn't let anyone touch her belly when he was around. He
protected that unborn child with his life already. Except for Atlas, he was
allowed to nestle up to his sister, but no one else.

''This is crazy. That this is happening is crazy, but you falling in love isn't crazy,
Teddy. It's human, and it's wonderful, and I can't think of a person who deserves
it more than you do. You've earned this, Teddy. It's your time to be happy and to
find everything you've spent years giving to everyone else.''

''I just—'' Usually, Amelie's words would've soothed him, calmed his shaking
nerves, but they didn't now. Teddy was on edge now more than ever, ''I didn't
even speak to father. He doesn't know anything. I never told him—''

Amelie tugged at his arm, bringing herself closer to him as she leaned her
forehead against his chest, ''Then do it, write your father a letter and see how it
makes you feel. I can take it, and I can mail it for you when you're ready.''

He nodded, wrapping his arms around his best friend and hugging her so close,
''I love you,'' He said, quietly with a kiss as he pressed it into the top of her head,
''I never say it enough, but I love you, Amelie. I love you and our little girl.''

''I know you do,'' She arched her neck, looking up at one of the many loves in
her life, ''We love you more.''

Amelie stretched her hands between them, fixing his tie and stroking his messy
curls out of his eyes until she eagerly walked into her closet, dipping her hands
down a drawer, and she brought up Draco's diary. She smiled to herself, finding
the connection between it all more enjoyable than she should have.

''Here,'' She said, seeing how he sat down at the edge of her bed, ''There you go,
handsome.''

His head snapped, looking right at her, ''Handsome, you say?'' He grinned
cheekily, ''And to think you couldn't say things like that to me when I wasn't
taken.''

''Funny!'' Amelie rolled her eyes, shaking her head, ''You're a funny guy, Teddy.''

He snickered, lowly to himself, looking down at the empty paper, and he wrote.
He wrote for minutes, heedlessly.

' Father.
 I know we haven't spoken in what feels like a long time, and perhaps it is. I let
you down by leaving you behind, and whether you believe me or not, I would
never do so if it wasn't for your safety. I wanted to protect you like I couldn't
protect mother.

You deserve to be protected, father, and I can't speak for if it's the shame of
leaving you or the need of you being safe that has caused me this long to reach
out. Perhaps it's neither or a bit of both, but I am now. I am writing you now,
father.

I am sorry.

With that said, I hope that you one day accept my apology and that I earn the
chance to see you again, but if that isn't the case, I want you to know that I am
alright.

I have done questionable things during the years away from you, but that's
simply nothing Amelie hasn't saved me from.

Amelie... You should see her, father. She's nothing like that quiet girl you always
thought she was. I presume you've heard of her, what she's done and who she
has become. She's outstanding, astonishing.

She's pregnant, father. She's having a daughter. Amelie and Malfoy are having a
child. We are having a baby. All of us. Perhaps the world isn't as cruel we think
it is. At times like these, I wonder if any evil exists at all and if it does, where
does it go when we're happy?

Happy. I am happy, father.

I fell in love. I found someone. I found a very special person, a boy. Someone
that I today, out of all days, will promise to spend the rest of my life with. I think
actual happiness exists. Not just in books, but out in the real world too. I hope it
does. I feel like it does. I never thought it did, not after mother, not after the life I
watched Amelie live through, but I think it does now.

I wanted to tell you. I wanted you to know that. That I am happy and that I think
I will find peace, soon, very soon. It feels good. I like feeling what I feel now. So
if this is the last you wish to hear from me, please know that I will be okay. I
have Amelie. She's always right here. I have Adrian, Draco, Atlas, and Narcissa.
 And I will live happily. I hope you do too.

Thank you for being there for me, and forgive me for not returning the favor, but
she needs me, father, and I need her. They need me. They all do, and I need
them.

I love you.

- Theodore Nott. '

He penned each and every single emotion he carried until he slammed the book
shut, pinching his lashes not to let the tears fall.

Theodore barely remembered the last time he saw his father. It was in school one
day when he showed up, and Amelie joined them to visit his mother's grave.
That was nearly two years ago now.

He plainly chose her. Theodore directly and unhesitantly chose Amelie above
everyone, even his own father, and he would do so over and over again. He
didn't regret the decisions he made back then for so a minute. He stood solid
behind what he'd chosen. Of course, he felt for the man he had left behind, but
not more than that. Amelie was all his reasons, and he would do it all again.

''Done already?'' She smiled, standing in the doorway to her bathroom, and he
simply looked at her for what felt like minutes until he patted his lap, meaning
for her to come to join him, and she did.

Amelie slipped onto his legs, holding her arms over his shoulders.

Teddy looked at her again. His eyes studied and scanned every beautiful inch of
her there was, ''You know I'd give up anything for you, right?''

Her head tilted. She didn't show the ache that began to score inside. Confused
and puzzled as she was, she mumbled, ''Teddy—''

''Because I would, Amelie.'' He leaned his forehead to hers, closing his eyes as
he spoke, ''I would give my life for yours. You're everything to me.''

She tightened her grip on him, bringing him so close she possibly could, ''I love
you, Teddy. You are more than everything to me.''
Oh, how the two of them loved each other. Sometimes, Amelie wondered if
there was a love in this world that would ever compare to theirs. This wasn't like
the love she carried for Draco. That love was complicated, heavy, chaotic,
unbearable, deep, unmatched, everything. But this was light, bright, platonic.
She knew she could never love anyone in the way she loved Teddy.

''I just love you. I just love you, and I just....'' He huffed out a chuckle, looking
down at his tie, ''And I really need to learn how to tie these things.''

''Amelie!''

She could hear how Atlas tripping steps echoed up the stairs.

''You deserve this, Teddy.'' She pushed off him, taking strides into the bathroom
to get them both a towel for the leaking tears before her little brother saw them.
Taking the cloth in her hands, turning around as she kept speaking. She stopped
out in the doorway, and she lifted her stare, ''If anyone deserves this day, it's—''

No.

No. No. No.

Her voice came to an unexpected break. Amelie couldn't breathe.

Dropping the towel, her eyes narrowed, ''You...''

It was so much hesitancy in her vocals, yet it crowded with force. She knew that
face. She'd seen it before. She knew him, and he knew her.

The man standing in front of her, in her own bedroom, grinned, ''Well, well,
well....'' He bent his arms out, putting himself on full display for her, ''Amelie
Avery... We meet at last.''

And then she saw nothing but darkness.

_____

''Where is she?'' Draco roared, storming out on the front yard as he held his wand
raised and ready, ''Where the hell—'' He took his father by his collar, sparing
him no mercy, and he forced him back, making the man stumble, ''Where in the
bloody hell is she—''

Malfoy reached for another attempt. This time to shove his father back so
roughly that if he fell to the ground, no one believed that Lucius would be able
to get back up, ''Where is she? Where's the kid? Where's Teddy? Where's my
little—''

His chest felt like it would shatter at any minute, detonate in the complete
missing of Amelie and his unborn daughter. Draco had sensed rage before, but
this. This was something else. This wasn't just them anymore. She was pregnant.
Amelie was carrying his child, and nothing could stop the wrath as it burnt
within him.

Usually, it was a torch of anger. Something that ticked but this was everything
but that. This was flames. This was a malevolence fire. This was him bursting
into an agonizing fusion of flames and fire. Something not human. He turned
feral.

''Where the fuck is she—''

''Malfoy.''

Adrian's voice hewed him off as he stood with his father's robe balled into one
fist while the other hand was raised to the skies, ready to bring all that venomous
fire down upon him. He froze. He looked straight at his father. Searching those
cold eyes, he'd ever so despised his whole life.

''He's not worth anything to us if you kill him.''

His jaws were so sharp. His teeth had never been this gritted. He was going to
throw that punch. All he wished to do was to cease that man of life for
everything he'd done leading up to this moment. Amelie was taken, and he stood
right there. He was there when she wasn't.

But the second Draco debated whether he indeed had the strength to let his fist
collide with his father's jaw.

If he had the power to hurt his own blood in front of his mother. Suppose he
could be that person now that he was going to be a father himself. If he could
bring Lucius to the ground, he so well deserved to be knocked down onto. He
wanted to. He wanted to be every piece of evil Amelie had convinced him he
wasn't. He wished to rip every heart of every Death Eater that stood in his way
now, his own father included. Raising his fist higher, he winced.

Malfoy flinched because Adrian's fist collided with Lucius's jaw instead. He
threw that punch for him. Pucey understood how badly Draco wished to do what
he'd done. To wrong his father for everything he'd ever done, but he needed
Malfoy to focus, and to his better judgment, he had grown to care for the blond.
So he did what he thought was the right thing, and he forced Lucius to the
ground, leaving Draco with a clear conscience.

Narcissa broke out on a cry. Slamming her hands across her mouth at the blood
as it splattered around them.

Malfoy held a hollow look, yet the rapid tip of his head was a thank you. He
thanked Pucey in silence for what he'd done.

''The Avery residence—'' Lucius coughed out from the grass, hiding his face in
the arch of his elbow, ''They took Athena there this morning, but Draco, he's
strong. He's powerful, and he wants you to pay for what you've—''

''Pucey,'' Draco turned around, not even providing his father with as much as a
glance as he marched by. His feet determined. His movements concise, ''Now.''

Adrian cocked his head, rolling his shoulders as he paced after Malfoy. Leveling
him shoulder to shoulder as they reached the front of the house, and with a cold
look exchanged between the two, they apparated.

Malfoy had waited for this. Ever since he was a dependent child, he had,
somewhere in all that need for the Dark Lord's approval, seen through it. He'd
waited, nearly longed for this day to come. Malfoy was going to end this.

He was going to be a father, and he would damn himself if he would ever even
appraise the fact of raising a child in this world, and not any child. His daughter.
He'd rather suffer the darkness of death and the flames of hell than let his little
girl grow up in something so brutal. In a broken world, he hasn't had any hope in
himself. He'd never do that to her.

He would never do that to Amelie. His Amelie.

This was the second time the Dark Lord had taken her from him. This time was
the last time that ever happened. He would make sure of that, even if it meant he
wouldn't walk out, still standing, even if it meant that he wouldn't walk out at all.

''So, how do we do this?'' Adrian looked right at the grim Manor. Death Eaters
stood lined up as a barrier outside the stone facade, ''Distraction?''

''No,'' Draco straightened his shoulders, cracking his neck, ''You're supposed to
be dead, remember?''

Adrian nodded, knowing there wasn't a point in arguing with the way Malfoy
wanted this to end. It was his Amelie, their unborn child, her brother, and Teddy.
He knew that Draco wouldn't risk their lives for so a second.

''I'll cause a fire when I need you.''

That was all Draco said before his eyes narrowed at the dozen and dozen men
shielding her childhood home, and he calmly strode towards them.

It looked like nothing to Adrian as he was left behind, witnessing something he

wouldn't think he'd ever see. Draco didn't even try. It came so naturally, so
effortlessly.

He lifted his wand with one hand, as his fingers of his other hand stretched out,
and with a steady act, he crushed every window coating the walls of the Manor,
but the splinter of it didn't fall to the ground. It stayed floating in the air.

The Dead Eaters looked confused, every wand was aimed at the blond, but he
merely grinned at what he did next. He rose the free hand higher up as the
splinter of glass followed the movement. It looked surreal to Adrian from afar.
He'd never seen anything like this.

He'd never seen someone with as much to lose as Draco had own so much
control. He was balanced. Every breath measured, calculated. His mind fastened
and moored. Simply the thirst of vengeance scarred through his veins. He held
the most demonic mantle spread across his face.

And then, with a leveled breath as it came from his chest, Malfoy twisted his
wrists, causing the sharp edges of the glass to seek every Death Eater standing in
his way.
Inhumane. Remorseless. Unmerciful.

It was a blood bath. All the loyal servants of the Dark Lord dropped to the
ground, their bodies torn and ripped apart by Draco's magic. He walked over the
limbs of them like nothing had happened to begin with.

His Amelie. His Amelie. His Amelie. That was all he could think about.

Standing in front of the door to the fortress, he shot a swift look over his
shoulder, nodding for Adrian to pursue shelter until he needed him.

The second he saw how Adrian vanished into the shadows behind him, Draco
forced the doors open, and he stepped inside, and just as he did — he heard her
scream.

_____

Her chest hurt. It hurt so much. She couldn't breathe. Not finding the oxygen she
so desperately needed, Amelie began to move her limbs. Trying to free herself
from the hard grip of metal that felt around her.

''Amelie...''

She thought she was dreaming, mystifying the soft tiny vocals that made her
name.

''Amelie, our baby.''

Still not realizing, not grasping the opaque, blurred reality as it so clearly began
to form around her. Her lashes felt heavy, the lids of her eyes weighted. It hurt to
breathe again.

''Amelie, our baby!''

Shaking her head now, she freed herself from the hazy trance she'd woken up in,
and her palms struck something hard, something cold. The ground. She was
lying on the ground.

''Atlas...'' Amelie coughed out, her lower lip soared. Blood. She had blood
running from it, leaking down the edge of her mouth. Metal. Her whole mouth
tasted bitterly by the iron tang of her own blood, ''Atlas, are you okay—''

''Our baby!'' He whispered, his voice shook, terrifyingly, ''You have blood....''

Amelie felt it. She felt the tickling sensation of the crimson color as it rolled
down her inner thighs. She didn't look. She didn't want to look. She simply
shook her head, grasping at the edge of her dress to wipe it away.

She couldn't see it. She didn't want to. It would cause her to break. It would kill
her to see the fact that she might lose something she never even had, but she
didn't lose hope.

It was fine. It was fine. It was fine.

''It's okay,'' Amelie nodded, tears fell from her eyes, and she brushed her hair out
of her face, ''It's alright, Atlas, she'll be fine. Our baby will be fine.''

''Where are we?'' The boy let out. His voice crowded in hesitancy. He was so
scared, ''Where is Teddy?''

Amelie finally looked around, and she saw exactly where she was. She'd been
there before. So many times, she'd been in the room she now laid in the middle
of. Her body was worn, fragile. Her heart barely gave a beat as she tried to keep
her focus locked on her little brother.

No matter what happened to her — Atlas needed to be safe. He carried a piece of

the Dark Lord within. He couldn't be put at risk, ''He's coming soon,'' Amelie
said, but she could see in the afraid glint he held in his eyes that he didn't believe
her.

He wasn't foolish, and she exhaled, deeply, ''I don't know where he is, alright? I
don't know where he is, and I don't know what will happen, Atlas, but I need you
to promise me something.''

He didn't say anything. He just looked at her. His eyes filled with tears.

''They found you, the bad people mom tried to hide us from — they found us,
Atlas, and I don't know what will happen now, but I'll do my best to keep you
safe. I promise, but you need to promise me that if I tell you to run, you run. If
Draco comes or Adrian, you go with them, alright? You will run, Atlas, and I
will find you. Promise me.''

He didn't want to. Atlas didn't want to promise. She didn't want to put that
responsibility upon a seven-year-old child, but she wasn't left with a choice. She
needed him to promise.

Atlas didn't have much in life. He didn't have more than his mother, but then
Amelie came, and she gave him a family. She gave him Draco, Teddy, and
Adrian. She gave him Narcissa, and he understood, even if he wasn't more than a
child, that this was real. Something bad was happening, and no matter how much
he didn't want to give his word that he would leave her, a nod tipped his head,
and he stuttered out the words she wished to hear.

''I love you,'' Amelie whispered, bringing her brother as close as she could, rising
to rest on her knees, ''I love you, and I'll make this all go away. I promise.''

''Love, I was never much for love....''

Her breaths hitched in the back of her throat. Her sight snapped to where the
voice came from. Him. It was him. The man that caused hell upon her life. She
was quick to stand up, to pull her brother with her, and she shoved him slightly
behind her, protecting him the best she could without magic.

''Love is a funny thing, isn't it?'' Voldemort rose a brow, raising his hands and
the candles placed along the walls of the immense room lit on fire before he
shifted around in his steps, peering over his shoulder to watch them drag their
mother in. Two men stood by her side as they halted across the floor.

''Amelie—'' Athena shook her head, tears falling, ''No....''

''I didn't think I'd have the honors to meet you again, miss Avery....'' His voice
was cold, frightening, ''Ever since I let you run out of my castle the first time, I
thought the next time I saw you would be in a coffin.''

She stood as petrified in front of him, not able to move as he inched closer. Her
hand gripping around Atlas's shoulders, and she held him so close. Feeling the
evilness in the air around the man.

''But we can't always be that lucky now, can we?'' He grinned, moving around
them, his steps certain, ''Of course I had other plans for you back then, such as
turning your own love against you. So here we are....''

''Amelie, look at me,'' Her mother urged from where she was standing, guards
holding her tightly, ''Don't look at him, look at me.''

She didn't. Amelie looked down at Atlas. His hand was placed over her stomach.
Her heart broke.

''See...'' The Dark Lord chuckled, taunting all of them from his position, ''I told
you she wouldn't care for you, witch.''

Athena swallowed, scared out of her mind for the sake of her children, ''It's
going to be alright, Amelie. It's going to be more than alright.''

''Promises...'' He hissed, now facing the lady, ''That's something you failed to
keep.''

Amelie held Altas so hard. Her arm turned numb, but she didn't let go, ''Don't
look at him, Atlas. Close your eyes. I'm right here.'' She mumbled, ''You're safe.''

The boy was shaking. His limbs clinging onto her sister with all she had, and he
did as told. He sealed his eyes, burying his face into her waist.

''You even turned my own blood against me,'' The man let out, looking at Athena
with spite-filled eyes. Hatred radiated across the room, ''You took my legacy
from me. My own damn flesh and blood.''

''Please—'' Athena yanked her arms, trying to free herself from the Death Eaters
holding her, ''Let them go. Let them go, and I'll do anything.''

''You'll do anything? That wasn't what it looked like when you ruined her life by
protecting another child. I think it's more than proven that you'll do that girl
more harm, than good.'' He said, turning to face one of the men standing in the
doorway, ''But that isn't why I brought you here tonight... Bring the boy in.''

Amelie froze, her veins icing as she watched them drag Theodore in. His face
was bruised, his clothes ripped and blood-stained. The man tugged him all the
way across the floor until he dropped him at the feet of the Dark Lord.

''Ahhh... Theodore...'' He grinned so viciously that Amelie had to look away,

''They took well care of you, I see.''

''Don't,'' Amelie breathed the instant Voldemort raised his wand towards him,
''Not him, please. Not him. I'll do anything you want but don't touch him. He has
nothing to do with this—''

''Nothing to do with this, you say? Then who brought your abuser back to life?
Who saved all the servants Malfoy slaughtered? Who empowered me?''

Her eyes fell to watch the ground, ''You didn't give him a choice.''

''I didn't, but if I were the one being in love with my best friend — I'd rather die
than wrong them.'' The Dark Lord stared at her now. He never truly identified
her before. She didn't look anything similar to the weak soul he believed her to
be, ''And he didn't. Theodore Nott served me just like any other man in my force
did. He's as guilty as I am.''

Amelie swallowed, ''He's nothing like you, and no matter how hard you try to
make him a monster, he will never become one.''

''Oh dear,'' Voldemort stepped back, smiling devilishly at her with space between
them now, ''We'll see about that.''

Amelie didn't truly comprehend what happened next, even if she saw it with her
own eyes — it still didn't make sense to her. All she did was watch as the man
slowly dragged his hands over his face, over his hair and what followed scared
her more than anything had scared her before.

He turned. He shifted into something so horrifying. His skin was ashen now. His
face was out of the ordinary. His clothes draped differently, ''I am the evil. I am
the monster, and I'll do as I please with all of you... starting with that lying filth
of mother you have.''

Her eyes flickered. She didn't know where to look, how to shape the words she
meant to speak.

''You see, dear?'' He stretched his arms out in the air, looking at her as if he had
something to prove, ''You'll never escape this. I'll hunt you beyond the grave, but
for now... Now you have a choice to make.''
He nodded for the guards, and they marched with her mother across the ground,
letting her down next to Theodore, ''You say he'll never become the monster I
am, but what about you? What if I turn you into the monster you so gravely
despise for him to be?''

Her lips parted, a shaking breath trembled from her chest, ''No.''

''Choose.'' He said, pointing at them both as they rested on their knees. The
Death Eaters around them forced both Theodore and Athena so they'd be facing
her, ''It's not like you haven't killed before, child. Don't you think for a second I
would've forgotten about Azkaban?''

Amelie knew she took lives that night. She knew as she burnt the whole of it that
souls would go with the flames. She'd be damned for the rest of this eternity
because of it.

''No, please,'' She begged, hugging Atlas closer, ''Don't do this.''

She couldn't do this to Atlas. She couldn't choose Theodore over the one person
keeping him safe, but at the same time — Amelie wouldn't be able to take
another breath if her Teddy wasn't breathing with her. Even if it was a clear
choice to her, she could in no reality make it. Not like this. Not ever.

''Choose.'' He said again, harder this time. Nearly shouting at her through the
crowded room, ''Choose or they both die.''

For the first time since he was dragged in through those doors, Theodore lifted
his chin, and he let their eyes meet, ''It's alright, Amelie.'' He whispered, calmly
through the daggers ripping down his throat, ''Save them for me. Save them like
you saved me.''

She was crying. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stepped back, stumbling
with Atlas still attached to her body, ''No—''

''Amelie, look at me,'' He was crying too. Theodore was crying so silently, yet he
let a smile be forced across his lips, giving her all the permission to do what he
believed was right, ''I love you, Amelie. I love you, and we'll see each other
again.''

''No,'' Amelie's whole body vibrated, her vision blurry. It was so hard to breathe
again, ''No. I'm not choosing. I can't—''

The Dark Lord raised his hand, aiming his wand between both her mother and
the boy who constantly gave his life for hers, ''If you don't choose, they both
die.''

''Please—'' Clutching her stomach, Atlas slowly let go of her, ''Please, please—''

''One,''

''No, no, no—''

''Two.''

''Please! I'm begging you!'' She was tugging at her hair. Pinching her eyes shut,
and it felt like her life was flashing before her eyes. Everything was put on view
until she heard Theodore.

She heard the soft sound of birds chirping, and when she opened her eyes, they
were lying on the grass. Her head on his lap, his hand playing with her fingers,
and he read.

The sun glinted. The warmth breezed. He quietly read the same line over and
over. The line he held so dear. She smiled. She smiled and kissed the spine of his
hand before looking up at him. Her Teddy. Her Teddy. Her Teddy. It had always
been him to her. Her reason. Her lifeline. Her savior. Always him.

He smiled down at her, brushing a strand of her hair out of her eyes, and he bent
down, kissing her forehead. I love you, he said. I love you like they love each
other in this book. I love you so much that I can't live without you.

She felt a tear in the corner of her eye, and then she closed them.

She was back.

Her heart hammered, the noise swelling in her ears. She could see her mother.
She was crying. She was shouting and yelling, but Amelie didn't hear her. She
couldn't hear anything but that one single line Teddy read her. Their line. Their
favorite book. Them.
''What greater punishment is there than life when you've lost everything that
made it worth living?''

That was how it felt. She couldn't live without him. There wouldn't be a day
where her life wouldn't be the worst type of hell without Theodore Nott in it. Her
Theodore. Her Teddy. Him.

His lips moved, but not a sound fled them. She saw the green light beginning to
form around the Dark Lord's wand.

She was out of time.

Time.

Time was something Amelie wasn't allowed. Everyone was taken from her, and
even if she wished for someone to step through those doors and save her from it
— no one would come because they were all dead. Hermione, her friends, and
their family, the students back at Hogwarts, the teachers, Pansy, Aimee, Blaise.
Everyone was dead. Death. The consuming light of darkness as it came knocking
on each and everyone's door. He had taken it all from her. No one was still
standing.

Amelie swallowed. She swallowed so hard that it stung, and she saw that green
light of death she'd seen so many times before. That wasn't what scared her. She
wasn't afraid of death, but what followed.

Draco, he'd go with her. He wouldn't last a beat of his heart if hers weren't
beating with it. Atlas wouldn't have his sister. Narcissa would be left alone with
all of them. That scared her—the aftermath of what death brought.

If she left, perhaps she'd be able to see Pansy again. Perhaps she'd be able to
reunite with her and Aimee. She'd feel Hermione's hugs. Hearing the laugher
that ever so made her laugh. She'd see Blaise. She would be able to thank him
properly.

All of her thoughts clouded. She couldn't think. She couldn't think. She couldn't
think.

''Three!''
''No—''

''What about Teddy?'' She smiled, biting down her lower lip, uncertain, ''I like
it.''

''Teddy?'' He frowned, shaking his head at her with a grin slowly taking over, ''It
sounds like a stuffed animal.''

''It's adorable,'' She took his hand in hers, knitting their fingers together, ''And
you kind of are my Teddy bear. You're the one I hug when I need it the most. The
one I come to for comfort. You are a Teddy.''

''Teddy...'' He said again, more certain now, ''Say it again. It doesn't sound as
bad when you say it.''

She laughed out, her voice sweet to his ears as she crawled up into his lap,
''Teddy, Teddy, Teddy. My Teddy.''

He gulped. He didn't respond to that, and it had her scowling, ''What?''

''Never leave me.'' He said, his voice was thin now, ''Promise me you'll never
leave me. That no matter what happens, it's us.''

Her eyes softened. Her touch was so gentle. She hugged her arms around his
neck and kissed his forehead, ''I'll never leave you, Teddy. It's us, no matter what
happens.''

That was the promise she never broke because the next thing Amelie knew, she
was hugging his neck. She was crawled up in his lap with her lips pushed into
his head, ''Us, Teddy. No matter what. No matter what. No matter what.''

The Dark Lord looked down at them, and he nodded slowly. He didn't speak a
word. She didn't realize what she'd done, what she'd chosen until the lids of her
pooling eyes peeled open and the green light she was meant to fear struck her
mother's chest.

''No!''

''You'll be fine, Amelie.'' She said, softly over the shell of her daughter's ear, ''It's
going to be fine. I'm protecting you. I'm saving you from all of this. Just go to
sleep. Fall asleep, Amelie, and it all will be fine when you wake up.''

The little girl was crying, gripping the shoulders of her mother's shirt, ''No,
mom. Please don't go. Don't leave me with father.''

''You'll be fine. This is better for you. This is better for you than what will
happen if I take you with me, Amelie. You need to understand that. You need to
trust me.''

She was sobbing uncontrollably, and that sound she gave as she screamed and
cried and whimpered into her mother's neck was the worst sound a parent would
ever hear.

''Amelie, we'll see each other again when it's safe. I promise that you'll find me
one day. You'll find me, and we'll be together again.'' She tried to pry the tiny
arms off, but she wouldn't let go. She clung onto her mother like never before,
''Amelie, please.''

''No, no, no.'' She repeated, over and over, ''No, no, no, no.''

''It's not how it seems, Amelie. Nothing is what it seems. You'll be better now.
You'll be safe.''

''He'll hurt me,'' She sobbed, shaking her head. The tiny voice ripped through the
room, ''He'll hurt me when you're not here. He'll hurt me so much, mom.''

''You'll be safe. He can't touch you here. He doesn't know it's you. He thinks it's
me, Amelie. You'll be safe.''

She lifted her wand behind her daughter's head, crying into her hair, ''I love you,
Amelie. My sweet little girl. I love you, but I need you to be safe. Be safe for me.
Be safe for me, and I'll come back for you.''

And then she whispered the magic to numb the little girl's body. Her limbs
slackened into her mother's hold, and she fell asleep, ''I love you, Amelie. I love
you so much... Obliviate.''

''Is she asleep?''

''She didn't want to let go.''

''Did you make her forget?''

''I did, Andrew.''

''Good, now get the hell out of my house.''

''Andrew, please—''

''No. I approved of this because I owed you. I promised I'd look after her, but
you need to go before I bloody kill you. I don't want to see your face ever again.''

''Don't hurt her, please. This isn't her fault.''

''As said, I'll keep her hidden for as long as he doesn't find out, but the second he
does, Athena. The instant he knows, I'm running.''

''Andrew—''

''Now go, before you drag the three of us down in your filthy mess.''

''I'm sorry.''

''You being sorry won't save her life. She's doomed. We all are. You killed us.''

Her life was put on display again, but this time from something she had never
seen before. Something she'd never heard. Something that wasn't there before
but was now. It was a memory. It was her memory — the memory her mother
took the night she was leaving.

It was there again, what Draco searched for all long, the reason he was cursed
into her life. It was there now. Clear and bright as the light of day.

''Mother...'' Amelie cried out, throwing herself at the ground, and she caught
Athena's body before it struck the wood, ''No, no, no—''

''Amelie,'' She choked out, her skin paling. Her eyes drying. She couldn't move,
''I'm sorry—''

Her chest stilled, slowly, one breath at a time. Her lips shaded in blue.

''No—'' Amelie sobbed, yanking at her mother's shirt, shaking the nearly lifeless
body, ''I'm the sorry one. I didn't mean to choose, please—''

Nothing had hurt as much as this did. She didn't see anything else than her
mother, dying right there and then in her arms. Athena failed her so badly. She'd
failed her in every last way possible, but Amelie didn't care because she kept
Atlas safe.

She gave her that little boy back, and she would forgive her all over again if she
had to, ''Please...'' Amelie's tone cracked. She couldn't speak. It hurt so much to
speak, feeling her mother's body as it cooled in her grip, ''Don't go. He needs
you. I need you—''

Athena's eyes were wide. Her pupils were blown as the world faded around
them, ''It was—'' She barely breathed, ''Nothing is like it seems—''

Amelie sobbed out, and she brought her mother's hand up to her lips, kissing it,
''Mom....''

''It was never Atlas—'' Her head fell back over Amelie's lap, her fingers loosened
from hers, finding her stomach for the briefest of moments. She knew. Athena
didn't say anything, but she could feel that tiny little heart beating inside her
daughter. ''It was always....'' She didn't find the air to breathe. She was dying.
She was leaving, but it didn't hurt. It wasn't painful. It was peaceful.

Athena didn't cherish life as it surrounded her. She never lived a moment in
peace, but she went in it.

Finally, after decade following decade on this planet, in this haunted life, she
was able to rest. She could find peace, knowing that no one would take care of
Atlas as Amelie and their little family would. She could rest in peace because
this war was already won.

She knew it was. She made sure of it.

She played it that way ever since her daughter was born. Athena had been
scheming, plotting, twisting, and turning for this day to come. She could go now.

''It was you.''

''No—'' Amelie's head fell to her mother's chest, her tears soaked the material of
her shirt, ''No, no, no. He needs you. Atlas—'' She sobbed. She cried. She
whimpered. Amelie had never felt a loss as she did now. At least, that was what
she believed. Her mother was gone, and the world turned darker because of it.

Amelie didn't even notice how Theodore had thrown himself across the floor,
wounded and bruised. He still wrapped his arms around Atlas, and he stood up.
Hugging the crying little boy to his chest. She didn't notice how Draco had heard
her scream the second he'd entered that home. She didn't see him run into that
room. She didn't see the heartbreak in his eyes as he watched what happened.

His Amelie, she was sitting there with her mother's body in her arms, crying. His
head snapped, looking at the brunet, standing with the little one's head buried
into his shoulder. He was too late. Malfoy was too late, and now she lost yet
another person.

That fire was back. Those malicious flames that torched a passioned blaze to
alight within him were back. He couldn't hold the darkness back anymore.
Amelie was crying, and his world eclipsed.

''This ends now,'' Draco growled, taking a step into the room, ''You don't get to
do this anymore.''

It had the Dark Lord laughing. He evilly grinned at Malfoy's appearance, ''There
he is,'' He taunted as the men around him began to circle, standing between
Draco and Voldemort, ''How I have waited for you, son.''

Draco's eyes stayed on his heart, still kneeled to the ground with her mother in
her arms, before he took his stare to Theodore, ''Take him out of here. Take him
out of here, right now.''

Theodore tried. He meant to walk towards the doorway where Draco stood, but
the instant he got close, Voldemort stormed forward. Not one person in the room
had the chance to blink before Amelie was forced off the ground, his balled fist
took a solid grip of her hair, and he bored his wand against her throat, ''If you
leave, I'll kill this pathetic excuse of a witch, and that would be sad, wouldn't it?
Considering she just picked your life over her own mother's.''

Draco's jaws clenched, ''Let go of her, right now.''

''How many times am I supposed to tell you, son? How many times am I meant
to show you who's in charge because no matter how you play it — I always
win.'' The Dark Lord smiled wickedly, ''On your knees.''

Malfoy tensed his fist around his wand harder. He couldn't lash out, not yet. He'd
learned that from the man standing there himself. Voldemort taught him to take
advantage of the element of surprise. So he stood steady on his spot,
straightening his shoulders.

''I said, on your knees, son or this little witch along with your unborn child dies.''

It ignited again. Oh, how the rage shook him. He could barely hold a breath of
cohesion as those words venomously rolled from his tongue. The Dark Lord
knew about his daughter. He was more vulnerable now.

''Do you take me for a fool, son? Do you think a matter as a human growing
inside this girl would go unnoticed?'' The men gathered around them, ''On your
knees, or I'll kill both of them.''

''Don't you fucking—''

A spell was fired, and it hit his chest, but he stood. Draco didn't cave at first. He
barely felt the daggers tearing through him from the inside. All he felt was her.
She was so scared. He could tell. She was so scared for all of them.

''On your knees and beg me to spare their lives,'' He said, yanking Amelie
forward by her hair, ''You have done nothing but steal from me, Malfoy. Death
Eaters, guards, servants.'' He pointed the finger at himself, ''My people. You just
took and took like there were no consequences to your actions, but let me tell
you something about that... Your luck has run out, and if you don't kneel and beg
for mercy — I'll take it all away from you, just like you took it from me.''

It stung. Every part of Malfoy's body ached so wildly out of the forbidden magic
he was under, and he tried. He tried to stand against it, but he couldn't. He fell to
his knees.

''Beg for my mercy,'' Voldemort shouted, forcing his wand so roughly into
Amelie's neck that blood began to slip the wound, ''Plead for her life, and I might
spare it for you.''

For moments, Draco's chest heaved. His insides brunt more than ever, and he
smirked. He grinned with his chin tucked against his chest before he lifted it. He
looked right through the Dark Lord, ''I'd rather die than to beg for your mercy.''
He said, and at that moment, Amelie couldn't grasp a thing anymore. She was
thrown to the ground. Something hit her spine, and for minutes, it all turned
dark.

It all faded. Her screams weren't heard. She couldn't hear them herself. All she
did was hold her belly, protecting her child even if ruthless magic pounded
through her body.

''Take the kid out of here right now!''

Theodore did. He hesitated at first, but he couldn't risk Atlas's life — so he ran.
He ran as fast as he could out on the yard of the Manor until he saw two figures
appearing at the end of the property line. Narcissa and Lucius. It had only been a
short while since Draco and Adrian left their house, and they had come to help
them.

Theo had to beg Narcissa to go back to the house. He had to plead for them to
hide. He needed to save her. He needed to make sure Amelie would make it out
of that house alive. He couldn't join them.

Atlas screamed and shouted as Narcissa took him in her arms. He cried and
cried. He twisted, and he pulled. He tried to get back to his sister. Amelie was all
he had left now. His mother had just died in front of him. He had to get to her,
but Narcissa didn't let him. She hugged him, and she took him back to safety.

He was safe. Atlas was safe.

Amelie's mind couldn't stop. Even if she laid there in agonizing pain, her
thoughts spiraled around the last thing her mother spoke, the memory she was
given. It never made sense to her. Never had something been more out of place
yet fitted the puzzle more quite than now.

The air almost tore from her lungs as she thought of it.

How her father beat her, why he hated her so much.

How she could see the memory of Draco killing her father when it was taken
from him.
How her mother ran with Atlas, knowing who her father was at heart. Her father.
Her father hated her. He despised her without reason, except the fact that he had
a reason. He owned a reason in his own wicked mind to loath her.

It all made sense now.

Her father knew and approved of her mother falsifying her death. He didn't morn
her because he knew. He knew why she fled. He helped her hide. He hid her. He
took Amelie to the hospital Atlas was born at. He visited the doctor over and
over. He knew. They all did. They all played a part in her mother's
disappearance. Lucius, Dr. Brown, her father, they all knew.

''It was never Atlas. It was you.''

It was her. All along, it was her.

Her mother never showed a sign of life until Amelie died. She never let herself
be found until her heart had stopped beating. She knew. She knew all along. She
was hiding Amelie in plain sight. It was her. It all came down to her.

The battle around her escalated, yet she couldn't think. She couldn't form thought
to what was happening because it was her. She was the one, all along.

She saw Draco. She saw how he battled. She saw how the Dark Lord hid behind
his men. He didn't have the strength to fight. She knew that now.

Bodies dropped to the definite ground, again and again. Malfoy didn't spare an
ounce of mercy because all he saw was her. She was hurt, injured, and blood
slipped down her arms.

He couldn't control himself as he took the deepest breaths, and he shouted. He

shouted so loudly that every candle covering the walls went out. The art hanging
across the room ripped from its places, and every last Death Eater in that room
ceased of life. She'd never seen magic like that. She'd never seen anyone perform
the spell Draco did.

He killed them all, and he fell to his knees in the process. He'd taken curse
following curse without falter because of her. Them. Amelie and their daughter.
His body was so frail. He could barely breathe as his knees struck the ground.
He did it. He ceased every last standing man of life.
Malfoy was the worst type of killer. He was hell in human shape when it came to
her. He was a murderer that would take any life necessary for hers to stay
unwounded. He would end every soul that tried to scratch hers. He had no grace
when she was at stake. Her and her only. His Amelie.

The Dark Lord blinked, he blinked as his eyes went from him to her. Her.

Her sight flickered, her palms pushed into the ground as the breeze filled her
lungs with air. Oxygen flooded through her vessels. Clutching her stomach, she
raised to her feet.

It wasn't over yet. She knew it wasn't. He was still standing, and he had to fall.

They would never be free unless he fell.

''You...'' Amelie stumbled forward. Her voice was barely heard. The curse he'd
thrown upon her still ached, but she didn't give in. She didn't cave. This started
with them, and it was meant to end accordingly.

''You knew, didn't you?'' She breathed, lifting her chin and looking at the man,
''That's why you never dared to kill me because some part of you always knew.''

His lips pushed together. He didn't have as much hatred in his eyes.

''You knew it was me and never Atlas. You just weren't sure. You needed to see
it for yourself, and you felt it, didn't you? The night I tried to kill myself, you felt
my death, that's why you came to the house, that's why you saved Adrian. He
was disposable to you, but you saved him because you needed to be sure that we
weren't vowed anymore.''

He didn't speak. He just looked at her.

''Because if we weren't, that means that a part of you died with me.''

Draco coughed out, his head tilted back, ''Run, Amelie—''

The Dark Lord didn't spare him a glance. He simply twitched his wand, making
chains appear around Draco's body. His mouth was locked shut.

''A part of you knew, you had to. Otherwise, you would've killed me a long time
ago.'' Tears prickled in her eyes. Her knees were so close to caving. She was
weak, so weak, ''But you didn't. You didn't kill me because you knew....''

''Say it,'' He spat, aiming his wand at her, ''Speak the words, child.''

Amelie took a breath, laced with courage, ''You knew I was your child too.''

''Say the words.''

Her tongue clicked in her mouth. She didn't want to. She didn't want to admit it
because it would all be real when she did. Amelie wasn't ready. She wasn't ready
to let all the secrets surrounding her life, in.

''Now or that boy dies.''

The chains around Draco's body tightened. Straining around his flexing muscles.

Amelie blinked, slowly and her arms fell to her sides, ''Daughter. I am your
daughter.''

It turned absolutely silent for seconds. Seconds where Draco fought the chains,
slipping them up over his arms so that his hand would be free. She didn't have a
wand. She was completely exposed in front of the man that kept taking
everything from him. He'd be damned if he took her too.

''You are,'' He said.

She tipped her head, ''That's why you don't fight, why you hide behind your
men,'' Amelie gestured towards the dozen and dozen of Death Eaters that had
fallen, ''You're too weak. When I died, the biggest part of you died too.''

''It did,'' Voldemort kept his wand sharp towards her, ''And that is why you are
going to go with them. You took something from me when you drove that knife
through your own chest and that you have to pay for.''

She knew that.

Somewhere in all the promises, Amelie had made. She knew she wouldn't be the
one standing, and she had made her peace with that. They all were safe now.
Amelie Avery was ready to die, to fulfill her place on this earth and go with the
world as it brightened. She wasn't before, but in that realization, her head
clouded in, she was now. She was ready. They did it. They saved them. They
saved the remaining pieces of the wizarding world, and no one would know. She
was ready to do what she was supposed to all along, but then that tiny little piece
of both her and Draco began to beat inside her. And it wasn't just her anymore.

It wasn't just her. It was them. All of them.

''Then kill me,'' She said, her voice braver now. She knew what she had to do.
Atlas was safe. Draco would make it out. Theodore wasn't close enough to be
harmed. ''You'll die too. You'll go with me because it will tear you apart, killing
your own blood. I don't stand a chance, but neither do you.''

Draco wrestled his chains. She was standing there, offering to die, and he
couldn't do a thing. Tears pearled in his eyes.

''You already took everyone from me, so do what you have to do. Kill me and
die at the cost of it.'' Amelie held her hand over her stomach. She heard how
Draco was trying to speak, to scream and curse for what she was doing, but she
couldn't look at him. It would break her heart. She had to do this. She knew what
to do.

The Dark Lord leveled his wand, and it struck her chest. He stood so close now.

''It would be worth it,'' Voldemort's hand shook, ''I would happily die if it means
you'll do the same. I might not be alive, but Malfoy will live with the
consequences of me taking both his heart and child from him in the process.''

''Then what are you waiting for?'' Amelie's lips stayed parted, her hands moving
slowly over her stomach, ''Do what you brought me here to do, kill me, kill your
daughter.''

She wasn't foolish. It might have been portrayed as she was, but Amelie Avery
wasn't a mindless girl. She knew what Draco tried to do. She could hear his
chains as they symmetrically rattled. He had his wand in his hand. She knew he
did, and it didn't take more than a split second until she turned at him at the right
moment, the instant she caught a trail of chains fall to the floor, he threw his
wand at her.
Amelie stumbled back. Malfoy's weapon was held in her hand, and she matched
Voldemort's doing.

Draco kept fighting the bonds. He kept trying to free his mouth, to tell her to set
it all on fire like he knew she'd done in Azkaban. He knew Adrian would come
when the fire stormed.

''You killed my mother....'' She let out, pointing the wand, ''You killed her in
front of Atlas.''

She saw his lips moving, but she couldn't hear him. Amelie felt the same feeling
in her chest as the night she'd blown Azkaban up in flames. That anger. That
feeling of spite. It magnified within her. It soared. It burnt. It stung.

''You—'' She gasped and just like that, just like one second on a clock ticked.
Just like a breath was taken. Just like an eye would blink — a fire was spreading
around her.

The whole room was set on flames. Every wall. Every piece of shattered
furniture. Every last thing except the man who stood in the middle of the room,
knowing how defeated he was. He didn't stand a chance. He knew he didn't. Not
now, but that didn't stop him from the attempt of taking her life with his own.

She was burning him down with her childhood home. Her mother's body would
go with the flames of it, and so would he.

Voldemort took the opportunity as he watched the confusion in her eyes, and he
shouted, ''Expelliamus!''

Draco's wand that she had used to torch it all snatched from her hand and brunt
with the fire. She didn't know what was happening. She didn't realize a thing
anymore. The air was so thick. The smoke-filled her lungs with every last inhale
she took. It turned harder to breathe, harder than ever before.

''You'll go with me, child,'' The Dark Lord uttered weakly, ''If I die, so do you.''

His wand edged towards her again, and the green light fumed around him and
just as it fired. Just as that light of death was about to trap her and cease her of
life — two arms wrapped around her, and a spell was fired back, striking
Voldemort before his magic harmed her.
Heavy. That's how it felt.

Something heavy struck her body. Something weighted began to feel around her,
and before she could raise her gaze and see what made it all stop — she felt him.

Amelie felt his body as it hugged hers, ''No—'' She whispered. She had felt that
exact body so many times before. With her. Against her. Hurting her. Saving
her. Loving her. Hating her. She had felt all of it, but never had she felt it caving
into her.

''No, no, no—'' She fell back. His body tangled with hers. Amelie's knees struck
the floor as she held onto his shirt, fisting her hands around the edges of the
material, ''No, no, no, please—''

Adrian.

Teddy's Adrian. Her Adrian. Their Adrian.

''Adrian, no—'' Amelie shook her head, covering his body, ''Please no—''

Her eyes found his wand, and she brought it up between them, whispering spell
after spell. Tears leaked. Sobs shattered through the magic but nothing. He
couldn't be saved.

''Amelie—'' He breathed so unsteadily that it broke her. She had never heard his
voice so weakly before. His hand gripped hers, stopping her tries of saving him.
Slowly, he shook his head at her.

Adrian knew. Adrian knew that there was nothing she could do for him. His time
had finally come.

''No,'' Amelie broke out in a cry, the tips of her fingers grasped at his jaws, ''You
don't get to do this, Adrian. You don't get to leave me again.'' Her hands found
his hair, ''Why? Why would you do this—''

He smiled. Adrian let a frail, fragile smile arch across his numb lips as he placed
his hand over the back of her head, bringing his face to hers.

He kissed her forehead slowly, ''I said I would protect her....'' The touch he had
of her neck fell to her stomach, ''I promised you I'd protect her like I never
protected you—''

''No...'' She had never cried this much in her life. She let out sounds that would
follow him to his grave, ''You don't get to—''

''I wouldn't—'' His own tears rolled. He cried. He cried as his chest slowed, his
eyes falling shut, ''I wouldn't wish to go any other way. He can live without me,
but he can't live without you....''

''It was supposed to be us now....'' Amelie sobbed. The pearls of tears spilling
from her eyes fell to his skin. He could still feel them, for so a minute, Adrian
could feel her. It felt good, feeling her.

''You need to be with us, Adrian— please—''

''I told you—'' He was heaving, gasping for air. Dying. Adrian Pucey was dying,
''I told you to save the world, Amelie, and you did—''

His head fell back, but she caught it before it could hit the ground, ''You saved
the world, Amelie. You saved me—''

''Don't go—'' She kissed his head, speaking into his hair, ''Please, please, please
don't go. We need you—''

''It feels good....'' His lips didn't move much anymore. The tone of his skin
fading, ''Being needed. Thank you for needing me.''

''I love you,'' She whispered, over and over. Again and again, ''I love you,
Adrian. We all do. We love you so much—''

''I will wait for you. Promise me you'll find me when you're ready. Promise me
I'll see you again....'' Adrian's hand dropped from her belly, and the last breath
he'd ever take fled his lungs, ''Tell him, please —Teddy... Tell him...''

''I'll tell him,'' Amelie sobbed, her body on top of his as she buried her face into
his neck, ''I promise, I will tell him. I will tell him all of it.''

His body cooled. He was leaving.

Adrian Pucey had indeed lived a life like no other. He had sinned. He had hurt,
and he had wounded but never had a world seen the good in him as this one did.
He redeemed himself.

Adrian Pucey faded for them to live. He'd done everything he could now. He
was loved. He was needed. He was wanted, and he would be missed. He entered
this life as a monster, someone so scarred and feared only to leave like one of
them. He finally had a family. He finally earned a place on his earth. And at last,
after what felt like a lifetime being haunted, he was free.

Adrian Pucey was free.

''We'll find you... I'll find you, Adrian. We'll see each other again, I promise. I
promise. I promise. We'll find you when it's our time,'' Amelie kissed his cheek,
feeling as his life went in her arms, ''He loves you, Adrian. He will find you.
You can rest now. You're free now. They can't hurt you anymore. No one can
hurt you anymore.''

Draco sat on his knees, his arms dropped to his sides, and he was free of his
chains. He watched the dust of the Dark Lord's ruling fall to the ground. They
did it. They won, yet it felt like they had lost. Even Malfoy felt that. He felt one
of the gravest losses he ever had to feel.

It wasn't a win for him. It wasn't something to cherish or celebrate. It was one of
the worst moments of his life.

''Amelie—''

Theodore was catching his breath in the doorway from leaving Atlas to Narcissa
and Lucius. His hands gripping his knees as he swallowed, ''What—''

No.

No. No. No.

His gaze traveled to the ash splayed out on the ground. The Dark Lord had
fallen. He was gone. He shifted his sight to Draco, kneeled to the ground in a
pool of chains around him. He wasn't happy. He didn't look like he'd conquered.
He sat there with tears in his eyes, his shoulders low, and his jaws clenched,
staring blankly at the girl his heart rested with.
Amelie. Theodore looked at Amelie.

His heart stopped. His life ceased at what he was seeing, ''No, no, no....''

Amelie couldn't look at him. She gripped Adrian's chest harder, burying her face
deeper. Nothing had hurt as much as this did. She had felt loss before. Amelie
had seen death in all its shapes and forms, but this was different. She hurt
Theodore too. She could feel it. Her heart was shattered.

''Amelie, please—'' Theodore stuttered, tripping forward in the smoke-filled air,

over the ruins of the Dark Lord's downfall until he reached his arms out, ''Please
—''

She still didn't look at him. All she did was loosening herself from Adrian to
hide in Theodore's arms instead. He wanted her there. He needed her there. Oh,
how Theodore Nott needed his Amelie at this moment.

The girl wrapped herself around his body, her head tightly pushed against his
shoulder, and he fell to the ground with her in his lap, ''No, no, no....''

''I'm sorry—'' She sobbed, her fingers clawing at his neck, ''I tried. I tried to save
him, but he— he couldn't, there wasn't— he loved you. He loved you, Teddy. He
loved you.''

Theodore didn't say anything. He cried. Tears formed and fell as he hugged her.
He drained her of all the comfort he could possibly need.

He just found someone. He found someone that was his. He fell in love. He
loved. He loved that boy so deeply that it hurt at times. He was happy. Theodore
Nott had never been happier than the times he earned with him.

It was them. It was supposed to be them. He was pardoned. He was free. He was
his. He was Theodore's.

It was them, but not anymore.

Amelie tightened her hold of him, holding him in pieces as he fell apart. She'd
never heard the sounds he gave. She'd never heard anyone mourn in the way
Teddy was. His shouts. His screams. His cries, even his breathing tore blade
following blade through her.
He looked away with tears in his eyes. Malfoy needed her. He needed her so
much right now, but he knew that they needed each other more. Draco couldn't
look at them anymore. It hurt too much.

It was painful. It was tragic. It was agonizing.

Teddy was happy, but he wasn't anymore. He had never felt pain as excruciating
as this one. Stabbing, racking, raging. It hurt so much that he couldn't breathe.
He didn't know where it all went so wrong. They managed. They fought. They
did it. They won.

Still, had no one lost like they did, as he did.

Adrian Pucey died, and Theodore Nott would never be the same again.

_____
 One-hundred

E i g h t m o n t h s l a t e r.

August 2000.

''Did she sleep yet?'' Amelie snuck up behind him, peeking over his shoulder to
see the little life all nestled up in Malfoy's arms. Her voice was low, ''Tell me she
didn't. I could use some Talia-time.''

Draco peered back at her, tilting his chin, and he settled a peck on the hand
Amelie placed on his arm before his sight darted back to his daughter. He never
took his eyes off of her for more than a second, and that mere second he didn't
watch their daughter. He looked at Amelie instead. He couldn't stop looking at
her either, ''She didn't. Not yet.''

He held Talia so close. She was so little. So tiny. So fragile. She wasn't similar to
anything he'd ever fixed his eyes on before. She wasn't like anything else in their
lives, ''But it looks like she's going any second now....'' Swaying his arms a bit
from side to side, his body followed. He rocked her leisurely, steadily.

''Always in your arms,'' Amelie stretched up on her toes. Her hands splayed out
over his spine as she settled her chin on his shoulder, ''She really is your little
girl, isn't she?''

Draco huffed out a quiet chuckle. He loved when she did that, when she said it in
the way she did, ''Our little girl,'' He was still quick to whisper, his eyes yet
glued onto his daughter, ''She got your nose.''

''She has your eyes,'' Amelie said. A soft dash of laughter was heard in her
vocals, and she left a kiss on Draco's neck, ''That speaks for more than a nose,
doesn't it?''

Malfoy smiled as he exhaled feelingly. He didn't feel much. He didn't feel

anything anymore, except them. His two girls. He never felt as much as he did
when his wife hugged him.

''It sure does, but you're a Malfoy too now.'' Draco slowed his pace, rocking his
daughter gentler now, ''She has your nose and your hair. Nothing beats that.''

She smiled at the memory. It was one of her best ones.

April 2000.

Draco placed a kiss on her stomach like he did every night before her eyes
closed, and she hummed them all to sleep. Everyone still slept in their bed—all
of them.

Atlas couldn't sleep if Draco weren't the one holding his hand as he faded into
the world of imagination, and Teddy couldn't sleep if Amelie didn't have her arm
over his chest. It was comforting, soothing to all of them.

A part of her believed that they needed it. All of them.

The world was lighter, much lighter, but something heavy still lingered within
each and every one.

Atlas was nervous all the time. He was scared that the evil man would come
back for them, and he missed their mother. Draco always calmed him when that
happened. He ever so made sure to hug the little boy close and tell him all the
reasons as to why their mother had to go. He didn't lie. Amelie wanted to lie.

She wished to lie and make up something for him to feel better, but Draco didn't.
He told him the truth. He ever so said that they'd lied enough, all of them. Atlas
deserved to know that their mother left Amelie to save her.

That it was either Amelie staying behind, hiding in plain sight, or her being
taken away by the evil man. He told him how his mother saved them in her own
ways, and Atlas loved hearing that. He loved sitting by the piano with Draco and
hear all about his mother being a hero — because to Atlas, to him, she indeed
was a hero. No grudge, no matter how much Draco resented their mother, he
could never take that part away from Atlas.

''Do you promise he's gone?'' Atlas whispered, moving closer to the blond as
Amelie laid beside them, listening, ''He can't hurt us anymore?''
Malfoy grunted a bit, shifting in his position as the covers followed, and he
wrapped an arm around the boy, ''He's gone, little one. He can't hurt you
anymore. He's gone, and we're safe.''

''Promise?'' His voice became thinner, ''Promise that we're safe, all of us.''

''We're safe, Atlas. I promise. I wouldn't let anything happen to you. You know
that.''

''And mom is happy in heaven?''

Her heart ached. He always wished to make sure that their mother was happy in
heaven, all the time. Narcissa usually took him out at night, pointing at the stars,
and she found one in particular that stood out from the rest. They made it her
star, and it made him happy. He would ever so bring Teddy and Draco out to
show them every time he laid his eyes on that star.

He even told their little girl about the star. It was one of his favorite things to do,
talk to their unborn child. He could talk to her for hours while Amelie was
reading, for so long that it caused Malfoy to be jealous, and he interrupted them,
taking over the conversation with her stomach.

''Your mom is happy in heaven. Do you want to check on her? Her star? See if
it's there?''

''Yes!''

The bed rattled a bit as they got up at the late hour. Draco swiftly turned around,
and he placed an elbow over the mattress to lean closer to her, ''I'll be right
back,'' He mumbled, pushing his lips into her head, ''Don't fall asleep yet.''

It made Theodore groan in his sleep and bury his face into Amelie's hair as it
spilled wildly across the pillow. He didn't let her braid it anymore. He wanted to
nestle up close to it. He said it felt safe, feeling the scent of her when he woke
up, gasping for air after a nightmare.

He had a lot of those. Nightmares. All the time. Every night.

The worst part was waking up, he said. He didn't like the wave of realization that
came after the dreams he had. The nightmares were horrible, but the reality was
worse.

She held him every time that happened — Amelie woke up, and she crawled
closer, placing her head on his chest, and that was enough for him to fall asleep
again. Draco always noticed, and he tried to comfort her too. With a hand on her
waist or her belly. And that was all she needed.

Malfoy returned shortly, with Atlas in his arms. He'd fallen asleep again.

''Is he alright?'' Amelie huffed out, turning around to face the blond as he slipped
down below the covers, laying Atlas down next to the edge.

Draco leveled her, bringing her closer to him in between the sheets, ''He will be.''

''I could've gone,'' She said, tilting her head and placing a soft kiss on his chin,
''You don't have to do this every night. You need to sleep.''

''You'll do nothing,'' Draco held one hand on her stomach, the other one snaked
underneath her neck, letting her rest on his arm, ''You're carrying my daughter,
that's all you should focus on.''

''I know, but it's not fair to you—''

''I don't mind it, Amelie,'' He pushed his lips against her head, ''I don't mind
looking after him. He's mine now, too, all of ours. It's as much my responsibility
as it is yours.''

Amelie smiled, burying her nose into his chest, ''You take my breath away.'' She
lowly spoke, not wanting to wake anyone up, ''I don't know how you do it,
Draco. You went through this, all of this, just like we did. Still, you manage so
much.''

''Amelie...''

''No,'' Her hand grasped at his upper arm, closing her eyes in the darkness, ''I am
proud of you. I know you don't like hearing these things, but what you do for
Atlas, every day, how you care for your mother — how you help Teddy. I'm
proud of you. I'm proud of you and I—''

She hushed, breathing out heavily at the feeling in her belly. Draco frowned,
arching back a bit from her, his hand on her jaw, ''What is it—''

''She's proud too,'' Amelie looked down between them, stroking her stomach,
''Here.''

She took his hand in hers and led it up to where their little miracle was kicking,
''Can you feel her?''

Draco sucked in a harsh breath. This was always so sensitive to him, feeling his
little girl. He was almost scared to hurt her when she was kicking. In the
beginning, when Amelie started feeling her, Draco refused to feel it too. He felt
like he was harming them, that he wasn't good enough, but from the second she
took his hand and placed it over that tiny heart, all his worries faded.

He loved feeling her now.

With a hand on their girl, and the other one resting on her jaw, Draco looked at
her. His Amelie. Even if life seemed to be everything but clear, he couldn't stop
looking at her. She was as beautiful as ever to him.

''Marry me,'' Malfoy said, his eyes flickering across every detail she carried.

Amelie looked up. Her own eyes were wide in confusion, ''I thought we were
getting married already—'' She scrunched her nose a bit, trying to be funny.

''Now,'' Draco breathed, taking her face closer to his, ''Marry me now.''

Amelie smiled against his lips, settling a gentle kiss on the upper one, ''It's the
middle of the night—''

''It's always the middle of the night somewhere,'' He kissed her, slowly, her body
pressed to his, ''I don't want to go a minute without you being mine like this. I
want to marry you, now.''

Amelie angled her head, peering up at him, ''Right now? This second?''

''Right now. This damn second.''

She looked away, quickly and as she did, Atlas turned around, sneaking up
behind Draco, ''Are we getting married?''
Draco winced back, nearly gasping out of fear, before he wrestled the boy down,
playfully between him and Amelie, ''We are, go wake my mother up, will you?''

''Draco—''

''No,'' He gave her an honest look, his face calm. He was so sure about this, ''I'm
yours, and you're mine and Amelie....'' He hugged Atlas closer, shooting a rapid
nod towards her stomach, ''This is ours. Every chaotic piece of it. So why wait?''

''Exactly,'' Atlas laughed, and it caused Theodore to prop himself up behind her.
His knuckles scratching his eyes, ''See, even Teddy wants to get married!''

''What is going on—''

''We're getting married!'' Atlas shouted now, his voice broke in a chuckle at
Draco's hands gripping him and lifting him, ''Now! We can do it with mom, out
with the stars! It's raining!''

Theodore looked terrified. His sight snapped between all of them, ''We're getting
married? Right now? In the rain?''

Draco's eyes found Amelie's in the midst of the chaos, and they smiled. Both of
them. Rain. It was raining, and nothing had ever been as perfect as this was.

Atlas ran his way to Narcissa's bedroom, and he woke her up, bringing her
downstairs.

Malfoy halted in the doorway. His checked pajama pants hugged his waist
loosely, the white t-shirt smeared to his torso. Looking back at the two best
friends still lying in bed, ''Are you coming or am I doing this myself...?''

''Give us a minute,'' Theodore yawned, ''I need to steal her for a minute before
she's all yours.''

Draco rolled his eyes, muttering something on his way out.

''What?'' Amelie sat up, her spine against the headboard, ''Is something wrong—''

''Are you sure about this?'' Theodore smirked, giving being funny a try, ''He's a
murderer, you know? And getting married to one of those isn't really a
Ravenclaw thing to do, is it—''

''Oh shut up—'' Amelie aimed a pillow at him, ''He did wrong in the past, yes. I
don't excuse anything he's done, but poor actions don't make a bad person. He's a
better person than I'll ever be.''

''There might be some truth to that— fine. You're right. He's an excellent choice.
I'm sure he makes pretty babies. At least you'll have one pretty baby, Amelie,
that should count for something. I already feel sorry for the person she chooses
in the future—''

''You're on something tonight, aren't you?'' Amelie chuckled, shaking her head at
him, ''I'm happy, Teddy. He makes me happy.''

''I'm happy that you're happy,'' He sighed, looking right at her, ''You make me
happy. Seeing you happy makes me happy. Promise me that you won't stop
being happy. I'm not sure I can handle you not making me happy.''

''Teddy...'' Amelie crawled closer, up in his lap, ''I'm sorry. I know you're sick of
hearing me say it, but I am. I am sorry. You always have me. You'll always be
my family.''

''You're my family,'' He stilled, breathing her in. He wished her this. He wanted
her to have all the good things life could possibly offer, ''Thank you for being
my family.''

Amelie hesitated, doubting her choice of words before speaking them, ''Does this
hurt you? That Draco and I are doing this? We don't have to do this, Teddy. We
can wait.''

He frowned, releasing a deep sigh from the back of his throat, ''It hurts, but I
think it will keep hurting. I lost him, someone I thought I'd be with, and that will
hurt. I think it will hurt until it just...doesn't anymore, until one day I wake up
and I smile at the memory of him instead of crying.''

Her heart ached a beat. She felt pain as it rushed through her pounding veins.
Talia gave her a kick for it, almost sensing that her mother needed some comfort.
''I won't do this if you're not okay with it, Teddy. It can wait. Nothing is as
important as you are to us.''
''And I love you for that, soon to be Mrs. Malfoy, but this isn't your pain to carry.
It's mine, and I'm handling it as well as I know how,'' Theodore paused,
tightening the grip he had of her, ''I want this for you. All the good things, I want
both you and Draco to have. You've been nothing but kind to me, even Malfoy
helps me, and I want this for you. I really do.''

Tears began to pearl in her eyes, loops of ache scored through her. She still, after
nearly a lifetime, had no idea what she'd done to deserve this boy in her life. He
was more to her than anyone could live to be, and she was even more than that to
him.

''I love you, Teddy,'' Amelie whispered, their bodies leaning against the other,
''You'll always have me. Draco and Talia won't change that.''

''I know,'' Placing a kiss onto her forehead, he wrapped his arms around her, ''I
wouldn't have made it without you and him,'' He huffed a relieved exhale, ''But
let's not ruin the mood, shall we? Let's get you downstairs to that serial killer you
chose for a—''

Amelie squealed, a screech fled her chest as he lifted her in the air, ''Teddy—''

He didn't listen. He simply marched downstairs with her in his arms until they
reached the backyard. The rain was pouring. The night was dark.

He halted, right in front of Malfoy as he narrowed his eyes in the blond's, ''Is this
where I give her over to you? Considering you killed both her fathers—''

Draco scowled, rolling his eyes, ''She's already mine, Nott. Don't try to be funny,
yeah?''

Amelie wrapped her arms around Theodore's neck, slowly sliding down from his
grip until her feet touched the ground. She looked up at him, ''Thank you,'' She
said, stilly, ''Thank you for being everything I didn't know I needed.''

He blushed. The brunet scratched the back of his head, before peeking up at
Malfoy beneath his lashes, ''Shouldn't you tell him that—''

Clicking her tongue, she snickered a hushed chuckle, letting go of him as he

stepped next to Atlas, bending down and lifting the boy.
Amelie spun around. Her nightdress hugged her bump perfectly. Draco couldn't
tear his eyes away from her, if so, his life depended on it. He was breathless
because it was perfect this way.

Nowhere in their relationship, in their time together and apart, had things been
for the view of the world.

Their love was raw, honest, beautiful. It wasn't put on display for anyone around
them. It was intimate, sincere, heartbreaking. This was the most perfect way for
them to be.

''Are you sure you want to do this without her?'' Brushing her fingers over her
stomach, she gazed down at it. Her clothes were stained in drops of water as they
fell from the sky, ''We said we would wait for her. I don't want you to regret
anything.''

Malfoy felt a twitch in the corner of his mouth and his hands landed on hers,
holding their little girl together, ''I could never regret anything when it comes to
you. I want to wait for her, but we have waited for this long enough, Amelie. All
we do is wait for everything around us to calm down, but it never did, not until
now, and I don't want to wait anymore.''

He took a breath, his hands moving to cup her jaws, ''I've lost you, over and
over. Every time I've had you — I lost you, and I don't want to stall anything
anymore. I used to tell you a long time ago, how you would always be safe with
me, but I stopped. I stopped because I didn't believe it myself anymore.''

It felt like the world faded around her. It was only them now. She and him.
Them. Always them. His hands were on her jaws, keeping her steady in a falling
world.

''But I think I'd like to start believing that again. I think I can make that promise
again because you are, Amelie. Both of you. Both of my girls. You are safe with
me. You'll always be safe here. I'm yours, and you're mine, no matter what
happens.''

She smiled, tipping the weight of her head into his palms. Her body caved to his,
''Your heart beats with mine,'' She whispered, remembering just how much she
loved saying that, how much she'd missed it.
''Really?'' Draco shook his head, slowly and if it weren't for the rain pouring
around them, she'd believe she was hallucinating, but she wasn't. He had tears in
his eyes.

Amelie stretched up on her toes. Her palms pushed into his chest, and she kissed
him, whispering against his lips, ''Really.''

A sob caught her ears, and she withdrew, still with his touch upon her body. She
looked at the three people she nearly forgot was there, to begin with, ''I'm sorry
—'' Narcissa sniffed, running the spine of her hand underneath her eyes, ''I think
that was all you two needed. I don't think I need to say anything more than that I
from now pronounce you, husband and wife.''

Theodore was crying as Atlas scowled at him, fiddling with his ear and probably
thinking about what Narcissa would make him for breakfast in the morning.

Amelie looked at them, all three of them, as she smiled. The side of her head
leaned against Draco's chest, "We did well, didn't we?'' She asked quietly, only
for him to hear, ''All of this — all of them, we did good?''

''We did,'' He shut his eyes, kissing the top of her head, ''You did good, Amelie.''

She did. She never believed she could, but she did, with all of them by her side.
They made it. They made it this far, and oh how she wished she'd known it was
simply the beginning.

August 2000.

Draco laid her down in the middle of the bed before both of them settled on each
side of her. They could do that for hours. Lay there and look at her. They
couldn't get enough. They always looked at her or at each other, then smiled and
looked back at her.

Amelie smiled, shyly and she nestled up to that tiny human that changed her life
and brought so much light into it, ''She got the best of both sides then.''

His gaze landed on her, and he tilted his head, watching as Amelie brought Talia
close to her chest and that tiny human would bury her nose into the fabric of her
mother's shirt. Mother. Amelie was a mother now. He still couldn't believe it.
Talia cuddled up to Amelie like Draco always did when he had the chance to do
so and how Amelie always strived for ease when it came to him. No matter when
or at what point in their story — Amelie always buried herself in Draco's chest.

Nothing felt as safe as it did there, with his arms around her, his words
whispered into her ear. Nothing was better than that.

But between Atlas still needing his sister more than ever, to Talia needing her
mother, all the way to Theodore running into their room at night, sleeping in
their bed. Amelie barely had a minute to spare that blond man her heart belonged
to.

It was an uncertain world, she believed as she let the palm of her hand brush
across her daughter's spine, the tips of her fingers tracing circles over the bronze
hair she had.

Amelie adored that hair. It was long already. Narcissa bragged to Draco about
that hair every day. She loved it as much as they did, not only because it was
beautiful but also because it resembled hers. Talia had a little space, a tiny spot
behind her ear that was blond.

It caused Narcissa to feel utterly proud of that little girl because she said she got
it from her.

''Amelie,'' Draco muttered, tucking his hand beneath his pillow and propping
himself up, ''Did we do the right thing? Moving back here? Do you regret it?''

His eyes crowded in worry. His voice riddled the same emotion.

She smiled, the corner of her mouth arched, and her glance fell to watch the tiny
breaths her daughter was taking, ''I don't regret it,'' She whispered, still stroking
her fingers across Talia's head, ''I like to think it all started here.''

Scowling a bit, he looked confusingly at her, ''What do you mean?''

''Us,'' She said, bluntly, ''It was where we fell in love, where we kissed, where I
learned to trust you, where we lost each other, where we found each other again,
besides—'' Amelie tipped her chin, placing a soft kiss on Talia's nose, ''It makes
your mother happy, being back here and I wasn't much for the other house. I
liked the library, but that was it.''
Draco held his breath for a second, doubting the fact that she indeed was real.
That she was someone he'd earned a life with, someone he deserved. He still
couldn't get it through his head.

''I like it here. I like your old room. I like that it's ours now,'' Amelie continued,
hushed and low as her daughter began moving, she lifted the little heart to her
chest, and she propped herself up against the headboard, ''I like that she gets to
be here, to be with us here. Even if there was a lot of darkness here, I still want
her to know how all of this happened.''

Talia calmed and fell back asleep over Amelie's chest as Draco warmly stared at
them, ''You really thought about this, didn't you?'' He mumbled, ''Well, I like this
room, but not for the same reasons as you. I remember that shower in the
bathroom, and I remember this bed before Christmas—''

''Draco—'' She chuckled, softly, ''You took the greenhouse with you, and you're
remodeling the library to look like that one in the house, how much—''

''Excuse you,'' His lips parted, nearly looking offended, ''She was made in that
greenhouse, and don't think I would misremember that night in the library. Who
would I be if I didn't—''

''Your daughter is right here,'' Amelie gave him a serious glare, shaking her head
at him, ''Perhaps we shouldn't go into details about that.''

Draco rolled his eyes, arising from his resting position, ''Fine, but don't question
the greenhouse or the library ever again, mother was quite happy when I—''

''Oh? So you are telling me that your mother knows the real reason you brought
it over?''

Malfoy pushed his lips together, biting down his lower lip in hesitation, ''I—''

''I didn't think so,'' Amelie hugged Talia closer. Her little body was melting into
her mother's. She stayed quiet for a bit, simply admiring the tiny soul as she slept
in her arms, ''She's so perfect, Draco.''

His whole self softened. His breathing turned steady. He looked at them, his two
perfect girls, for so a second until he stuck his arms between Amelie's shoulders
and the headboard.
He dragged them closer, letting her lean on his chest as he kissed her forehead,
''She takes after her mother then.''

May 2000.

''I'm scared—'' Amelie breathed out heavily. It hurt. Her whole body ached as
Narcissa stumbled up to her bed, bowls with warm water and towels in her
hands, ''It hurts—''

She was cut off by her own scream. She was close. They were close. They were
almost there.

Draco leaned over her, one hand gripping the headboard of their bed, while the
other was squeezed so tightly by Amelie that he could faint. She was digging her
nails into his palms, drawing blood with the hold she had, ''Soon, Amelie. It will
be over any minute—''

''It hurts. It hurts.'' She gasped, her chin falling to her chest, pearls of sweat and
tears rolled down her skin before her eyes flickered to his, looking up at him,
''What if I mess it up, Draco? What if I can't do this?''

He smiled softly and pressed a kiss onto her hair, ''You don't have to do this.
We'll do it. You are not alone in this, Amelie. I'm right here. We all are right
here. All of us.''

She nodded quickly as she pushed. Amelie pushed and cried. She sobbed and
whimpered.

Narcissa was crying too.

The second it was over, and the very instant those tiny sounds filled the room, it
didn't hurt anymore. Nothing hurt anymore. Everything they'd ever been through
seemed like a star in a sky crowded with them. Nothing mattered anymore.
Nothing but her. Their little girl. She mattered more than anything.

Amelie had been so scared. So scared since the night she lost her mother. Since
they lost Adrian — she was so scared that something went wrong, but it didn't.
Nothing was wrong because she was here.

Their little girl.

''You are so beautiful,'' Draco said, closing his eyes to stop the threatening tears,
''You are perfect, Amelie.''

He didn't dare to look at first. He bored his sight at Amelie, staring at what felt
like her soul for minutes as she cried.

That was all she did. Amelie cried and cried. The silent sobs took over her
breathing. The tears rolled uncontrollably. She was so happy, so, so happy. She
couldn't speak. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. All she did was cry, cry
and cry.

''Look at her,'' Amelie finally managed. Her voice was so thin yet sparked with
more happiness than he'd ever heard her utter. She was so happy. So happy that
she cried, ''She's perfect....''

Draco didn't. He just looked at Amelie. For moments he stared so lovingly at

her. She made it. They made it.

''I don't—'' He cleared his throat, hesitating a bit more, ''What if I hurt her?''

''By looking at her?'' Amelie tilted her head against his stomach, peering up at
his startled self. It looked like he could faint, ''You could never hurt her, Draco.
She's yours. She's ours.''

He shut his eyes. Swallowing hard, one, two, three times before his lashes dared
to peel open, and there she was.

His little miracle. Their miracle. Them.

She was theirs. Only theirs. They were his. Amelie and Talia.

His life would never be the same after this, after her, after them. He'd never felt
love like this. He thought he had. He didn't think it was possible to love anyone
more than he loved Amelie. If he only knew how wrong he was.

Malfoy hadn't even touched her, yet that bond of looking at his daughter was
stronger than anything could ever be. There weren't words to explain it. Only
tears. He cried too. He cried so much as he kissed Amelie's head.

''Aimee...'' She whispered, having their daughter on her chest, ''Talia Aimee
Malfoy.''

He nodded. He didn't even hesitate as he nodded. It was perfect. She was perfect.
They were perfect.

Perhaps the world wasn't as hopeless as he believed it to be. Perhaps it all would
be alright now. He knew it would. With them, it would. Him, her, and their tiny
heart.

September 2000

''Are you sure that you are ready for this?'' Amelie held so much concern in her
eyes, her pupils swarmed with strain for her best friend, ''We don't have to do
this yet, Teddy. It hasn't even been a year. It can wait—''

''I want to,'' His eyes stayed on Talia as she laid in his arms. She was growing by
the day. She was becoming a real little human, ''I think I need to. I feel like I
need some closure.''

She didn't want to push him. If Theodore felt like he was ready — then he was,
no matter what argument Amelie came up with.

A funeral.

It was time for them to say goodbye. Ten months had passed since they lost
Adrian and her mother. Since the world was easier and clearer. Since they won
and lost. Since they lived and died. Since they broke and never knew if they
would be put together.

''Atlas can use it too,'' He mumbled, breathing the scent of that little girl in. His
eyes flickered to watch the property from the living room window, ''I know he
said he wanted to wait for me, but it's not fair to him. He needs to say goodbye
too. He loved Adrian. He loved his mother.''

Amelie nodded, striding up behind him. She let her forehead meander against his
spine, ''I'll set it up then,'' She huffed out, her arms sheeting his waist,
''Tomorrow? After sundown? Draco promised Atlas that we'd do it when it's dark
outside for the star.''

Teddy smiled. She didn't see it, but she felt it. He smiled so widely. His body
rushed in warmth, ''He's not bad, Malfoy. That star thing is good for Atlas.''

''I think so too,'' Her lips pressed a kiss onto his shoulder blade, ''I think we all
need it.''

''Tomorrow then...'' Theodore whispered, feeling more nervous than he thought

he would.

_____

Atlas stopped. He halted for minutes as he stared blankly at the two graves
placed next to the old ones. The skies had darkened, the wind scored cooly
around them at that tiny forest glade.

Amelie had told him about Aimee and Pansy. He felt as if he knew them already.
It felt good to him, knowing that his mother had someone to be next to when she
couldn't be next to him, someone to comfort her when he wasn't able to.

The little boy tripped up to Pansy's grave, and he arched down, kissing the stone,
''I'm Atlas,'' He said, looking proudly at the rock, ''I'm sorry I wasn't here when
you were. I think we would be friends.''

Tears formed in Amelie's eyes as they stood at a distance, watching over him.
Teddy hugged Talia closer, leaving a kiss on her forehead.

Atlas repeated his doing with Aimee's grave, ''I'm sorry we didn't get to play
together,'' A smile came across him, ''I think you would be funnier to play with
than Talia. She only laughs at me because she's a baby. Draco says she doesn't
understand.''

He placed a flower on the top of the stone, ''She has your name. That means
you're important to us.''

Draco had to clench his jaws together and look away. It made him proud,
hearing how wise that little boy lived to be.

'Adrian Pucey.

1979 - 1999
A beloved friend, soul, and fiancé.

Redemption in the most purest kind. '

''Adrian,'' Atlas snickered. He had to chuckle. He'd cry if he didn't. Atlas didn't
want to cry anymore, ''I miss you. I miss you playing catch with me. No one lets
me win anymore.''

Theodore wiped a tear off his cheek at the spoken words.

He continued down the path of stones until he reached the one he feared the
most, and he inhaled so sharply, ''Mom...'' He let out with an exhale, ''Mom,
mom, mom....''

'Athena Avery.

1955 - 1999

A striving mother and friend.

Hurting souls create beauty.'

Amelie looked away as Draco wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close.

''I found a star for you. It's mine and your star.'' He tried to smile. He was so
brave, ''Draco says it's our star.''

Amelie held onto Malfoy harder, trying not to cry.

''I like that we have a star. It makes me feel less alone. I'm not alone. I have
Amelie and Teddy and Draco and Narcissa — and Talia!'' It was a loop of joy
that came with her name, ''Talia is the best. She's funny even if she's a baby.
Amelie lets me hold her all the time when Draco isn't there. He's scared that I'll
drop her.''

Malfoy bent back, raising a brow at the girl standing in his arms, ''Really?''

Amelie felt a curl on her lips, lengthening a bit on her feet to kiss his chin,
''Really.''

He rolled his eyes, amusingly shaking his head at her.

Atlas kept talking. He talked and talked and talked to his mother. He didn't stop
until a yawn interrupted him, and Narcissa stepped forward, grasping at his
shoulder and suggested that it was time for bed. She promised to take him back
in the morning so he could have breakfast there, and he happily agreed, ''I'll see
you, tomorrow mom,'' He slumbered, ''I miss you.''

It turned still for a moment. Only Talia's soft noises ripped through the gloomy
air until Malfoy strode forward. It was time for him to say goodbye.

Draco took his hand to the rock, a hard grip around it, ''Thank you,'' He said, his
jaws gritted as he looked down at the name. Never did Draco Malfoy think that
he would be grateful for Adrian Pucey. But somewhere in all that hatred he held,
he was. He was grateful, ''I'll see you around, mate.''

Amelie's heart ached. She knew how hard that must have been for him. To thank
someone he had to save her from. It only caused her to love him more, to fall for
him harder.

He stepped to the next stone. To the stone, her mother rested, and he swallowed
thickly. A simple nod tipped off his head before he walked back to Amelie. His
arms landed across her shoulders, and he dragged her in, kissing the side of her
head.

''Thank you,'' She whispered, her nose brushing against his chest. He held her
there, waiting for her to feel courage enough to take farewell.

She warily walked up to the stones, whispering to both Aimee and Pansy how
much she missed them until she reached her mother's rock. Tears rolled
instantly. It wasn't possible to hold them back.

''I'm sorry,'' She drawled the words, ''I'm sorry I couldn't save you.''

Amelie didn't say much more to her mother. She didn't know what to say. She
didn't know how to shape the words she meant to form, but her silence spoke
loud enough. She was sorry.

She was so sorry that she couldn't save her, but she could never be sorry for
saving Theodore.

That boy was the reason she survived all the years she did. She wouldn't have
aged a day if it weren't for him keeping her together, and now it was her, keeping
him solid.

Amelie stepped to the side, and she kneeled. Her hand placed on the stone as she
shut her eyes. Breathing in a heartbreaking breath, ''I miss you.'' She whispered,
thinly, ''I know you would never believe me if you were here to hear it, but I do.
I do miss you. I miss you so much. I miss how you made Atlas happy. I miss
how you loved Teddy, and I miss how you cared for me. I miss the Adrian I
knew was hiding in there all along.''

She took another breath, steadier this time, ''I'm sorry that you didn't get to meet
Talia.'' Her voice broke at the mention of her daughter, ''She's perfect, Adrian.
She's... She's everything. You would've loved her so much.''

Her fingers gently brushed over the stone, ''But I suppose you are here
somewhere, watching over us. I hope you are. I hope you see what you did for
us. The life you gave us.''

Theodore broke out in a sob behind her, and she was quick to turn around,
gesturing with her arms for him to join her, and he did.

Handing Talia over to Draco, the blond settled a comforting hand on his
shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Theodore caved into Amelie's arms, his head falling to her shoulder as they
dropped to the ground.

Draco delayed for a minute, looking at the girl who robbed him of his breath. He
wanted to make sure he could go, that she'd be okay without them there, but it
wasn't needed. He saw how she hugged her best friend, and he smiled fragility.
And then he walked away with their daughter in his arms. Leaving the two twin
souls to mourn their own way.

Amelie held Teddy so tightly. Her whole body was in his lap as he hugged her.
He kissed her head. He drained her of everything she owned. He needed her so
much, so much that it hurt.

Everything hurt.

''I can't do this anymore—'' He sobbed against her. His teeth shattering. His soul
shredding to pieces, ''I can't be here. I don't want—''

Amelie nodded, her fingers tangled in his hair, ''I know. I know, Teddy. We'll
go. We'll leave.''

"I can't—"

"I know. I know you can't..."

He fell backward after a while, and she slipped down next to him. They stared at
the stars as he calmed down. She twisted her wand at Theodore's demand, at the
same time he did and the magic rising around them lightened up that little glade.
Her birds with his dolphin.

''Only two?'' He looked confused as her patrons flew around them, ''Since when
are there two?''

''I don't know....'' She felt an icing feeling tickling within. It made her scared,
worried, ''There was four last time.''

''I know...'' His voice troubled, ''I'll have to look into that. It feels like it's
counting down for something.''

Amelie peered up at him, her eyes wide, ''What do you think?''

''I have no idea....''

Quietness bothered them again, but not a heavy one. This was needed, so
needed.

''Sometimes I just want to run away....''

''Like we said we would? All those years ago?'' Her head on his chest. Her body
is on top of his. Their fingers intertwined. She took his pain away, ''Just run and
forget everyone?''

''Exactly like that.'' His voice shook, his tone hesitant, ''I wonder what it would
be like today if we ran.''

Amelie smiled, ''I think we'd be overseas somewhere, perhaps France? I've
always loved France.''

''Italy,'' He murmured, fiddling with her fingers, ''Adrian and I always talked
about Italy. Some little small town where I could open a clinic and practice
muggle healing.''

It was a feeling in her chest that came with his words. Something she quite didn't
know what it meant.

''That sounds nice.''

''It does, doesn't it?''

They laid there for hours. Out in the cold. Underneath the world as they were
getting to know it.

_____

That feeling Amelie held within followed her all the way inside. Theodore went
to bed. She didn't. She settled down out on the porch, on the stairs leading down
to Narcissa's garden. It was far past midnight now. It was cold. Freezing in the
early autumn breeze, but somehow she didn't mind it.

It felt good, being out there, breathing the world in.

Her head spun. It spun in circles about the conversation she had with Theodore
before he left for bed. She couldn't get it out of her head.

''As your husband, I expect you to be in bed at this hour, Mrs. Malfoy.''

Draco's voice came unexpectedly from the doorway behind her. He'd been
standing there for a while, looking at her while she looked at the world. That was
what Amelie lived to be to him, his entire world.

''Is that so?'' She rested her chin on her arms as they hugged her knees, ''Well, in
this century, the husbands don't get to decide over their wife's.''

''Really?'' Malfoy rose a brow, smirking at the way she'd referred to him as her
husband, ''Well, in that case — as your husband, I don't appreciate your best
friend trying to hug me in his sleep.''
Amelie laughed out a chuckle, ''He did what?''

''Mhm,'' Draco groaned, walking up beside her and slipping down at the top stair,
his legs on each side of her. His arms wrapping around her shoulders, ''I don't
have a shirt on, Amelie, because I thought that I could comfort our daughter a bit
by letting her be close to me, so imagine my surprise when a strong arm tries to
hug me in my sleep.''

Her spine struck his chest, and she leaned back, looking up at the boy her
heartbeat for, ''He's a good hugger, so I don't know why you are complaining—''

''Watch it,'' Draco mumbled. He leaned over her, pressing his lips into her
forehead, ''That's not happening again, because if it is — I'll kick him out
myself.''

''I'm still surprised that you let him sleep with us,'' Amelie smiled, yet she didn't
feel too happy, ''It's been months. I didn't think you'd last a week.''

Draco rolled his eyes mockingly, ''I'm not lasting another week, between Talia,
Atlas, and Teddy sleeping in our bed. I might go crazy if I don't get you alone
anytime soon.''

Her cheeks burnt. Even after everything they'd lived through, he still made her
blush, ''Then I guess we have to kick them out sometime soon, don't we?''

''Don't play games with me,'' Draco didn't believe a word she was speaking, ''But
I do remember this backyard....'' He drew his tongue over his bottom lip, ''We
have great memories out here—''

''Draco—'' She shifted around, her hand struck his shoulder, ''Don't say—''

His arms gripped her body in a swift movement. Before she realized what was
occurring, he had her straddling his lap, ''What?'' He grinned, his chest flexed
against her shirt, ''I might be both a husband and a father now, Amelie, but with
you as my wife—'' His lips caught hers, kissing her slowly, ''Fuck— how can I
not remember those times.''

''Draco—'' She breathed, her head falling back as he left soft kisses over her jaw,
down her throat, ''We should—''
''Mhm?'' He hummed against her shoulder, his hands moved back and forth over
her bare thighs, slipping underneath her skirt as he grasped at her waist, ''What?
What should we do, Amelie?''

''We should go inside to our daughter....''

''Our daughter is sleeping.''

''Atlas might wake up.''

''Atlas is eight years old. He can manage an hour without us.''

''An hour?'' Her voice cut him off, making him arch back, ''You think you last an
hour?''

''What the hell is that supposed to mean?'' Frowning now, he cocked his head, ''I
last more than an hour— don't I?''

"Amelie, don't I?"

Amelie smiled, leaning forward as she pushed her lips to his, ''Maybe... I can't
remember.''

''You can't remember—'' He sounded offended at her mockery, ''How can you
not remember—''

''I'm joking,'' She chuckled at his change in behavior. Finding her joke funnier
than she should've, ''Kick Theo and Atlas out and....''

Amelie slightly inched closer above him, causing him to tense. His jaws gritted,
and his sight pierced through hers. Severity tore through his icing eyes, ''Amelie,
don't.''

''I'll take care of you for more than an hour—''

''Done.'' He said even before she could finish her sentence. Draco lifted her up
with him in a sudden move. Her legs sheeted his waist, ''I'll kick them out right
fucking now—''

''Not now,'' She tilted her forehead to his, her hands grasped at his jaws as he
carried her towards the door, ''I need to talk to you about something.''

Feeling as his heart dropped, he halted with her in his arms, ''What happened?''

''I need a favor....'' She was scared. He could tell she was, ''I need you to do
something for me because I don't know how to do it, and I figure you do—''

''Anything.'' He stated, holding her tighter. He didn't want to let her down. He
never had the chance of having her this close anymore. He missed her body
against his, ''What do you need?''

''I need you to go to Italy for me.''

_____

She was standing outside the ruins of a house she once cherished. It started there.
She and Teddy. They came up with most of their dreams within the walls of that
little house, both as children and adults, ever since her mother took her there,
together with his father and him. Her Teddy.

Lying on the beach not too far away, they would plot all kinds of plans. From
how they could steal money from their parents so they could make it out of
England to what sweets they would rob the pantry of. Nothing slipped their
minds. They had it all figured out, always. At least so, she thought as she strolled
down the overgrown path leading to the lake.

She had a lot of memories from him there too. Amelie adored that beach and the
house standing on it. She had bought it for him once. It was the Christmas gift
she'd given him. She didn't know how to buy it or from who. She simply donated
money to a shelter for homeless wizards and witches after her father's passing,
hoping it would cover the fact that she gave that house to Teddy.

Her feet sank in the sand. The wind dragged waves over the lake. It felt like a
lifetime ago since she'd last been here. It was a different world now, yet the
feeling of that very special place remained the same to her.

Their safe haven, as they used to laugh.

She didn't realize the value of those words until now, hoping that she would be
able to come back there after a few years with her own children. A little bit
stronger. A little bit wiser. A little less broken. A little bit more. Standing more
solid in the sphere.

Talia. Her perfect little heart.

She couldn't help but smile at the thought of it.

Amelie could hear the crackling steps as they rushed up behind her, worry
echoed in those steps. She'd caught them so many times before.

''Amelie?''

His voice was soothing yet so heartbreaking. She would miss it. She didn't think
she could miss something before it was gone, but she did now. It was possible,
and it ached so vividly within her.

''Amelie, what are you doing here? Why would you leave me that note—'' He
heaved, catching his breath as he stepped up next to her, ''You scared the life out
of me.''

She didn't look at him. She couldn't. It hurt too much. Everything hurt.

''Come with me,'' She whispered in the strokes of wind, reaching for her best
friend's hand, and she pulled him with her, ''I need to show you something.''

Theodore frowned, looking around to see if she was playing some sort of tricks
on him, but she wasn't. There were only them there. Them. It started with them,
alone and confused. It had to end with them too.

She kneeled down where the grass leveled the sand. Once, what felt like another
life, they sat exactly there, him and her. The time she realized that she was in
love with Draco. Teddy helped her come to that realization. He always helped
her, no matter what the cause seemed to be and no matter what prize that came
with it.

''Do you remember our first time here?'' She asked, ''When we were kids?''

Theodore hummed, silently to himself as a shy arch grew upon his lips, ''Of
course I do. How could I ever forget? It was the best summer of our lives.''
Tears pearled in her eyes, her chest filled with pain, ''Do you remember what I
said to you that morning? When we found this beach?''

''I'd do anything for you, Teddy. It's you and me.'' He smiled at the memory. She
didn't.

Her head fell to his shoulder. Her knees hugged to her chest, ''I didn't know what
that meant until a couple of nights ago,'' Her voice was on the far edge of
cracking already, ''I didn't know what I meant with those words. I always knew
that I wanted to protect you from everything, but I didn't know what.''

''Amelie?'' His voice was shaking now, ''What do you mean?''

The tears didn't falter as she whispered, ''I know what that means now, Teddy. I
know what I meant by that.''

Clearing his throat, he wrapped an arm around her. He brought her even closer,
''And what is that?''

She cried. She cried so quietly. He felt it. He could always feel her, ''I have to let
you go.''

It felt like the world stopped spinning. Like the clocks stopped ticking. Like the
world wasn't even there anymore. It was fading from underneath them.

''No—''

Theodore stood up, brushing his palms off from the soil they were seated on.

He spun around, looking at her with eyes so blank. Numb. He felt numb.

''I—'' A sob ripped through her vocals. It was hard to breathe, ''I never saw it that
way until the night of the funeral. I didn't realize how much this life broke you.''

Theo's jaws clasped together. His skin paled.

''I didn't realize how much I broke you, and I know you'll say that I didn't—''
Amelie stood up now too. Her body matched his. Holding inches away from
each other, ''But I did. You gave your whole life to me, Teddy.''
He swallowed so hard. The bitterness in his mouth didn't go away. He
swallowed again.

Still there. He tried to swallow a third time, but it was the urge of a cry that
pained in the back of his throat—a lump of something so hurtful.

Amelie didn't wipe her tears. She let them fall.

''Ever since we were kids, you set me above everyone else. Your friends, school,
your morals and values, your family—''

''You—'' He shattered in a cry, pinching his eyes shut, ''You are my family.''

''I am,'' She nodded slowly. She didn't doubt that for so a second, and he was
hers. He'd been her only family, ''And I always will be. I will always be your
family, Teddy.''

''Then—'' He stuttered, shaking his head as the messy locks spilled wildly over
his forehead, ''Why are you doing this? Why are you saying—''

''Because I can't give you what you deserve. I have tried. I have tried giving you
everything, but I only end up hurting you more. I can't see you hurt anymore,
Teddy. You don't deserve this life. You deserve so much more than this side of
the world can give you.''

He didn't answer to that. Theodore Nott didn't answer because he knew. He

knew that somewhere in those words she was speaking, Amelie was right.

The world they were living in, their world had never failed anyone as much as it
had failed Teddy.

That wasn't something that couldn't be denied, nothing that could be shoved
away and forgotten about.

''I wish I met you in another life,'' Amelie spoke, her eyes crammed with tears.
She couldn't stop them, ''I wish you didn't have to go through all of this for me,
but you did. You dedicated yourself to me, you sold your soul for me, and I don't
know how else to give it back to you.''

Theodore didn't want to listen. He didn't want to hear the words of honesty as
they rolled off her tongue. He didn't want to do anything anymore, ''I don't want
it back. I don't want it. I want you. I can't live without you.''

''And I can't live without you....'' She whimpered, taking a tripping step forward,
and she buried herself into him, ''But it would be selfish of me, so so selfish to
keep you here where everything was taken from you. I can't do that to you,
Teddy. I can't let you give up the rest of your life for me to be happy when
you're not.''

Amelie truly believed that she had felt the worst type of pain in her life. That
she'd hurt in all the ways a human can hurt, but nothing could compare to this.
Nothing was able to level the ache her heart held at this moment. But she
couldn't let him do this.

Theodore Nott had given his life to mend hers. He'd ever so ripped himself to
pieces for her to stay intact, and she knew, she knew in the bottom of her heart
as it shattered, that he would keep doing it.

Theodore would keep sacrificing himself for her, bend himself inside out for her
and her family. Their family. She couldn't let him do that anymore. She couldn't
be that selfish. She couldn't keep him fastened with her when she knew that it
would drown him. He lost everyone at the expense of her, and she always let
him.

She always let him because she loved him too much to let him go. She couldn't
imagine a life where he didn't stand next to her, where he wasn't a part of her.
And that was where she accepted it, in the most heartbreaking time.

Where she let herself accept the faith as it so clearly glimmered in front of her —
she had to let him go.

''I don't want a life without you.'' He placed his chin on the top of her head, ''It's
us, no matter what. I promised you that.''

He didn't want to face the truth. It was so bright and so clear. He wouldn't be
happy here. He knew he wouldn't, but living a life without her being the biggest
part of it would be worse than not being happy again.

He didn't know how to live if he wasn't living for her.

''I know you did, and that's—'' She smiled into the fabric of his shirt. Honey.
Teddy always scented like honey. Warm and mild. Kind and loving. Home. He
smelled like home, ''That's why I'm setting you free. I don't deserve that promise
anymore. You do. You deserve to make that promise to yourself. It's you, Teddy.
It's always been you, and it will always be you to me, but to you — to you, it
needs to be yourself.''

He sobbed out. The wind stilled around them. It felt like the world was accepting
it too. Like the universe was giving them their blessing. Like it knew that he'd
served his part. He had fulfilled his duty.

He saved her.

Theodore Nott saved Amelie Avery, and he was free. He earned every last piece
of good waiting out there for him.

Theodore Nott had earned his peace.

''I feel like I'm betraying you for even considering this. I feel like I'm—'' He
pressed kiss following kiss into her forehead. He held her as he'd never held her
before, ''I feel like I'm giving up on you, and that you're giving up on me. Please
don't give up on me.''

A bitter curl claimed her lips, and she smiled. Amelie smiled, ''I'm not giving
you up, Teddy. I'm setting you free.''

She was. She was letting go of her needs, of her wishes, and of the safest part of
herself. She'd do it again, over and over. Amelie would, and she did. All for him.
Her Teddy.

It was a moment of silence. A tick of serenity. A minute of ceasefire. It was

them. It was calm. It was safe. It was over. They both knew it was, and it was the
most bitter yet beautiful moment.

They were letting each other go, slowly and a bit at a time.

For years. For fourteen years, they had held onto each other. They had fought.
They had brawled. They had struggled. They had battled. They had lost. They
had grieved. They had mourned. They had won. They had conquered. They had
saved. They had prized. They had cherished. They had loved.
Never had the world seen a more platonic, ethereal, and beautiful love as the
love they shared for the other. It had always been them, and in many ways, it
would always be them. Amelie never realized that her heart beat with his too,
and his — his beat for her.

''Am I—'' He sniffed, breathing so unsteadily, ''Are they—''

''They are coming, all of them, if you want to see them.''

He shook his head, ''I can't, Amelie. Tell them—'' He swallowed another sob,
''Tell them I love them, please.''

She smiled again. Tears coursed from the brim of her eyes. She knew he'd say
that. Amelie knew he couldn't say goodbye to them. It would hurt them all too
much. ''I will. I will tell them.''

He nodded, taking a step back, ''Where?'' He wiped the sleeve of his shirt
underneath his nose, drawing a hurtful breath, ''Where am I going?''

''There's a ticket and an address in your pocket. You'll find it when I'm gone.''
She said. It hurt to speak, her insides burning, ''Draco got you something...
somewhere special.''

Malfoy did. He got Theodore everything money could buy.

He nodded slowly. It didn't feel real to him.

''And I'll check up on you from time to time, make sure you're alright if that's
okay?''

He nodded again. He nodded as he looked at her. His beautiful Amelie.

''Just—'' Theodore saw how she brought her wand out, ''Just tell Atlas to choose
healing. I've seen what that little boy can do, and he's going to be an excellent
student. And make sure Talia doesn't end up too much like Draco. I can see that
she's his little girl already and that, Amelie. Let me tell you that won't do anyone
any good, and Narcissa. Tell her to water those roses over the winter too. She
always complains that they die and she has to plant new ones, but they die
because they're too dry. She needs to—''
He blurted, his breathing quickened, ''She needs to water them even when it
snows and when it's freezing. And Draco... take care of him, Amelie. Take care
of him like you always took care of me, and he'll be alright. He won't think he is,
but he will be. ''

She cried out, and for the last time, she crashed right into him. Her body pressed
to his, ''I'll tell them, Teddy. I promise—'' Her voice broke. She sobbed and
whimpered, ''I'll tell them.''

''And you...'' He was crying too. It was impossible not to, ''You keep on saving
the world, Amelie. Save it like you always saved me and let yourself be happy.''

He could barely speak as his palms cupped her jaws, and he bent her face up to
look at him, ''You were never cursed, Amelie. You were just finding your way
through it all. You were winning, and that's what you did. You won. You fought.
We fought, and we won. I know you don't believe me....'' He brushed his nose
against the spine of hers, ''But you're everything but cursed.''

''Thanks to you,'' She wept, feeling his thumbs as they dried her tears, ''I love
you. I love you so much, Teddy. So much it hurts.''

''Thank you,'' He let his forehead rest against hers, ''Thank you for loving me.
Thank you for saving me. Thank you for all the mess and chaos. We had the best
time, didn't we?''

She let out a broken laugh. It was bitter. It hurt. It was over, ''We did. We had the
best time.''

His lips brushed over her skin, pressing them hard against that little spot between
her eyebrows, ''Thank you, Amelie. Thank you for everything. Thank you for
being my everything.''

She couldn't breathe. She just cried, her eyes squeezed shut, whispering, "Thank
you for giving me this life, for giving me all the good parts of it. You gave your
whole life to me, Teddy, and now it's my turn to set you free for the rest of it.''

He kissed her forehead one last time. He lingered. He didn't want to let go. He
didn't want to let her go. He had to. He knew he did.

''No one deserves those tears, love. No one. Remember that.'' He kept her there
for minutes.

She smiled, remembering the last time he told her that, in his room back at
Hogwarts, ''Except you.''

He remembered too, ''Except me then.'' He whispered and closed his eyes, and
for a moment, a short one, it felt like that time again.

When it was them, and them only. He and her.

It was time. They knew it was.

Neither of them dared to look. They simply stepped half a foot apart. His hands
slipping off her jaws, and he took her hand, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles,
''Do you promise to stay with me forever then?''

''Forever, Teddy.''

She pathed her wand up between them, still holding her fingers tensed around
his.

''No matter what?'' He asked.

She opened her eyes, and she smiled at the messy strands of his hair. His tears.
Him. She smiled for him, with him, ''No matter what.''

He nodded. He looked to be at peace. He was ready. He smiled.

Amelie put her hand over her mouth to muffle the heartbreaking sounds she let
out, and she closed her eyes again, just like he did. Him. Her Teddy. Always her
Teddy.

''Obliviate.''

_____

Amelie didn't say a word as she walked her way back to where the cabin once
stood. She didn't even know if she breathed the way there. If she blinked. Numb.
She was numb. She was numb because her Teddy was free.

''Amelie?''
Draco's voice was the only thing that broke through her trance. Her steps were
heavy. Falling. She felt like she was falling, but not in a bad way.

She saw how he called for his mother, handing their daughter over to her, and
then he marched towards her.

His arms wrapped around her just as her knees weakened, and he kept her there.
Steady. He kept her steady as her world was caving underneath her.

''My beautiful Amelie,'' Draco whispered into her head, holding her so close to
his chest. She could feel his heart as it beat, ''I'm so proud of you. You are safe
now. You will always be safe with me.''

Her tears stained his shirt, and she looked up at him, ''Promise?''

''I promise. This isn't the end,'' He said, kissing the side of her head, ''We have
the world ahead of us.''

She gazed over Atlas, Narcissa, and her daughter. Their daughter. Their reason.
Their little girl. Their miracle. Them.

''Really?'' She asked, looking back at him. The tips of her fingers brushed along
the curve of his jaw as he cupped her chin.

Oh, how right he was when he said that the world rested on the tips of those
adorable fingers. Because there he was, on the tips of them, and she was on the
tips of his. Their world. Them. Always.

He kissed her. Draco kissed her slowly, emotionally, and they smiled as the
pearls of nature began to pour.

Rain. It was a clear sky. A hopeful one. It was raining.

''Really.''

Bitterly, she held that arched curl on her lips as the rain fell around them because
she knew this wasn't just her story. It wasn't her fairytale or her happily ever
after.

This belonged to all of them. Amelie, Draco, Teddy, and that was the beautiful
piece in the most heartbreaking tell. That they all were a part of everything good
in this world.

That the evil faded because they thrived. Never had the sphere seen anything like
this, she believed — that more souls but two could be tangled as they were.

All three of them.

Amelie always thought that she was doomed from the beginning. That she was
meant to tremble as she fell at the feet of the devil. That her life was meant to be
given to the sinners in her life. If she only knew how wrong she was.

How she was always meant to find her peace. Their peace. Their heaven in their
very own hell. How the world granted the best to those who earned it. And she
did. They all did. They fought their whole lives to be free, and finally — they
were.

They won.

She could live in peace now, next to the boy who managed to save her from it
all. They ever so tore the world apart to keep each other in pieces.

His Amelie and her Draco.

Some said that Malfoy was menacing, dangerous — but he was her safe. And
she — she lived to be his everything.

Amelie indeed lived to be everything but Cursed.

They all did.

The end.

_____

If this is an ending that suits you, then I suggest you leave this book here. <3

The next chapters are the four epilogues, and they will be hurtful. The end of this
story might not be for everyone. <3
 Act-one

Theodore Nott.

June 2002.

His face fell. It hadn't lit up one single time since that accident made its way
through his doors. It felt like he couldn't breathe. Tugging at the collar of his
scrubs, he shut his eyes, ''Time of death, seven o' one.''

He ripped the plastic off his hands, throwing them in the bin at the inside of the
emergency booth. His fingers grasped at the mask he was wearing. He tore it off
too.

''Dr. Nott—'' The nurse urged as he gripped the doorknob, ready to leave the
room. Still facing her, he gave a dry tip of his head, ''He had a spouse... they
haven't told him about the child yet. He's out in the waiting room, apparently—''
The lady gulped on her words for a second, ''He was the one driving the car.''

Theodore pinched his lashes shut, inhaling a sharp stinging breath, ''Can't Dr—''

''She's talking to the police about the child's injuries. She's not available.''

''Damn it,'' His hand loosened from the handle, placing it on the wall instead. His
head sunk between his shoulders, ''Does he have a name? And the child—''

''The deceased was named Emilio Costa. The child... her name was Elisa Costa
and the husband, out in the waiting room — his name is Alessandro Costa.''

''Is he English speaking?'' Theodore drew a breath, and a hurtful one at that,
''Otherwise — I think I'd like to wait for Dr. Rossi. The incident last year wasn't
—''

He slowly shook his head, remembering what happened when he tried to explain
a passing to a family that wasn't English speaking, they took his sad news for
good ones, and it caused his hospital a lawsuit.
''He speaks English perfectly fine, Sir.''

''Thank you, Nicole.'' He forced half a smile and threw it across his shoulder,
''And what have I said about... the Sir....''

She smiled at him, ''I'm sorry, Sir— never mind.''

Theo's eyes rolled before he left the room.

He liked Nicole. She was his nurse, his assistant — wherever he was, she was
too. He couldn't ask for a better translator and friend than she had been to him.
They were close in age, had similar humor, and they got along well. She was
careful, gentle, kind. She was good for him, good to him.

It was one of his closest friends, and he couldn't help but feel as if she reminded
him of someone. Someone he knew years ago, someone that had left a hole in
his heart for not being there anymore, someone he missed without even
knowing.

Theodore marched his way through the emergency room, out in the hallway to
his office, and he slammed the door shut behind him. He slid down it, dragging
his knees up to his chest. This was the hardest part, he believed. Losing a patient
was hard. It was brutal, ruthless but having to tell their loved one that he wasn't
able to save their lives was in many ways worse.

It wasn't much he could do.

It was a car crash. The other driver in the other car was driving under the
influence and crashed into their car. His patient and their child didn't stand a
chance. He flew out of the windshield, his head took most of the impact, and he
died instantly. Their child was destined to the same faith. She was only four. She
died instantly.

They didn't suffer. They weren't in pain. Both of them went out like a blow on a
candle. It was heartbreaking. It was agonizing. It was done and over.

Sometimes, Theodore damned himself for choosing the occupation he did. A

doctor, someone responsible for every soul stepping through those doors and
accountable for every soul that didn't leave again. He knew he had no power
upon human life and mother nature, but working within the field he did — he
sure felt at fault for it.

He hauled at his robe. It was white, his initials sewn onto the chest pocket.

Dr. Theodore Nott.

Pucey memorial center.

His id for his degree hung from the pocket. He hated the picture on it. He didn't
know why. Nicole always said he looked sad, and perhaps he was. He didn't
quite know anymore.

The pens in his patch were ever so out of ink. Luckily Nicole replaced them for
him. He didn't notice it at first how she made sure he had everything he needed,
but he does now.

Walking through the hallways down to the waiting room, Theo dragged his
hands through his hair, staring at his feet as he walked. He debated the choice of
shoes. It felt wrong, telling someone that will cause their whole life to shatter in
shoes like that. Trainers.

''Mr. Costa?'' His voice caused heads to snap, but he didn't pay attention until a
man stood up. He was tall, taller than Theo. Brown, shortcut hair. A golden
wedding ring on his finger. The child's necklace around his neck looked to
Teddy as if it was something his daughter had made for him. It broke his heart
even more.

''Yes—'' The man's brown eyes flickered down to Theodore's chest, picking up
on the name stitched to the fabric. He had brown eyes. Theodore felt like he
knew someone with brown eyes. Someone with eyes so bronze that he fell lost in
them, a girl. Perhaps he'd known a girl with eyes as deep as this man's, ''Dr.
Nott? Is it?''

His voice was shaking, uncertain, fearful. It felt like he knew what Theodore
would say.

''Call me Theodore, please,'' Theo nodded comfortably, and a hand was placed
on the man's shoulder, ''Would you come with me, Mr. Costa?''

The brown eyes grew. They grew so wide and with so much torture as it
crammed them. He'd seen hurt in someone's eyes before.

''I—'' He couldn't speak, shaking his head as he pathed his crimson-colored

hands up to his hair, tugging it back in despair, ''I don't—just—just tell me—''

Theo shot a quick look around them, noticing how people's eyes had traveled to
watch them, ''Mr. Costa—''

''Alessandro—'' He breathed as the rapid inhales paced, he was panicking, ''It's

Alessandro, please—''

''Well,'' Theodore hardened the grip of his shoulder, ''Alessandro, if you would
come with me—''

''No!''

Theo blinked, quickly, surprisingly, but the man's reaction wasn't an unknown
one. It was often people lashed out, prepared for the worst news, ''Sir....''

''Just tell me. I don't want—'' He shook his head, denying all his feelings, ''Just
tell me. Right now, please.''

Nodding, he released the grip of Alessandro's shoulder. Body language. Eye

contact. Touch. He'd checked all the boxes off in order to break another human.
It broke him too. Every time he had to do this, it broke him a little more.
Something went with him as he watched that hopeful glint in the receiving eye
burn out.

''We did everything we could—''

The man sobbed out. His hand slammed across his mouth to muffle the
heartbreaking screams.

Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.

''But unfortunately, both your husband and daughter—''

He gave a stumbling step forward until he crashed against Theodore's chest. He

gulped, carefully wrapping his arms around the man's spine.
Just a little more. Say it. Say it. Say it.

''Neither of them made it. They passed quickly. Neither of them was in pain.''

His sounds tore through that whole waiting room, and by the silence that trapped
it, everyone could feel his pain. It was there. It was hurting. It was aching. It was
gone. They were gone.

Alessandro stood there. His body shaking as Theodore gently patted his back.

It was over. It was done.

''They're gone?'' Alessandro whimpered, after minutes of calming himself down,

''They're dead?''

His jaws clenched, ''They are. They are gone.''

The man looked away. His eyes were swollen, red. He was gone too. Theodore
couldn't see life in that husband, father, person. The light went out.

''Thank you,'' He shook his head, wiping the sleeve of his blood-stained shirt
underneath his nose, ''Thank you for trying.''

''Mr. Costa—'' Theo tried to call out for him, but the man was already halfway
through the room, passing the desk in the middle of it, pushing the doors open,
gone.

He was gone too.

May 2004.

''I know you think that, Nicole.'' Theodore smiled, raising a brow at the nurse as
she stood with her arms crossed in the doorway, ''But I don't need anyone. I'm
fine by myself.''

''Fine by yourself?'' She chuckled, shaking her head, ''You do nothing but work,
Theo. You spend all your hours in this bloody office.''

''So what if I do?'' He folded his arms over his chest.

Nicole rolled her eyes, tucking a blond curl behind her ear, ''All I'm saying is that
I think it would be nice of you to go out, just for a night. You don't have to meet
anyone or go with someone. Go by yourself. I'll make a reservation somewhere
nice for you.''

''Nicole—''

''Listen,'' She stepped into his office, her hands landed on his desk as she leaned
closer to him, ''You are twenty-four years old, and you're the best and youngest
doctor this generation has ever seen. You own this hospital. You are doing work
not even the most experienced people in this hospital do, but that doesn't have to
be your life. I know something horrible happened to you before you got here,
and I haven't asked one single question about it for four years, but it's about time
that you do something for yourself.''

He stared at her blankly. He wasn't prepared for a speech like the one she gave.

''You're a handsome Doctor, Theo. You save lives for a living. It's okay to do
something for yourself every once in a while. Even something as horrible as
going out to dinner—'' She chuckled at the last words.

''Yeah, yeah...'' Theodore aimed a pen at her, ''Fine. Sold. Book me a bloody
table somewhere.''

''See,'' Nicole smiled, standing back up, looking far too proud over herself,
''What would you do without me, Theo?''

His chest ached a bit. He'd felt that need. He still felt it. He felt as if he needed
someone, someone he didn't know anymore. Someone that felt like a ghost to
him. He sighed, looking back down at his books.

It took him hours to finish that paperwork. The clock was closer to eight than
he'd hoped it would be as he stalled his way through the tiny streets. Nine.
Nicole had booked him a table at a restaurant at nine. She had even moved his
first two patients in the morning up by a few hours so that he could sleep in. She
said he needed it. She gave great advice, sometimes. Other times he wished she
could shut her mouth and let him do whatever he wanted. She meant well. He
knew she did.

Showering and putting a navy blue suit on, he stared at his reflection in the
mirror. He liked that suit. He liked the color. It felt familiar, like something
happy was tied to it.

He rushed back through the streets until he reached that beautiful restaurant
Nicole and her sister had taken him to for his twenty-third birthday. He worked
on the twenty-fourth. He always worked.

''Theodore Nott.'' He said as the waitress asked for his name and if he'd booked a
table, she hummed, and she reached her hand out for him to join her. She seated
him at a table far back in the restaurant. It was dark, calming. He remembered
why he liked that restaurant so much now.

The soft tones of music echoed along with the chattering people. It did feel nice.
Nicole was right. Perhaps he should get out more. Perhaps he needed it.

''I'll take a glass of red wine, and....'' He stared down at the menu again, ''And the
lasagna, please.''

She nodded. She smiled. She walked away. She was kind. He could sense that.
She had that spark. Her smile caused him to smile too.

Theodore huffed out, leaning back against his chair as he looked around. The
interior was in wood, dark wood. Polished. It looked classic, old. He liked it. He
liked a lot of things, but that was as far as it went. He didn't do more than like.
He never loved. He had loved, a few times in his life. He could feel that he did.

It was a blurry picture taking over when he thought about love. It felt good
seeing that picture. She had brown hair. That much he could make out. A burst
of soft laughter sometimes played in his mind. She must have been special. If he
only knew just how special that girl used to be.

''Dr. Nott?''

His eyes snapped, a dry tilt of his head, ''Yes—'' He frowned, slightly. He
recognized that face. He'd seen it. He couldn't quite place it at first. It looked
familiar, yet not. He tried to speak, but not a word came out.

''Mr. Costa—'' The man smiled, awkwardly, ''Alessandro, I mean. We met when
my— when I—''

''Yes, yes,'' Theodore stretched his spine, gripping the edges of the table, ''I
remember. How have you been?'' He gestured towards the chair across from
Theodore's, and the brunet nodded, ''Please—'' Polite. He tried to be polite.

Thinking that this man must have worked his way through hell for the past two
years. He remembered the date. It was early June. He even remembered the
name of the lives that were lost. He swallowed thickly.

''I've been well, thank you. You?'' Alessandro studied him from across the table.

''Fine,'' Theodore tried to sound well mannered, ''I've been just fine....''

He had. At least he thought he had. He liked it here. He liked his job. He liked
this town. He liked it. All of it.

''So what brings you out on a Friday night? Alone?'' Alessandro asked, looking
curiously at the brunet.

''I think you answered your own question there,'' Theodore grinned, reaching for
his cup of water before he traced it up to his lips, ''It's Friday night.''

''I just figured someone like you would be out with someone.'' He replied, tilting
his head a bit to the side.

''That's some assumption,'' Theodore took a sip of his water, ''What if I was stood
up?''

He smiled, ''You don't strike me as the type of person that gets stood up.''

''I don't?'' Placing his glass back at the table, Theo arched back into his chair,
''Then what type of guy do I strike you as?''

Alessandro peered out over the room, then back at Theodore, ''To begin with,
you're clearly a doctor. Those seem to be in high demand. Second, no one with
that smile gets stood up.''

Theo broke out in a chuckle, slowly shaking his head, ''You'd be surprised,'' He
said, ''What about you? What brings you out a Friday night, alone?''

''Who says I'm alone? What if I got stood up?''

''Because by that drowsy look on your face, combined with the fact that you sat
down five minutes ago and you're already flirting with me—''

''Flirting with you?'' Alessandro rose his brows, visibly blushing, ''Who said I
was flirting with you—''

''Your wine, Sir.'' The waitress stood with a tray in her hand, one sparkling glass
of red wine placed on top of it, ''Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were expecting
company—''

''I—''

''I'll take one of those,'' Alessandro nodded towards the glass, ''And whatever he
ordered.''

The waitress settled the glass on the table, nodding before she ran off. Theodore
merely blinked, startlingly, at the man as he smiled. A bit shocked with his
confidence.

''Dinner?'' Theodore took the wine in his hand, ''And you're not flirting with me?''

''I'm hungry,'' He grinned shyly, ''And I just graduated for the second time, so I
think dinner with a handsome man like yourself is accepted today.''

''Graduated?'' Theodore even sounded startled now, ''For a second time? May I
ask what you graduated from?''

''The police academy.'' Alessandro nodded, sounding proud, ''I used to be a

librarian, but after the accident, and the trial and the lack of putting the man
responsible for my family's death away, I figured I'd take matters into my own
hands.''

Libraries. Theodore had a feeling he used to love libraries. Someone he loved

always took him there. That blurry picture was back. The brown hair. The soft
laughter. Her. She was back, but for just a slight second. Then she was gone
again. He missed the image of her already.

''So I put myself through school, and now... here I am, drinking wine with the
person who gave me the worst news of my life.''
Theodore choked on his wine, coughing lightly, ''That's—''

''Relax there. I'm joking with you. My therapist tells me that it's good to talk
about it, even joke about it if I need to. It seems harsh, but it's a nice ice-
breaker.''

''There you go, Sir.'' The waitress was back, saving the awkwardness Theodore
felt crawling, ''Anything else?''

''No—'' Theodore smiled, ''We're good, thank you.''

''But enough about me, it's you that I'm curious about. First of all, what does a
British man do in a small town like this one?''

Theodore drew a breath, his fingers nervously tapped against the wooden table.
He didn't like talking about his past, mostly because he felt like a whole part of it
was missing. He never realized what was out of place, but something was.

''Who says I'm British?''

''You always seem to answer a question with a question.''

''So what if I do?''

''See?''

Giving up, he raised his palms in the air, ''Fine. Defense mechanism, I suppose.
Yes, I'm British. I moved here four years ago, and I'm a doctor.''

''That's some introduction....'' Alessandro snickered, finding the brunet even

more intriguing now, ''That's it? No hobbies? No deep dark secret you wish to
share with a stranger?''

''With an officer?'' Theo huffed out a quiet laugh, ''No, I think I'd pass on the
secret, but for hobbies... I like reading. I have a favorite book I can't remember
the name of, and it's surprisingly annoying. I tried golfing, but I don't have the
patience for it. My friend Nicole always drags me out on wine tasting, but I think
she does that because she knows I'd never let her pay for it. She's smart like that.
I'm thinking of getting a dog, but it doesn't seem fair since I'm never home, and
that leaves my very favorite thing. Work. I like working, so that's what I do. I
work seven days a week, and if I'm not working, I'm sleeping. Doesn't get more
interesting than that, does it?''

''I'd say that's pretty interesting,'' Alessandro clicked his tongue, his white shirt
strained across his chest, and he scratched his jaw, ''More than interesting.''

He wasn't used to this. Theodore wasn't used to someone opening up that much
after just a half an hour together. He wasn't familiar to open up to anyone
himself either, but strangely — it felt nice. Having an adult conversation with
someone that knew nothing about him.

The waitress arrived with their meals, and they ate. He found out a lot about
Alessandro during that dinner.

He was twenty-six, lived in a flat after he sold his house. He met his husband
when he was twenty-one, he had a child from a previous relationship, but that
little girl became his daughter. He loved her like his own. Theodore started
thinking again. He felt familiar with that, having a child close to him. Perhaps he
had a little girl, too, in a life prior to this one.

He liked swimming. He took a run down to the beach, and he swam every
morning. He said it made him focus better in school. He hated seafood, and he
was allergic to mushrooms, and he wasn't pleased with that at all since he loved
soya. As a child, he said that he used to sneak down into the kitchen at night and
dip his finger into the liquid, knowing that he'd be sick afterward, but it was
worth it. He still cuts his parent's lawn, and he grocery shops for them once a
week. They don't need his help, he said with a laugh, but he wants to help them.

Alessandro wasn't from here. He was American. Theo could almost tell from his
accent, but his parents were born in Italy, and they moved back from the states
when he was seven, and he'd lived with them until he met his husband. It felt
nice listening to someone telling their story. He believed it was that way because
he couldn't tell his own.

''Well,'' Theodore nodded, looking around at the late hour. It was far past
midnight and about five glasses of wine later when he decided to end the great
time they had. He paid the check, ''As lovely as this has been — I'm afraid that I
have to keep going.''

''Already?'' Alessandro stood up, matching Theodore's doings, and he walked

him to the ''I thought we were just getting started.''

''You did, didn't you?'' Theodore shoved his hands into his pockets,
''Unfortunately, I have work tomorrow.'' He lied. He wouldn't go to work after
drinking. He'd ask Nicole to send him the rest of his paperwork, and he'd finish it
from home.

''I see,'' He took a step closer, ''That's unfortunate.''

''I suppose it is,'' Theodore didn't know why he wasn't walking away, why he
didn't finish the conversation they had going. Usually, he would, but he didn't.
The tension was too thick to cut through, ''Congratulation again, officer, and
we'll see if you catch me running a red light someday.''

''Don't mind if I do,'' He mumbled, and before Theodore was even aware of what
was happening, Alessandro was standing so close, too close, and his hands were
gripping at his arms.

He gulped. Theodore gawked at the man as he leaned in, and suddenly — his
lips were pressed against his. Alessandro kissed him slowly for seconds before
he stepped back, smiling, ''Have a nice life, Theodore. Something tells me we're
not seeing each other again.'' He said, and in that short amount of time it took for
Theo to catch his breath and blink, he was gone.

Alessandro was gone, and Theodore couldn't decide if he hoped he'd see him
again or if he wished for this to feel like the dream it did.

August 2004.

''There you go,'' He smiled at the child, lying with her leg broken on a hospital
bed, ''And from now on, we listen to our parents, and we don't steal bikes that are
too much for us to handle, right?'' His hand tousled into her hair, nodding
towards the cast he'd just molded around her knee.

''Right,'' The arch on her lips was shy, ashamed almost, ''I promise.''

''Good, so if you'll excuse—''

''No, get off me!''

Theodore sighed out at the shouting voice, reaching to drag the curtains hanging
around the girl's bed all the way around them when his eye caught something he
wished it didn't.

''What the—'' He mumbled, his head snapping to the side as he saw Nicole. Her
eyes met his, and he waved her over, ''Take over here, will you?''

She barely had a chance to respond before the little girl's chart was in her hands,
and only the scent of Theo remained in that booth.

''So what do we have here?'' Theodore marched into the booth Alessandro was
placed inside, and his eyes immediately found the furious man on the table,
''Someone is in a mood today, are we?''

''Male, late twenties, was pulled out from a falling building after he ran in there
to save a colleague. Trauma to the head, a few cuts along his arms, mainly the
right one, and a deep tear through his left eyebrow will most likely need stitches.
Blood pressure normal, nothing out of the ordinary. The same goes for his
bloodwork. It looked completely fine.''

Theodore crossed his arms, nodding slowly as he stepped up to Alessandro,

threading two pairs of plastic gloves on before reaching over the table and
looking at the blood coming from his head, ''Any irregularities with the eyes?''
He asked, taking his palm to the man's chin, tilting his head up, ''Hearing?''

''Both are perfectly fine, Sir.''

''Mobility?'' He hummed, flickering the flashlight from his chest pocket across
his brown eyes, ''No complaints of headache? Blurry vision? Chest pain? How is
the abdomen? Expanded?''

''Mobility seems to be fine. We haven't gotten him to his feet yet, because of
his... temper, but no complaints other than that he wishes to leave.''

''He wishes to leave?'' Theodore grinned to himself before taking a step back,
looking at the man, then over to the doctoral student, ''What do you recommend
we do? If you were in charge of this patient, what do you think is the best
treatment to earn a diagnosis?''

She swallowed hard. Nervous, ''I'd recommend a head and body CT along with
an x-ray, since trauma to the head, I'd say we keep him for a twenty-four-hour
observation regardless of what the CT shows.''

''Why the x-ray? If he's not complaining of any pain, why put him through an x-
ray? The same goes for the full-body scan — why not just stick to the head CT?''

''Because—'' She nearly heaved now, ''He was running out of a falling building.
He could have internal bleeding or broken bones he's not feeling yet.''

''If that's the case, why isn't he complaining about any pain?''

''Because his adrenaline is rushing. He's most likely in shock, and the trauma to
his body can be delayed for his mind to catch up.''

''Well done,'' Theodore clapped his hands together, nodding approvingly at his
student, ''Book the CT and the X-ray, page me when the results are in.''

''On it. Thank you, Doctor.'' She smiled. She looked happy. Theodore made her
happy by telling her she'd done a great job evaluating the situation. She was
going to be an outstanding doctor one day. She didn't just think of money and
budget. She thought about the patient. He liked that.

''So...'' Theodore muttered, his hands placed on the counter behind him as he
leaned against it, ''A falling building?''

''The guy was trapped! I was first on the scene, what was I supposed to do—''

''Not run into a falling building, to begin with,'' Theodore eyed him down,
turning around and picking up the supplies he'd need for stitching up the tear in
his head, ''If you are first on the scene, you evaluate the situation. You don't put
yourself in harm's way. You stay out of it so you can help others if it's needed.''

Alessandro grasped at the package of needles and the bandages Theo was
holding, snatching it out of the brunet's hand, ''Really? Okay. So what if I stitch
up my own head? Would that work—''

''What the hell are you—''

''I don't tell you how to do your job, do I? No, I don't. So don't you dare lecture
me on how to do mine.'' Alessandro was out of breath. Pearls of sweat rolled
down his forehead. His skin pale and his eyes shiny, ''You know what? I'd like
another Doctor.''

''Alessandro—''

''No,'' He said. He wouldn't admit to it, but he was embarrassed to see Theodore
after what he'd done the last time they were together. The kiss. It felt to him as if
he still could feel Theo's lips pressed against his. Their bodies close, ''I'd like a
different Doctor. That's my right, isn't it?''

He stood there. Theodore stood utterly still in front of him for minutes until he
nodded, ripping the gloves off his hands, and he walked towards the door. He
didn't say another word. He didn't understand. He didn't like this. He didn't like it
at all.

November 2004

He picked the apples up from its shelf, dropping them into the shopping cart.
Then he did the same thing to the milk, to the bread, to the box of pasta he'd
chosen.

He wasn't too fond of pasta. He didn't quite know how to make it properly, but
he tried. Hopefully, it would taste better than the last time he tried to cook it.

Aiming for the cashier, he moved with heavy steps. It wasn't as crowded during
the winter months. No tourists, no families staying at their summer houses. It
was silent, still, calm.

He liked it. He didn't love it, but it was soothing, catching a break from the busy
summer they had.

Nicole forced him to take the weekend off. There was barely a thing to do at the
hospital these weeks, and he actually believed he'd enjoy a few days of just him.

His eyes flickered across the shelves he passed. Honey. The lazy attention
snapped into a direct one. Honey. He stopped. There was something about
honey. He couldn't entirely put his finger upon what it was, but something ached
within him as he thought of it. Honey. If he only knew how much the sweet
scent of honey meant to him in the past.
All caught up in his own lost mind. He failed to notice the man stepping up
behind him. Watching him a bit in silence.

''I prefer sugar in my tea, but honey works too.''

Theodore spun around, shoving his cart forward, ''Jesus Christ—'' He panted, his
eyes wide, ''Always when I least expect it.''

Alessandro grinned, tipping his head to the side, ''That's the whole point, isn't it?
If you expect me to pop up somewhere — it would be a bit creepy, wouldn't it?''

Gripping at the metal in front of him, Theo rolled his eyes amusingly.
Alessandro always seemed to have the right answers. ''It's quite creepy when you
pop up out of nowhere too, let me tell you that.''

His eyes traveled down the man standing next to him. A coat, it was beige. Black
colored pants, a white shirt underneath. He looked proper, handsome. He looked
handsome, more so than Theo would ever like to admit.

''Apples, tomatoes, milk, bread, pasta, garlic, and olive oil?'' Alessandro stole a
glance at his cart, his mouth curled up mirthfully, ''Looks like you have a great
night ahead of you. Let's just hope you don't get stood up again.'' He sent a wink
in his direction before he began to move away, ''Because if you do, I'd suggest
you call me.''

Theodore watched as the man walked further from him, and it ticked within.
Like a clock. It ticked like a clock. Like he was running out of time. They could
only do this for so long. They'd been meeting each other under different
circumstances for months. He didn't like it, only meeting Alessandro now and
then.

With a heavy sight and his head slightly thrown back, ''Alessandro, wait!''

He was happy to turn back around, looking at the brunet from the end of the trail
of shelves, ''Yes?''

Theo moved closer. His steps weren't slow anymore, ''What if I tell you that I
already got stood up and that I don't have your number, so I won't be able to call
you?''
''What if you do? Let me see....'' He shot a quick glare to Theo's cart again, ''I'd
say that you have enough food for two, and I'm an excellent chef.''

''Excellent?'' Theo questioned, his cheeks reluctantly shifted redder. ''That's a hell
of a statement to make about yourself.''

The brown eyes narrowed, his dimples began to show, ''You curse a lot, don't
you?''

Theodore rolled his eyes, ''So what if I do?''

Alessandro threw a nod across his shoulder, toward the checkout, ''I don't mind
it. It's hot.''

_____

''Red?'' Theodore asked, opening his wine fridge, ''I feel like it suits better to
pasta than white.''

Alessandro stirred the chopped-up tomatoes around with the crushed garlic, ''I
think you're right.''

''I usually am,'' Theo smirked, taking a bottle out before he closed it again. He
strode up to the kitchen island, picking out two glasses before settling everything
upon the marble, ''Now that sounded a bit too cocky, I didn't mean it like that.''

His guest simply snickered.

''Well, it smells good,'' Theo huffed, taking a sip of his wine, ''Doesn't smell like
that at all when I do it.''

''How does it smell when you do it?''

Smell. Scent. There it was again. Her. The blurry image. The soft laugh. The
brown hair. The book. Oh, how he cursed himself for not remembering that
book.

''Like the house is on fire.'' Theo said dryly, ''Smells awful.''

She didn't smell awful. She scented like flowers. Freshly cut ones. As if he was
walking past that flower shop on his way to work. He did that as often as he
could, even if it was a long way — he would always take that street to the left,
just to feel the scent of those flowers. It caused him to see her more clearly.

''I never learned how to cook until I met my husband, Emilio. His parents owned
a restaurant in Rome. It had four stars, but they got into some argument with
another chef, and this moron let rats into their kitchen and called the authorities.
They had to close it, and they moved here. Of course, after he died, they couldn't
stand this town anymore, so they moved to... France, I think. I haven't talked to
them for years. It's too hard, they say.''

Theodore was knocked out of the remembrance of her, and he stared at

Alessandro's back as it faced him, ''I'm sorry.''

''What are you sorry for?'' He turned around, his glass in one hand as the other
rested on the countertop, ''If it's something I've learned from losing everything,
it's not to be sorry and to be grateful instead. We lose everything and everyone
eventually. Why morn the sad parts when you can be happy about the good
ones?''

It felt like something hit Theodore right in the chest of those words. If he only
knew how much he'd lost in his life.

''You have a way with words,'' Theo said, pushing his lips together, ''But I
wouldn't expect less from an old librarian. I suppose you read a lot?''

Alessandro turned back to the stove, grabbing the pan and flipping the tomatoes
around before he took a spoon in his hand and dipped it into the pasta water,
bringing an ounce of it over to the tomatoes, ''I used to. I used to read a lot to my
daughter before bed, but she always fell asleep, and it ended up with me
finishing her stories alone.''

''I think I used to read a lot too....'' He whispered, not really clear if he did. It still
felt like he did, ''Now it's just medical papers and charts.''

''That can be interesting too, I imagine,'' He grasped at his glass, taking a sip of
the wine, ''Understanding the human body, being able to heal people. Not
everyone is capable enough to do that.''

Theo smiled shyly, liking how the indirect compliment made him feel. The red
stain was back on his cheeks, ''I suppose it is. Medicine is something indeed.''

''It must be....'' Alessandro stepped away from the stove, closing in on Theo
instead. His eyes scanned the kitchen properly as he did. It was yellow-painted,
looking like something coming from a fairytale, almost.

Theodore didn't know why it shaded in this color when he moved in. It was
calming like he knew that tint from somewhere.

''Must be what?'' The brunet breathed, growing tense at how near Alessandro
was now.

''Intense,'' He mumbled, his eyes finding Theo. He smiled. They both did,
''Intriguing.''

Rolling his tongue over his bottom lip, Theo bit down it, ''It truly is... it's
intimidating at times, learning new things, but as you said. It's better to focus on
the good parts, right?''

''Right—'' He kept his voice low, both of their hearts pounding, ''That's...
absolutely....''

''Right...'' Theo finished, swallowing hard, ''Right?''

Alessandro once again settled his hands on Theo's arms. Their bodies close,
''Right.''

It felt to Theo as if he was locked in a trance — as if he was doing something he

wasn't supposed to do. His voice shaking, ''Perhaps we shouldn't—''

''Or perhaps we should....'' Alessandro smiled the instant he felt Theo's touch on
his waist, ''I think we've met enough times to prove that we won't get rid of each
other.''

''Do you want to get rid of me?''

It was there. They both could feel it so clearly. That tension. That need. That
craving for one another. Alessandro somewhere hoping that Theodore would be
able to heal his wounds, and Theo wishing for Alessandro to protect him.
''No,'' Alessandro said, confidently, ''I don't think I do.''

That was all they needed before their lips crashed together.

Their souls tangled.

Perhaps there was more to this world than darkness, lost memories, and
loneliness. Perhaps this was where Theodore Nott would be happy.

June 2005.

''Darling!'' Alessandro yelled, standing in their shared closet, ''Have you seen my
—''

''White shirt?'' Theo smiled, popping up from behind the door. A white shirt was
held in his hand, ''Why do you keep leaving it in the bathroom if all you do is
forgetting about it?''

''Because—''

''— you get ready in the bathroom, and it's more accessible to have it there.
Yeah? Is that why you look for it in here every damn morning?''

Alessandro rolled his eyes, snatching the shirt from Theo's fist before tugging it
on him, ''I'll be home late tonight.'' He said, ''I work until six, and then it's the
meeting with the fire department. It should be wrapped up by... nine. When will
you be home?''

Theo's shoulder fused with the doorway, and he folded his arms across his chest,
already dressed in his scrubs, ''I'm pulling an....'' His sight darted down to the
watch he was carrying. Alessandro bought it for him. It was silver. It was handy.
He liked it, ''Fifteen-hour shift today so... probably after eleven.''

Alessandro hummed, ''I'll put some dinner for you in the fridge then, and—'' He
said as he made his way up to the brunet, their arms wrapping around each other,
''I'll try to stay awake, but I have to get up at five tomorrow, so I probably won't
be awake.''

''I'll see you tomorrow afternoon then,'' Theo met his lips in a slow kiss before
pulling away.
''Can't wait!'' He shouted after the brunet as he stepped down the stairs.

Theodore was happy.

He truly believed he was happy now.

He was happy. It felt good, having someone like Alessandro in his life. They
moved in together in February, and it worked out well. They were a great team.
They worked a lot, both of them, but the puzzle still fitted perfectly. He liked it.
He liked Alessandro. He liked their life together.

Alessandro took his mind off that blurry girl. That memory he couldn't seem to
get rid of. He missed her the times she faded from his mind. He missed the scent
of her. That soft laughter he still could hear — feel to his core. Whoever she
was, she left him longing, missing something he never knew he had.

Nicole was happy. She was happy that he found someone. He liked when she
was happy. It made him happy.

Walking through the door of his office, he stopped, halted, and his eyes grew
broad, ''Nicole, what—''

She was crying, not an ordinary cry. Nothing Theo had seen before, but there
wasn't just her crying. There was someone crying in her arms. Small noises of a
heartbreaking sound ripped through him like daggers.

Theo marched up the couch, kneeling in front of it without hesitation, ''Nicole,

what is this?''

Her neck arched. Her eyes were swollen and red. Tears stained her skin, ''They
found her—'' She sobbed out, shaking her head, ''They found her outside a
shelter. Someone just left her there late last night. I've done everything I can, but
she won't stop—''

Another sob cut her short, ''She won't stop crying, and the child services won't
return my calls, so I've been sitting here for the past six hours trying to—''

''Oh...'' Theodore gritted his jaws, tracing his fingers up to the blanket in her
arms. A baby. A tiny little baby. She didn't look to be more than three months
old. He'd seen a baby like this before, Someone this small, someone with this
dark hair. It felt like a memory took over again. The soft laughter was back.
Theo grew confused. He never thought about her at work anymore.

''I'm just—'' She whimpered, her body shaking, ''I'm so tired, and no one listens
to me—''

''How long—'' He cleared his throat, leaning back a bit, ''How long have you
been here?''

She looked down at the child, ''I was supposed to get off my shift at eleven, but
then they brought her in, and there was no one to take care of her, so I stayed.''

''Go home,'' He muttered, standing up and reaching his arms out, ''I'll take over.''

''But you have patients—''

''They have to wait. We can't just leave this child by itself.'' His sight fell to
watch that little life, and his chest filled with warmth, ''You start again at five,
right?''

''I do.''

''So go home and sleep. I'll take her.''

He did. Theodore took that child in his arms, and for some strange reason, she
fitted his arms perfectly. Like she was supposed to be there. She didn't cry. She
stopped crying from the second he held her. He smiled. That whole day he
smiled.

He smiled until Nicole returned for her shift, and she offered to take her from
him, but he shook his head. She was happy in his arms. He was happy to have
her there.

''Nothing from child services?'' She asked, coming back from her round, ''She
can't stay here another night, Theo. She needs a proper bed and a bath, and all
the beds up on the child floor are occupied.''

He faltered in his steps, swaying his arms at a steady pace. The baby was asleep.

''We tried her blood work, but no match.'' Nicole informed, ''Whoever gave her
up has no record in any systems, and the police can't do anything without the
child services evaluating the situation first. No one can take her.''

He thought long and hard for a minute or two until he hugged her closer to his
chest, ''I'll take her home for the night.''

''Theo—''

''That's better than leaving her here? Isn't it?'' He harshly whispered, ''The ER is
packed, you don't have time to sit with her again, and as you said — she needs a
proper bed and a bath.''

Nicole nodded slowly. Concerned if her friend's heart took over his reasonable
mind, ''Are you sure? What about Alessandro?''

''He'll be fine.''

And oh, how Theo hoped he would be.

_____

Theodore snuck into their house silently. He hoped that his boyfriend would be
asleep and not notice the very fact that he brought a child home.

A child he knew nothing about. A complete little stranger, but Theodore Nott
wouldn't be Theodore Nott if he didn't do this.

''You're late—''

He froze the instant the lights turned on. His face strained, and his breaths
restricted.

''You're late, and you—'' Alessandro stopped. He didn't move as his eyes
snapped from Theo, down to the little child in his arms and back up, ''And you
have a baby with you...?''

It was the most loaded question he'd heard his boyfriend ask. He hadn't caught
that severity in his vocals since the night he'd said that he loved him, and
Theodore failed to say the words back. Not because he didn't want to, but
because he didn't think he was capable of loving someone new.
He loved that girl. That blurry image haunting him. That he knew he loved her,
but she wasn't there anymore, and he was starting to question if she was ever
there at all.

Alessandro took that hard. He listened to how Theo explained about his past and
the girl he missed. He accepted it — he said he could live with the fact that Theo
wasn't able to love him.

He was in love with him, and deeply so, but Theodore didn't know if it would
ever be more than just that.

''I can explain—''

''I sure hope you can.'' Alessandro's voice was sharp. His jaws clenched, ''Well?
Explain.''

''Someone left her outside a shelter for homeless people, and she was brought
into the hospital late at night, so when I got there this morning, I took her, but
she couldn't stay there, Alessandro. She couldn't stay there one more night, she
needs a bed, and she needs a bath and—''

''So you figured you'd just take her here?'' He backed away. Crossing his arms,
and his whole body shifted in hostility, ''Without talking to me?''

Theo frowned, placing his hand on the girl's neck, ''I did, yes. I thought we were
those kinds of people that take an abandoned child home.''

''We are, but—'' His temper was increasing, ''We don't—''

''We don't what? We don't offer a three-months-old baby a home for the night?''

''That's the damn thing I'm worried about, Theodore!'' He was raising his voice,
''Is this just for the night? Are you sure it will be for one night? Because I know
you. I know exactly how this is going to go. You'll get attached, and when it's
time to take her back in the morning, your head will be filled with thoughts.
Thoughts we're not ready for—''

''Is that so bad then?'' Theo let his bag fall from his shoulder, hitting the ground
with a thud, ''If I get those thoughts? Would that be so horrible—''
''Yes!''

Theodore's face fell. His shoulders sunk. His heart broke. He didn't like this. He
didn't like this at all.

''It would! It would be so damn horrible, Theodore, because my daughter is

dead! My child died, and I don't know if I'll ever be ready for those thoughts
again!'' Alessandro gripped the edges of the kitchen island, his chest falling and
rising out of control, ''I don't know if I want to have those thoughts. I don't know
if I can be anyone's parent after her. She died. She died, and I don't know if I
can't do this.''

''Don't know or don't want to admit to not wanting it?''

Theodore's question hewed him off. His head dropped, his eyes shut.

''What are you telling me, Alessandro? That you don't want a family? Because
that would've been a great fucking thing to mention before I asked you to move
in here, before we started this life together!''

''Fine!'' Alessandro shouted, furious now, ''I don't want a damn family! I don't
want that again. I'll never want it. There. There you have it. Happy now?''

A lump began to form in the back of Theodore's throat. His chest tightened. He
didn't say anything. He didn't want to say anything. The waves of betrayal
caused him to feel sick as it rocked wildly within.

''You know what?'' Alessandro stormed past him, not even sparing Theodore as
much as a glare, ''I'll sleep at the station tonight. I have to be up early anyway,
and you can have this. Hope you enjoy it.''

And then he slammed the front door shut.

Theodore stood frozen in time. He couldn't move even if he wished to do so. It

hurt. It hurt more than he'd ever felt anything hurt before. Tears formed in his
eyes as he lifted the child in his arms up to his neck, and he pressed his lips
against her head.

''I guess it's just you and me then, little one.''

September 2005

''Here comes the airplane!'' Theodore smiled widely, stretching the spoon up to
the little girl's mouth, ''To think soggy oatmeal can be this good, yeah?''

The baby smiled back at him, sticking her tongue out to try and swallow the
spoon of food he'd given her.

He didn't want to challenge her too much, she was just above six months old,
and he'd followed every plan the child services gave him. Only that bad-smelling
breast milk substitute until she was six months old. Vitamin D drops in her meal
once every day. He followed those manuals in and out.

He was granted temporary custody of her the day after he found her, and they
had been sticking together since. Them. He and his little human, but that luck
would soon run out. He had a hearing set in early December for possible
adoption.

He filed for it a week after he'd gotten custody. After they realized that her
parents were nowhere to be found. She belonged with him. Sometimes it felt to
Theo as if she was meant to find her way to him all along. That she was the
piece of that hard-solved puzzle, he couldn't quite figure out. He hoped she was.
He liked her a lot. He adored her with everything he had.

But it wasn't all happiness around them. Alessandro left.

He said he couldn't do this. He said it was too much. He said he wasn't ready. It
was him or her. He said he had to choose, and when Theodore refused to do so
— he left, and it had been two months since he last saw him.

Theo couldn't think about that without feeling as if his heart was shattering. He
didn't even give it a try. He simply walked out of Theo's life like nothing. As if
the past year never happened in the first place. He just left, and the love
Theodore began to think he could have inside — disappeared, but it didn't hurt
as much as he thought it would.

Because the pain of Alessandro leaving was replaced with the love of this little
heart sitting in her chair with oatmeal all around her mouth.

She slept in his bed, normally on his chest. She was a great sleeper, always
sleeping through the night. Sometimes she would wake up crying, but Theodore
was quick to hold her, to hum and whisper in her ear, and she calmed almost
immediately.

Someone did that with him too. He could feel it. It felt familiar. He missed that
feeling. He missed that blurry picture in his head. She cared for him so much,
and he cared for her.

''One more bite,'' He huffed, scooping up some more mess from her plate, ''There
you go....''

He let the spoon rest on the table, and he grabbed his cup of coffee instead,
taking a sip of the hot drink. He looked at her. His little human, ''It's going to be
alright, right?''

The baby slammed her hands onto the wood, giggling and smiling. It was. It was
going to be alright. It had to be.

He could do this.

Theodore knew he could do this.

''Well, let's get you cleaned up.''

The days went on. They looked the same. It was him and her in their own little
bubble.

The house he owned, the house that once was stain-free and spotless, was now
filled to the brim with toys and baby things. He didn't mind it. He never minded
it. He liked it.

It was late. The darkness had crawled over the world, and he put his little human
to bed as he always did, like clockwork.

Sitting on the couch, his feet on the table, his water bottle loosening from his
grip due to the slumber he was close to falling into — he flinched.

He winced so hard that he flew to his feet. The knock on his door hewed him off,
and he faced the entrance with a ghastly cloak dragging across his face. He didn't
move at first.
He didn't dare to.

''Theodore, please.''

Another knock came with the voice he didn't know if he wanted to hear. It was
nerve-wracking. His pulse skyrocketing. His heart pounding.

''Theodore, I can see the lights. You never go to bed with the lights on.''

He didn't want to. He didn't want to. He didn't want to. He didn't want to open
that door. He didn't want to open that door and have his heart ripped out of his
chest all over again. But he couldn't have Alessandro knock on that door until he
woke his little heart up.

Cautiously, Theo walked across the living room, out to the hallway. His
forehead tipped against the wood for so a second. He just needed to calm
himself. Gather his breath. Gather himself. To find the bravery and courage to let
his emotions in again.

''Theo—''

He opened the door, and there he stood, still taking Theodore's breath away.

''Hi,'' Alessandro didn't look too well. His hair was tousled. His skin smeared
with dried-up tears. Crying. He had been crying. He was crying as they stood
there, looking at each other.

''I—'' Alessandro looked away, ''I don't know how to—''

Theodore folded his arms, standing in the doorway.

''I don't know how to—'' He shook his head, the dark hair had grown longer, his
beard was showing, ''I don't know how to take care of someone like I took care
of her. My little Elisa. I don't—''

''I know.'' Theo said, nodding, ''I know it's terrifying and if you don't want this—
just know that I'll never judge you for it. I didn't know her, but I am more than
sure that you were one hell of a father to her.''

Alessandro laughed out a sob, leaning his arms to the doorpost, his head dropped
to it, ''I just— I'm so scared. I'm so scared. I feel like I'm giving up on her. Like
I'm forgetting her if I do this again—''

''Hey,'' Theodore stepped out on the porch, his hands moved to Alessandro's
jaws, ''It will never be like that. She could never be replaced. No one is trying to
replace her, but I like to think there's space for more. Just because you let
yourself be happy doesn't mean you're making her sad. I'm sure she is so proud
of you, wherever she is. Both of them.''

Alessandro broke. He shattered. He fell to his knees, and Theo fell with him,
''I'm sorry—'' He sobbed out, holding onto Theodore with all he had, ''I didn't
mean— I just— I'm so sorry.''

''I know...'' The brunet whispered into his head, lowly, ''I forgive you. We both
do.''

This was never about Theodore. He knew it wasn't. It was about Alessandro
learning how to be happy for what he had, to remember the good things his
daughter brought into his life. It was him coming to the conclusion that he didn't
have to feel guilty to live without her as long as he lived for her.

And he did. Alessandro lived for his little girl by being the best version of
himself. He couldn't be that without Theodore.

December 2005.

''She doesn't even have a name!'' Alessandro was panicking, pacing around in
circles outside the courtroom. His steps hurried, anxious almost, ''What type of
people don't have a name for their baby the day they're adopting her?''

Theodore's heart fluttered lightly at the spoken words. Their baby. They were
becoming parents. They were becoming her parents—their little human.

He was still surprised that one day, one morning could change his life so
drastically. That one human, and a little one at that, could become his whole
world overnight.

He fell in love with that little life. He liked the feeling of it. He liked the way he
adored her.
''Calm down,'' Theo smiled, hugging his daughter tighter, ''It will come to us. At
the right time, it will come. I promise.''

''How can you promise that? How can you know that within the next few
minutes, we'll figure out her name when we haven't been able to do so for half a
year—''

''You are looking sick!'' Nicole laughed, walking up behind them, ''You look like
you could faint.''

Theodore chuckled, turning to face Alessandro, seeing the fright in his eyes,
''Then it's a good thing he has a handsome doctor as a husband, isn't it?''

''Very funny,'' Alessandro muttered, taking his hand up and stroking their
daughter's head, ''I'm scared. This is terrifying enough. We need a name,
Theodore. We can't adopt her without a name.''

The little girl giggled, fiddling with the flares of Theo's suit jacket. They all
smiled. She was happy. She was calm. It made them calm.

''It will come—''

''Mr. Costa and Dr. Nott.''

Their names were called up. It was their turn. It was now or never.

Theodore's knees weakened as they walked the path up to the judge, slipping
down at chairs a standing behind the desk. Nicole took a seat behind them,
giving him a comforting look before he turned to face the lady sitting high up.

''Let's see....'' She mumbled, ''Mr. Costa, and Dr. Nott... Twenty-five and
Twenty-seven. A police officer and a doctor, promising....''

Theodore nearly held his breath. Hugging his daughter so close.

''Child abandoned at three months old. Left outside a shelter, taken to the Pucey
memorial hospital where her doctor insisted on taking her home in the lack of
reaching child services... bastards. Temporary custody since June 2005... Filed
for adoption the same month... Dr. Nott?''
''Yes, your honor?'' He stood up rapidly. His heartbeat swelled in his ears.

She looked down at him then back to the stack of papers lying splayed out on her
desk, ''How come only you filed for the adoption back in June? And not Mr.
Costa until... let's see... September?''

Her question was mild, yet her tone was harsh. Theo swallowed thickly. Their
lawyer warned them about this, ''We took a short break before finding our way
back to each other.''

''Mhm... and how does one know you won't take another break once the child is
adopted.''

Theodore froze. He stared at her pale and wide-eyed. He didn't. He didn't know
that, ''I—''

''I used to have a child, your honor.'' Alessandro cleared his throat, standing up
next to his little family, ''I used to be a father, but she... she passed three years
ago, and when Theodore brought this child home, I wasn't prepared. I was
thrown off guard, and I left, but I realized that I couldn't live without them, and I
fought my way back into their lives ever since.''

The whole courtroom turned silent. Theodore had tears in his eyes. Alessandro
had come such a long way, and no one was prouder over him than Theo was.

The lady nodded slowly, ''That is indeed a reason and a wise one at that.
Reflecting over your past must have been good for you.''

''It was, your honor.''

She gazed back into her papers, waving her hand for them to sit down again,
''Solid income... permanent residence since 2000... No violations... Clean
records... No health problems... Well, gentlemen, that only leaves two more
things.''

Both of their heads snapped, staring in fear at her.

''As you know, adoption is a serious matter, and it takes a lot of responsibility
and strength to care for a child, especially one of this age, and as far as I see and
read from the child services notes along with the heartwarming act you made
when you decided to take her home, I have no issues with allowing you to adopt
this little girl. But. I do have to follow the law, and I need to ask you if this child
will have someone to take care of her, if something happens to you?''

That question threw them both off. They looked at each other with confusion and
then back at the judge, ''We—''

''As a servant of the law, it's my job to follow it, and therefore I have to know.
Will she have someone to take care of her? If something were to happen to the
two of you? I see that neither of you has any family members listed, and that
leaves me wondering.''

Theodore's heart broke. It was over. It was done. They wouldn't have. They
never thought of it. Never did they think of that.

The whole courtroom was hushed. The lady tapping on her computer didn't tap
on her keys anymore.

It was as if they all knew this was the end. The happy family that had marched
together into this room would leave in pieces. They would lose their little
human.

Theo's whole life rushed through his head, and it landed on her. That blurry
image. Her soft voice. It was so dizzy. His whole head clouded. The life he'd
earned slipped from his fingers. He was losing. He was falling. It felt like he was
dying. Both of them were.

''Gentlemen... if you can't provide me with an answer, I'm afraid that I'll have to
rule against your filing for adoption. If you can't provide evidence that this little
girl will have someone—''

''They can, your honor!''

Every last person in that room turned their heads to the doors. Even Alessandro
did, but not Theodore. His heart stopped.

''Their little girl will have someone to look after her, your honor. I'm sorry I'm
late.'' She breathed, rushing up to the desk.

He couldn't look. He didn't dare to. It felt like a dream again. As his life was a
floating mess above the clouds, ready to fall and crash to the indefinite ground.

''And who may you be?'' The lady took her glasses off, looking down at the girl
standing in front of them, but the only difference was that she wasn't a girl
anymore. She was a woman. She grew up.

''My name is—''

''Amelie...'' Theodore whispered, finally turning his head, after minutes in

silence. His voice was barely there, ''Her name is Amelie. Amelie Malfoy.''

And there it was — love.

Theodore Nott's life became whole in more than one way because it was her.
The brown hair. The soft voice. The scent of flowers. The nightmares she
comforted. The kisses on his head. The arms she wrapped around him. The
words she spoke. The time in school. The time on the run. The I love you's. The
houses. The heartbreak. The tears. The joy. The happiness. The loss. The wins.
The book. Their book.

''What greater punishment is there than life when you've lost everything that
made it worth living?''

Nothing was worse than living without her. He knew that now.

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think because it was her. It wasn't a dream. It

wasn't his mind playing tricks on him. It wasn't a blurry picture. It was real. She
was real.

The image wasn't blurry anymore. It was clear. It had never been clearer.

Amelie was there. Right in front of him. He wasn't crazy. He wasn't delusional.
She was there. Her. Her. Her. She and him. Them. His reason. His best friend.
His savior. Her. Soulmates.

Soulmates, no matter what magic ruled, what life conquered, soulmates could
never forget another, and they never did.

She was right there all along, with him, within him.
She knew he could do it. Amelie knew he could find happiness on his own, and
he did. He truly did.

All along, his heart beat for hers, and hers — hers beat with his.

''Very well then. That leaves one more question.'' She said, clearing her throat
from the beautiful moment that touched every soul in the courtroom, ''What will
her name be?''

Alessandro gulped, his chest filled with panic again, but not Teddy. He felt it in
his bones. In his heart, as he looked at Amelie and then down at his daughter.

Teddy drew a breath, the most certain breath he'd ever taken, and he said,
''Amelie Elisa Pucey.'' He smiled, tears formed in his eyes. Adrian. His first real
love. He remembered.

His heart was whole again. He was back. Teddy was back because she saved him
like he always saved her. He looked at her. He looked at the girl his heart would
always rest with, ''Forever? No matter what?''

Amelie nodded, her own tears rolled down her chin. She smiled. Oh, how he'd
missed that smile, ''Forever, Teddy. No matter what.''
 Act-two

This chapter contains mature content, along with mention of abuse, blood,
and other violent topics. Please read with caution.

_____

Draco Malfoy.

October 13th, 2002.

Eight days.

He was holding the letter in his hand. Draco knew this day would come. He'd
waited for it. He'd feared it, and he'd cursed the way that dark piece of paper
would show itself, and it had now.

Trial. Draco Malfoy was standing trial for what he had done during the war and
prior to it. All his secrets were let out in the downfall of the Dark Lord. All his
misdeeds. All his crimes.

Death Eaters that still stood after the flames of a province on fire were to be
hunted down and torn apart for what they'd done to this world. And he did.
Draco did. He remained and thrived from the doomed dust of the ruins the
darkness left behind.

He was the darkness. Malfoy held a severe part in the cruel ruling as it
conquered, and he'd done unpardonable things to this world, along with the
humans living in it while being held hostage under Voldemort's regime.

Ever since the age of fifteen, he'd sinned. He had committed crime following
crime, and it was, according to the ministry of magic, his time to pay for it. It
was time for his head to roll and his soul to be locked up in Azkaban for the rest
of his fated life.

''When?'' Her voice was light, thin. It floated on feathers behind him as she so
miserably stared at his spine facing her, ''When does the first hearing take
place?''

It was dark. It was the middle of the night. He couldn't sleep since that letter
arrived late after dinner. He couldn't open it either. It felt like a death sentence
either way. So he put it away. He tucked it into an already overfilled drawer, and
he pretended like nothing, but she knew. Amelie always knew.

Draco spun around, his eyes catching hers from across the room. Pain. Pained
dashes stained his irises, ''What are you doing up?'' He mumbled, hiding the
letter behind his back, ''It's late, and you were up with Talia all night last—''

''Draco...'' Her tone was soft, comforting. She took a step against him, ''You can
talk to me.''

His heart ached. Hurt pushed through his veins, ''Go back to bed, I'll be there in a
second.''

''Draco—''

''Amelie, please.'' He sighed, frustratingly, closing his eyes. He couldn't look at

her while she stood there in her nightdress. Her braid perfectly tangled over her
shoulder, her skin soft in the strokes of moonlight finding its way through the
curtains, ''I can't do this to you. I'm not ready to put you through this.''

She huffed out a shaking breath before her feet stepped across the marble floor
of his office. She was so close to him now, so close that he could rupture. So
close that he was falling, on the fine line of falling and crashing to the ground,
breaking. He wanted to break, ''Amelie...''

The girl looked up at him. Her lips parted to speak as her fingers slowly moved
over his exposed chest. She traced her touch over his scars. She knew them.
Even without looking, she knew where every last one was carved in. Similar to a
map, she drew her love from scar to scar, ''You don't have to do this alone,'' She
said, her eyes meeting his as bronze crashed with silver, ''I know you think you
are hurting me with this, but you're not. The thing hurting me is seeing you go
through this alone without giving me a chance to help you.''

Malfoy swallowed hard. He had to swallow again, ''I can't do this to you,
Amelie. I'm ruining your life.''
''You're not ruining anything,'' She whispered, stretching up on her toes and
pressing a kiss on the curve of his jaw. Her lips sparked within him, something
cold turned warmer, ''I wouldn't have this life, to begin with, if it weren't for you.
Whatever happens, isn't your fault.''

''Except for the part where it is my fault. It's not made up accusations, Amelie. I
did everything they say I did. I have no leg to stand on.'' His voice was
trembling. The words spilled frighteningly from his tongue. Rolling off with
drips of fear as he tried to hide it. He didn't want her to see him scared. ''They
have every right to charge me.''

Amelie didn't speak. She quietly let the side of her head fall to his chest. He
loved when she did that. He felt needed, important when she leaned on him in
that way. She knew he did.

''I always knew that I'd be held responsible for what I've done. I just didn't think
I'd have this life when I did. I never thought I'd have something to lose.'' Draco
carefully let his arms wrap around her. His hands splayed out over the silky
material of her nightdress. His fingers finding the arch of her waist, ''I never
thought I would have someone to lose, but I do. I have everything to lose.''

''You'll never lose us, Draco.'' Amelie tried to ease his haunted mind, her fingers
still moving over his chest, drawing tiny circles over the scars he carried, ''And
you're not going anywhere. We'll take this as it comes, and we'll do it together.
You don't have to do anything by yourself.''

''But it's my mess. Most of the things happened before I even approached you,
and I'll be damned if I let my past doings get in the way of the future you
deserve.''

''It's our mess,'' She yawned, baring her eyes and breathing him in, ''All of this is
our mess. We have a daughter. We're married. All of this is ours. All the bad
parts and all the good ones.''

Draco pressed his lips into her head, kissing her, ''What did I do to deserve you?''
He mumbled so silently. That question was more directed to himself than to her.
He asked himself that, every day that went by, ever since she looked at him all
those years ago back at Hogwarts. He never understood what he'd done to earn
her love and carry her heart.
''For starters, you're not exactly bad looking—'' Amelie smiled, kissing the bare
skin of his chest. Her lips hot, addicting, ''And second, you make pretty babies.''

''That's it?'' He rolled his eyes, posing as surprised, ''Pretty convincing if you ask
me. No wonder I stole your heart from everyone.''

''No wonder at all,'' Her kisses reached his neck. Her hands moving across him,
''But I want you to know that you do, Draco,'' She gazed up at him again. She
looked bothered, needing something to come of her chest, needing him to hear
something, ''You do deserve everything you have in this life, and more. You did
horrible things before, I'm not defending that, but poor decisions don't make a
bad person. You've served your time by saving all of us, by saving the world.
There are no questions about that.''

Draco had to swallow the lump as it grew in the back of his throat before he
arched his spine, and he caught her lips, kissing her. Bloody hell how he loved
kissing her, ''What would I do without you?''

''Be sleep-deprived, perhaps?'' She smiled against his mouth, tauntingly, but the
playful behavior swiftly faded into a severe one, ''All you do is worry, and you
need to sleep Draco.''

''You'll be the absolute death of me,'' He groaned at her as she spaced herself
from him, ''That's certain.''

''No, a baby waking up without her parents next to her, and her crying because of
it, will be the death of us, handsome.''

Her eyes flickered all across him before she gasped at the way he rushed towards
her, gripping at her thighs and lifting her. Her legs wrapped around his waist as
he walked out of his office, heading towards their bedroom instead, ''Then let's
get you to bed, Mrs. Malfoy, before our daughter wakes up.''

October 16th, 2002.

Five days.

''Perhaps if you talk to your father?'' Narcissa stared at her son, his daughter
nestled up in her arms, ''He knows a lot about the ministry and how they work
with these things. He could be of help.''
Draco looked over the yard, gritting his jaws and shoving his hands into his
pockets. The way he craved to speak against his mother now was out of the
question. He could never be disrespectful to her even when she suggested such a
thing, ''Are you still in contact with him?''

She blinked, her lips pushed together, ''Of course I'm not. I haven't heard from
him since he requested the divorce. They say he went into hiding. No one knows
where he's holding up.''

Talia let out a giggle, her fingers tangled into her grandmother's hair. She peered
over her shoulder, right at her father. Draco smiled back at her ''Mama?''

Malfoy tilted his head, looking admiringly at his little heart. His own heart
missed a beat at the way her cheeks were rosy. The blooming color shaded upon
his daughter's skin. Her hat was about a size too big for her. It was hanging over
her eyebrows, ''Tomorrow. Mama will be here soon.''

Talia frowned, scrunching her nose like her mother ever so did. Draco breathed
out at the similarities between them as she spoke, ''I miss mama.''

His heart ached now. He missed her mother too. If the world only knew how
much he missed her mama.

Amelie was in Italy. She went to check up on Theodore every other month over
a day or two. He told her not to do that. Draco tried to convince her to let him
go, that she took the decision she did two years ago for a reason and that she at
least needed to try letting him go, but she couldn't. Amelie would fight him until
he caved on that matter, and he couldn't truly blame her. She loved that boy with
every selfless fiber in her body.

Draco took steps forward, making the little girl tilt from Narcissa's arms over to
him, and he caught her in his grip. He hugged her so close to his chest, fixing her
hat, ''I miss mama too, but she'll be here soon. She'll be back when you go to
sleep tomorrow.''

Talia nodded quickly before she began to grasp at his hair instead. She brought
that tiny strand of blond hair she carried, the spot of it behind her ear, and she
compared it to her father's hair.

''Is she?'' Narcissa asked, bending down to pick some fallen leaves up, ''She's
been gone for a day. I thought she said she'll be gone for just one.''

Draco took a breath. He thought she'd be gone for one day too, but he never
knew when it came to Amelie. She often got ideas that caused him to rip his hair
out, but she never did anything for herself. Amelie did everything for all of
them. He had to trust her. He had to rely on her. He did. ''She'll be back
tomorrow night, late, but she'll be back.''

''Does she know?'' Her hands now filled with leaves as she threw them up in the
air around Talia and Draco, making the little girl burst out in laughter,
attempting to catch a few of them, ''That you'll be gone by Monday?''

He felt a rush of pain as it ripped through him. It was worse than any forbidden
spell ever could. Amelie didn't know. He didn't tell her. He didn't tell her that he
was leaving in five days. He couldn't. Draco wasn't ready to do that to her, to
their daughter. He didn't want to set a clock on their days together. He just
wanted them to live normally. He wanted to make her happier than she'd ever
been during these last days. He didn't want to be selfish.

''She doesn't, and I'd appreciate it if we kept it that way,'' He said, his voice
harder. Distraught by the topic and he felt forced to change it back, ''But that's
not what we talked about, is it?''

Narcissa shot a hurtful look across her shoulder, standing up straight from
harvesting more leaves. The fabric of her dress dragged across the grass as she
walked closer.

"I'm not in contact with you father, Draco. Even if he wasn't the one issuing that
divorce, I would have. He betrayed us, all of us, in the worst ways possible. Yes
— he tried to mend it, to help us, but that doesn't excuse what he did. That
doesn't excuse that he let Adrian out, that he played you, his own son. I could
never forgive that, not when it comes to you. Not after everything....'' Narcissa
took her glance at his daughter. She smiled, ''Not after her. Not after that little
human. She made us all rethink our choices in this life, Draco and rightly so.''

''She did...'' Malfoy nodded slowly, hearing his mother's words as she spoke
them with such honesty. She wasn't lying. He could tell she wasn't. They didn't
lie to each other anymore. Not after Talia being brought into this world. She was
right.
After her, his little heart, he felt responsible for everything. He didn't want to set
a bad example for her to follow. He wanted to be better than his own father ever
was, and oh how he succeeded. Draco was one of the best parents his mother had
ever seen.

No one cared for anyone as he cared for Talia. He spent every minute possible
with her, talking to her, playing with her, learning from her, and teaching her
what she didn't know. That little girl couldn't have won a better lottery than she
did. She earned the greatest win by having Draco and Amelie as her parents.

''Do you think he'll show up? At the hearings? Wouldn't surprise me if he wanted
to gloat a bit at my misery.'' He muttered in a question, feeling his daughter as
she began to twist and turn in his arms, she wanted to be let down, and he let her.

Her steps tripped over the grass, stumbling her way forward with ease. She'd
gotten better at that, walking. She walked, she ran, she jumped, and she sprinted
everywhere. He could barely chase her anymore.

''I don't think he dares to,'' Narcissa looked after the little soul as she marched
straight up to the red roses. They would always find her among those flowers.
She could speak the color perfectly. He loved her for being as clever as she was
already.

Amelie didn't rest with the books she constantly bought their daughter. She
bought all kinds of novels and picture books, and they could sit in front of the
fireplace, taking and reading together. If Draco tried to join — Talia would look
at him with a glare so piercing that he had to keep himself from laughing. Me
and mama, she said when he got too close. But she didn't leave him alone for
long, no.

If Draco fell asleep, on their bed, on the couch, anywhere, Talia would crawl up
to him, sit down at where his shoulder rested, and she would read. She would
point at the pictures and mumble all kinds of things to him in his sleep.

''I'll be facing one more murder charge if he does.'' Malfoy's tone was solid. He
meant it. Never did Draco wish that his father took as much as a step into his
daughter's life. He didn't want him anywhere near Talia. ''Just make sure he
doesn't come here when I'm gone. I can't protect her, and it wouldn't surprise me
if he finds some foul way of getting into Talia's life.''
''You know I'd never let that happen, Draco. Never. Whatever happens, Amelie
and Talia are safe here, Atlas too.''

He forced a smile, hoping that his mother would uphold her end of that deal,
before he rushed after his daughter, his hands placed around her, and he settled
her upon his shoulders. She laughed. Her daughter laughed, and he savored it,
knowing it could be one of the last times he'd ever hear it.

October 17th, 2002.

Four days.

He woke up by a thud striking the floor, and his elbow struck the mattress,
propping himself up as he looked around, squinting. Draco didn't see anything
but her bag as it stood on the ground next to the door, and his heart began to
pound.

His pulse paced, skyrocketing as he forced himself off the bed in nothing but his
night pants. He directly walked his way to where he knew she'd go.

A sigh of relief fled his throat. His heart rate calmed, his pulse slowed. She was
there. She was back. She stood arched over Talia's bed, tucking a curl behind her
own ear to see their little girl better before she pressed a kiss onto that tiny nose
they both adored so deeply. Amelie didn't hear him come in, she didn't notice
him until his large hands were placed over the edge of the bed, on each side of
her, trapping her in, and by reflex — she spun around in his arms, almost as if
she was guilty of something.

Malfoy had a delicate look smeared to his face, his eyes gently catching hers as
he quirked a brow, amusingly at her silence. She smiled. Amelie smiled shyly
before her hands brushed their way up his chest and hooked behind his neck.

They stood so close, so near that he could hear her heart as it hammered against
his ribs. Her breaths had never tasted so sweet on lips as they did the second she
kissed him. Amelie kissed him slowly, slightly opening her mouth for him to
taste more of her. She had missed him. Amelie missed him so much. He could
feel that she had, and it was the best feeling he'd ever felt. Her missing him. Her
longing for him. It caused him to feel needed, wanted. He loved it.

He groaned against her lips, dragging his hands off the bed and gripping the span
of waist instead, ''You have to leave more often,'' He muttered, his tongue
reaching for hers as they kissed, ''If this is what I get when you come back, you
need to leave at least three times a day.''

Amelie smiled. Her lips moved with his. He'd missed her even more. She could
feel it far down her bones. Even if he always touched her so honorably, so
sincerely — Amelie could always feel when he needed her more than ever.

''Only three?'' The tips of her fingers stroked along the arch of his jaw, the
outlined cheekbone, down to his wet lips, ''That's a bit stingy of you, isn't it?''

Draco pulled away, blinking at her in the darkness their daughter's room held,
''What the hell did you just say to me?''

''I—''

Amelie didn't stand a chance as he hunched a bit, his hands grasping at her
thighs, and he tossed his wife across his shoulder, ''Stingy?'' He hissed, taking
her into their room and throwing her onto the bed, ''Is that what you think?''

She laughed out the second he towered her, crawling on top of her and his lips
attacked her throat at a hard pace at first, but it calmed. Her hands eased over his
bare spine, his kisses turned sloppier, until his forehead was pressed to hers, ''I
missed you...'' She whispered, kissing his upper lip, ''I don't like being away from
you.''

''We missed you more,'' His body weighted on top of hers, her head falling to the
side to see him more properly, ''You have no bloody idea how much we missed
you.''

Amelie looked at him. She studied him, every inch of detail on his face she took
in, smiling tenderly, ''I have to shower, but I'll be back before you fall asleep
again.'' She said, propping herself up as he climbed off her, standing tall on the
floor again.

''What if I need to shower too?'' He grinned at her, cocking his neck. He knew he
was running out of time. He had a lot of assets in this life, money, properties,
influence, but the one thing he truly wished he had, he didn't.

Amelie sat up on the edge of their bed, and at a leisurely rate, she unbuttoned her
shirt, sweetly rolling her eyes at him. ''Then I'd say we should spare some water
and think about the good of this earth, don't you think?''

_____

Malfoy placed a kiss on the back of her head. Reaching beside her to take the
bottle of soap standing next to his, and he poured a dot of it into his palms. His
hands gently massaged the liquid over her shoulders, ''What are you thinking
about?'' He asked, his voice muffled by the running water. The steam thickened
around them.

''Life,'' She whispered back, her head tipping to lean against his shoulder. Amelie
didn't speak much about what she saw as she traveled to check up on Teddy. Not
that she didn't want to, but because she didn't want Draco to know. Even if the
blond never uttered the words, he missed his best friend, and in her beliefs, she
didn't want to make it worse, ''I'm scared, sometimes.''

His fingers tensed over her collarbone, dragging the bubbles to her neck, ''Why
are you scared?''

''I'm scared for you. For Talia, Atlas, your mother. I just want everything to be
done with, so we can have something real... away from all of this.''

Draco clenched his jaws, oh how he wished he could do that for her. Give her
something normal, away from all the madness that kept drowning them as
teenagers. It had been three years since they won, since they saved the world in
secret. Still, it felt like the darkness lingered.

''Amelie,'' He said, his vocals raspier. The gushing water soothed around them,
''I'll give you anything you want, you know that. Just say the word—''

''I don't—'' Her reply caused him to frown. She turned around in his arms, ''I
don't know how to fix this, Draco. I don't know how to save you from this, and it
makes me feel so helpless. You always save me from everything, and I feel like
I'm letting you down.''

That took the air from his lungs. If that girl just knew how magnanimous she
lived to be. Amelie had a daughter to raise, a brother to care for. Still, she was so
gracious when it came to Draco's mistakes.
He inched her closer, his breath shaking, ''You are alive.'' He said severely, ''Our
daughter is healthy. Not only healthy, Amelie. She's happy. Atlas is doing well,
and that's all I could ever ask for. You are breathing. We made it out. I don't
want my past to make you feel this way.''

Amelie gazed away, breathing out airily, ''I want you to be alive too,'' She
whispered, ''You always say that I am the one breathing and I'm the one who's
alive, but what about you? You're as much the reason we made it as I am.''

Ice crossed bronze again. He pinned her soul to the heavens. He placed
something within her again. All the love he carried and wore for her, he let her
have. He nailed it deep inside her for it to stay there, even when he knew he
wouldn't. Draco knew his heart would be safe with her. She would protect it at
all costs. She always had. Even when he was out of his reasonable mind, she
kept it secured for him. Shielded, no matter the price.

The dimmed lights misted in the steam from the heated water flowing from
above them, her body leaned to his, ''I'll try to think of something,'' It was more
to convince herself than him. She didn't want to come to terms with what was
happening around them, ''We'll fix this, right?''

Draco looked down at her, his hands around her, her scent lingering, her heart
bursting against his.

Don't lie. Don't lie. Don't lie.

He didn't want to lie. He didn't want to fill her with more untruths of how all of
this would be solved when he knew it wouldn't be.

Malfoy settled his chin on the top of her head, pearls of water coursed around
them, ''We'll fix this.''

He lied.

October 19th, 2002.

Two days.

''Blue!'' Talia shouted through a bursting laugh. Her laugh was soft, like her
mother's. Calming, reassuring, never laughing at you, always laughing with you.
She clapped her hands together. She had such tiny hands, adorable fingers, just
like her mom. Peering up at Amelie as she sat in her lap, Talia kept chuckling,
''Blue! Blue! Blue!''

Malfoy stood in the doorway, his arms crossed and his shoulder fused with the
post of it. Tenderly a curve curled in the corner of his mouth as he looked at
them — his two hearts sitting on the floor, in front of the fireplace, and reading.
Always reading before bed. He loved watching them as Amelie made small
impressions with her voice, both severe and jokingly. Giving their daughter the
world of imagination as she voiced the words.

''What is blue?' Can you tell me something blue?'' Amelie looked shocked, her
voice playful, ''Can you tell me what's blue?''

''Blueberry!'' Talia kept laughing, shaking her head at Amelie, ''Blueberry blue!''

Draco couldn't help but remember what the word blue used to mean to them. It
was her safe world, years ago when he was doomed to betray her. She picked it.
Out of all the things, she picked the world blue. He never knew why.

''Blueberry blue,'' Amelie took their little girl in her arms and hugged her. She
was getting bigger, her hair longer, her speaking filled with more words, and the
time passed way too fast. It hurt within to think about it that he wouldn't be there
to see her age, to hear her speak more, to see her accomplish everything the
world had in store for her. Draco shrugged the wounding thoughts off, and he
took steps into the room.

Talia met his eyes immediately, and he didn't believe her smile could grow any
wider, but it did. She always smiled when she looked at him, ''Blueberry blue!''
She shouted, wrestling her way out of Amelie's arms. She sprinted towards her
father, throwing herself into his arms as he caught her.

Malfoy lifted her up in the air, placing his little heart on his waist with his arms
crossing her spine, ''Blueberry blue, yeah?''

''Yeah!'' Talia giggled, hiding her face in his chest. She said it over and over.

He slipped down next to Amelie, her head on his shoulder as Talia crawled over
to her again. Her legs spread on each side of his wife, and she rested the side of
her head against her mother's neck. Talia did that often. She just sat there, her
chest pressed against Amelie's. Almost as she tried to listen to her heart until the
sound caused her to feel sleepy, and within minutes she crossed the lines to the
universe of dreams. Sometimes Talia would tell him about her dream, that a dog
was there, that he was there, that she ran or jumped in her sleep. He loved
listening to her.

''Not only in my arms anymore,'' Draco said, looking at them. Amelie met his
soft stare. She smiled, combing her fingers through Talia's hair. She didn't speak.
Instead, she closed her eyes, sinking her nose into his neck.

And they sat there, for hours they sat there, and he breathed in the last pieces he
still held of his little family. Them. Them and only them. Oh, how he would
miss them.

October 20th, 2002.

One day.

Amelie was already looking at him as he walked through the door, closing it
behind him. Her legs crossed over the covers, her nightdress tightly smeared to
her figure. He gulped. His skin flushed warmly. She made him nervous. He
loved that about her.

She lowered the book in her hand even more, placing it on her stomach, ''Your
daughter was asking for you,'' She said, tipping her head to the side. The thick
waves of hair followed the movement, ''She wanted a 'papa kiss,' so I had to
pretend to be you for her to be happy.''

Draco let out a weak chuckle, walking up to the closet and sliding the doors
open, ''And how did you manage to do that? Pretend to be me?''

''Wasn't that hard,'' Amelie turned to her side, laying the book on the nightstand
and turning her lamp off before she faced him in the shadowed room, ''I just
cursed a bit—''

He turned around, his bare chest flexed. His eyes conveyed so much startle,
''Excuse me?'' A scowl came across his features, his mantle clearly shone in
confusion, ''You cursed a bit? You? To our two-year-old daughter?''

She stretched her arms up, letting out a sound so sweet to his ears, and she let
them rest against the headboard, ''So what if I did? You do it all the time.''

''Me, yes...'' Draco pulled his night pants above his hips, leaving them loosely
around his waist, ''But you... Mrs. Malfoy, you should know better than to
curse.''

''Really?'' Amelie smiled, she looked like an angel to him, resting so effortlessly
upon the pearly covers, ''Well, Mr. Malfoy, you might have to reconsider that
statement, because one, she's my daughter too, two I'm twenty-one just like you,
I can curse however I'd like and three...''

Draco climbed up on the bed, close to her. His hair was messy, the blond strands
tousled over his forehead as he rose a mocking brow at the lack of her words.
His hands settled on each side of her, lowering his body, ''What was that, Mrs.
Malfoy?''

Amelie breathed out heavily, looking up at him as her frame sunk into the
mattress. His body had such power over hers, ''I don't—''

''And three what?'' Draco continued to taunt her, his chest poked hers, she could
feel his toned muscles moving against her, ''What about three?''

''What about your three?'' Amelie tried to speak back, still in the missing of her
words, ''If you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine.''

Draco's eyes rolled, sucking his inner cheek in, ''One, I have the most beautiful
wife there is. Two, I am the luckiest father in the world.''

Amelie blushed. She had to look away as fire spread across her cheeks, ''And
three?''

He hesitated at first, seeing the curiosity as it dashed in her eyes. He wanted to

tell her this a year ago, two years ago — right after they were blessed with their
daughter, but he never did. He didn't think she'd want to do this again. She never
said anything.

Draco was leaving them. He was going away for his past life, and he needed to
tell her. He needed her to know. He needed to be selfish. It was selfish. So
selfish. Once, he told her he couldn't be selfish with her, but he was now. She
was his. His. His, and only his. He needed to leave her with a piece of him.
''I want another baby.''

Amelie coughed out, choking on the breath she was inhaling, and she shook her
head, ''What?''

Malfoy looked ever so serious. His lips pressed together, his brows rested, ''I
don't know how much more of this I have, Amelie...'' He whispered,
withdrawing from her. He lied. He knew exactly how much time he had, and he
could never admit it to her, ''I don't know anything anymore, except the fact that
I want Talia to have someone in ways I never did, like you and Atlas have each
other.''

Her heart ached for him. Amelie never saw it that way, that he didn't have
someone as they had another. She sat up in front of him, her legs folded as he
rested on his knees, ''I know it sounds fucking mental, but I—'' He paused,
looking down at the sheets. Drilling his gaze so intensely at the silky covers that
it could catch flames, ''I don't know. I just know that I want her to have
someone.''

Amelie smiled to herself as she looked at the man she loved so dearly. He truly
was the most astonishing father. Never did she understand what she did to
deserve him. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it herself,
another child, someone more, another heart to carry, and someone else to give
her world to. She just never thought he wanted the same thing.

Her palms pushed into the mattress, and she sat up straight, ''Then let's make
another baby.''

Snapping his sight to hers, he furrowed his brows, narrowing silver in bronze,
''What?''

Amelie inhaled, a breath with well-needed courage. Her chest filled with
bravery, ''You said it yourself, Talia will need someone. She deserves a sibling.
We have enough time, and she's turning three next year... it's perfect, and I—''
Her cheeks flamed, her sight flickering tensely, ''And I can't wait to see you be a
father again.''

''Fucking hell—'' Draco groaned, his body towering hers again. Her spine struck
the covers with a laugh. She wrapped her hands around his neck, ''You drive me
fucking insane.''
''Good,'' Her lips arched against his before she pushed them together, kissing
him. Draco wasn't slow to follow. He kissed her right back, ''I like driving you
crazy.''

He moved in sync with her. His heart in her hands and his soul intertwined with
the purity of her. His damned lips tasting the sweetness of what was his, all of
her. He couldn't pull away if his life so depended on it.

Her touch clawed at his spine. His touch landed on her jaw. His hand gripped her
thigh, and he brought her hips against him. She let out a sound he could listen to
forever. On repeat. Over and over. Amelie pulled his pants off. He tugged her
dress over her head. His skin on hers, his lips kissing her, his breaths heavy in
her ears, her fingers grasping at his neck.

Draco pushed into her. His whole self vibrated. It felt even heavenlier for each
time they did this, her teeth sinking into his shoulder, his hands praising her
body. His lips honoring her scars, he pushed forward again. The sound was back,
that sweet noise. Her moans were addicting, her body dependent on his, her
hands in his hair, his lips on her chest.

This wasn't the same to them, and it broke his head as she healed it.

He was leaving. This was goodbye to him, while it was the world to her. He
cursed himself for doing this, for losing himself in her one more time before it
would be gone.

She took the sweep of his jaws in her hands, her fingers tensing around his neck
as he moved in and out of her, slowly, steadily. She kissed him. He kissed her.
The veins embedded in his arms still forced into the mattress popped out of how
hard he tried to hold himself from crashing. She whimpered. She was close. He
was closer. He kissed her. She moaned. He groaned against her ear.

Falling. He was falling for her all over again. Every time he placed his sinned
eyes on her, he fell. He crashed. He lost. He strayed. He drifted. He lost himself
with her, to her, for her. She won him over. She owned him. She loved him. It
was the best thing, falling in love with her. He couldn't stop. He didn't think it
was possible to still collapse into a human as he caved for her. It surprised him
every time, every day, all day what her love caused him to feel. Feel. He felt
with her. He felt so much when it came to her. He always had been, for years.
''I love you.'' She breathed, her back arching. He went slower, lifting her hip with
his hand to angle deeper, to give her everything. Everything. He wanted to give
her everything. He did.

Draco caught her lips, falling. He couldn't stop falling. He couldn't stop
shattering for her. Shredding apart. Breaking, he broke for her again. Malfoy
would always break for her, ''I love you.'' He said, ''You are mine, and I love
you.''

Amelie clung her arms around him, lifting her chest a bit to his, ''I'm yours, and
you're mine.''

His world collapsed. Her words would be the death of him. It was the death of
him. The absolute downfall of Draco Malfoy lived to be her. He couldn't breathe
when she phrased it in the way she did. His heart was on the tipping point of
becoming a bleeding mess within him, hemorrhaging within the cage of his
chest. He'd drain himself of every ounce of blood running through his veins for
her. He'd rip his own heart out and stand long enough to offer it to her.

He loved her. Draco loved her so. There wasn't nor would ever be a gesture to
voice the love he held for that chaotic girl falling apart underneath him.

She was indeed the mightiest storm, the safest lighthouse, the blooming flower,
the pouring rain, the chaos, the calm. Everything. Amelie was his everything.
His heart as it pounded, his pulse as it paced, his breaths as they heaved, all of it.
Every pure fiber in his damned body. Everywhere. She was the infinity, the
eternity, and all the causes beyond.

He killed for her. He died for her. He avenged her. He saved her. He lost her. He
found her. He loved her. He sacrificed for her. Amelie Avery was the reason
Draco Malfoy was still part of this world, the cause to why he didn't fade as he
was meant to. Her love saved him. She saved him, and he saved her. He gave her
his soul. His heart. He sacrificed his meaning of this life at her feet without
reason because she was all of his.

It turned silent, her body recovering from his — his body devouring hers.

Over. It was over. He knew it was, and it took most of him not to burst out in
emotions, fall to his knees and beg her for forgiveness in what he was going to
do. He did everything for her. He never thought the day he'd give her up would
come.

''When?'' Her voice was airy. Her head rested on his chest, ''You don't have to
tell me more than that. I just want to know when.''

He was quiet. The darkness in the room swallowed them.

''Draco, please—''

''Why did you pick blue?'' Draco asked. His hand reached for hers, and he traced
it up between them, tangling their fingers together, ''As your safe word all those
years ago?''

She swallowed several times to get rid of the bitterness she felt consuming her,
''Because of your eyes. They always made me feel safe.''

He closed them, and he dragged her closer. Her nose brushing against his neck,
''Can you promise me something, Amelie?'' He whispered. She didn't nod. She
didn't answer. He spoke anyway, ''Live, Amelie. I know this will be hard for you,
but I don't want you to put your whole life on hold for me. Live for her and for
me. She needs you.''

''Draco—''

He hushed her, taking their fingers up to her chin, lifting it so that he could press
his lips to hers, ''I love you, Amelie.''

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She knew what this was now. This wasn't him
wanting her. This wasn't him planning for the future. This was him letting go of
it. Him letting go of her. She could feel it in her bones, through her body as she
cried so silently against his skin.

''I love you.'' He said again, his arms around her, protecting everything she was.
He could feel her breaths shifting heavier, her tears rolling slower. She was
falling asleep. Amelie was falling asleep as he broke. She wasn't falling asleep
for herself because she was tired. She fell asleep for him. She knew how hard
this was for him already.

Something crackled within him. Something was torn to pieces, and he knew that
it would forever be shattered. He'd never be complete again.
It took all of him to move her away from him, more than it did to fight dozens of
Death Eaters, more than it did to stand against the scars of torture.

He pressed his lips into the side of her head, folding the covers over her bare
body, and he looked at that sleeping soul. At that heart, he never thought he
would have, never thought he needed. That heart he now would die without. He
cried. He shook. He shredded apart.

''No one saved me until you did,'' He whispered against her, breathing her in.
Freshly cut flowers. He loved that scent. It was her scent, ''Now it's my turn to
save you.''

Draco kissed her again. His numb lips against hers. Numb. He was numb, ''My
Amelie.''

It didn't feel like he was walking. His steps didn't feel real. It felt like he was
dreaming as he closed their door behind him. Every inch of his body was
screaming, raging, fighting him. It shouted for him to go back, to take them and
run, but he couldn't. He could never let them have a life where they needed to
hide. It felt so surreal to him until he reached his little heart, watching her as she
slept.

Talia was sleeping so peacefully. Like evil and vengeance didn't exist in this
world. She was so pure. The purest parts of both of them, mixed and fused
together.

Draco cried. He cried so much that it turned hard to breathe. He lifted his
daughter, her head against his shoulder. Malfoy hugged his whole world in his
arms.

''My little girl. My beautiful little girl,'' He whispered, ''You need to be strong for
me. Your mama will need you more than ever, so take care of her for me.''

He placed a kiss on her forehead as he laid her down in her bed again, lingering
for minutes just memorizing her, ''Be everything I couldn't be, Talia. Be
everything I know you can be.''

It took even more to leave her room, to walk down the stairs of the doomed
house he once despised. Never did Malfoy believed he would find a home here,
but he did. With them, he did.
''Already?''

His mother's voice caused him to falter. He stopped in the doorway to the living
room. She had tears in her eyes. He did too. She knew. His mother always knew.

''Mother—''

''We can fight this, Draco.'' She said, standing up and marching over to him. Her
steps were critical. ''You don't have to do this. Let me go in—''

She gasped, being hewed off by her son as he wrapped his arms around her. He
didn't do that too often anymore, ''Take care of them for me.''

Her body was tense, restricted until it finally caved. She hugged him back, ''You
know I will. They are safe here.''

''And yourself,'' He mumbled, clearing his throat. She could tell he wasn't used to
this, speaking this lovingly to his mother, ''You deserve everything good in this
life, mother. Never settle for anything less than what you know you deserve.''

''Please, don't leave them like this, Draco.'' Narcissa broke out in a sob, her
whole self trembling. She wanted to take his place, to run and turn herself in, but
she couldn't. She had done unspeakable things. She had let her son suffer at the
expense of her husband's loyalty to the Dark Lord. They had decided his whole
life for him. She couldn't do that to him anymore.

''I don't have a choice.'' He pulled away, looking down at her. He didn't cry
anymore, ''It's her or me. You know that. If I don't turn myself in, they'll take her
away.''

''Draco....''

''I would give my life for hers.'' He backed up, begging her not to make this
harder without saying the words. ''You know I would. No matter what's at stake,
it's her to me. It always has been.''

She didn't even earn the chance to speak again until he nodded at her, giving her
all reassurance that it was alright. As long as they were safe, he could kneel at
the feet of the devil. He could fall at the lethal sword. He could let the sinners
feast on him. He would let the world tear him to bits and pieces as long as his
world, they, all of them, were safe. He would do it all for them. Again and again.

''Until we meet again, mother.'' Draco forced a dry smile, bowing his head and
then.

Then Draco Malfoy was gone, knowing he would never see them again.

October 21st, 2002.

Day one.

''Malfoy,'' He said, looking up at the guard seated at the desk, ''Draco Malfoy.''

It turned quiet around him. The hallway behind him unreservedly hushed. They
never believed he would do this, turn himself in. They expected him to run, but
he didn't. Draco didn't want to run anymore.

''Can you repeat that?'' The guard asked, startlingly, ''You—you are—''

''I am,'' His face held a cold cloak, his body strained, ''So can we just get this
over with?''

It didn't take more than seconds before a swarm of guards stood around him.
Wands were aimed in his direction. Voices shouted. Curses were thrown, but
Malfoy stood solid, unbothered almost as he slowly reached his arms out in the
air, and he knitted his fingers behind his neck.

They wrestled him to the ground carelessly. They didn't save him any mercy. His
head was slammed to the stone, his arms pinned behind his back. Knees were
pressed to his spine. He didn't care. It didn't hurt. He let them. It was his time to
pay.

Two guards accursed a disguised spell around his wrists, keeping them tied
together as they dragged him up by his arms, and they trawled his body down the
hall. His feet scraped against the ground. His head was forced to hang.

Draco was shortly thrown into a small, closed-off room. No windows. No lights.
Simply a mattress covering the floor. They stared at him for a mere minute like
he was a caged animal ready to perform until the door slammed shut, and he saw
nothing but darkness.
October 22nd, 2002.

Day two.

''Get up!'' The leader shouted. He could tell he was the one in charge because
when he didn't comply, the guards stormed past the man and compelled him to
rise on his knees. His mouth tasted sour out of metallic tang of blood, caused by
the beating he'd taken.

In the middle of the night, four guards stormed in, and they tortured him in the
most inhumane ways, only to leave him bleeding on the ground.

''You really need to be taught manners, Malfoy,'' The man spat, ''My name is
Smith, and I am in charge of the inmates standing trial here at the Ministry.''

Draco didn't look at him. He solely grinned at the ground.

''Something you find amusing, son?'' Smith shouted, pointing his wand at the
blond, ''You'll learn to behave here. Your little witch might have burnt Azkaban
to the ground, but worse locations were built in its place.''

Malfoy scoffed, tilting his head up as he let out half a chuckle, ''You know who I
am. You know what I've done, and you know what I'm standing trial for,'' He
warned, ''I suggest you ease down there, tough guy, because an attitude like that
does nothing to me.''

It left the man gawking. His eyes flickering the guards around them, feeling
diminished, ''You're done for. '' He stated, and then, then Draco saw nothing but
darkness again.

October 25th, 2002.

Day five.

Draco was violently dragged out of his cell. It took his eyes a slight moment to
get used to the flickering lights outside his cell. His feet once again raked against
the ground, but this time they didn't take him in the direction he was used to.

Normally, they'd take him to a room on the far edge of the building where they
tortured him with past memories. They planted visions of bodies, innocent
people he'd killed, recollections he had been ripped off because the Dark Lord
didn't wish for him to remember — they forced it all on display for him.

They tried to break him before the trial. They tried to make him a lesser, more
fragile version of himself, but Malfoy didn't cave.

He didn't cave. He tried to stay afloat, not crumbling at the torment they so
viciously meant to cause upon him. He hadn't let his walls down. He stayed
solid, even if it got harder. Every day that passed, every minute he didn't get to
hold his daughter or kiss Amelie was worse than anything they could ever coerce
upon him.

This time they took him to a room with what looked like a bathtub in the middle
of it. Water. Piping hot mist streamed from it.

Drown him. They were going to drown him.

Darkness.

November 3rd, 2002.

Day fourteen.

His spine collided with the cellar wall as they threw him back into his cube of
evil. His head hung, his eyes didn't have the strength to stay open. They were
starving him now. Seeing how many days he was able to go without water until
he passed out due to dehydration. He did, after five days.

Malfoy was fading. They were stripping him of everything he ever lived to be,
and if he even tried to fight back, they threatened him with Amelie. How they
knew about the lives, she took while leveling Azkaban with the ground. It was
either her or him.

She or him. She or him. They tried to make it a choice, as if it ever was one, to
begin with. They tried to work inside his mind, but without luck. Malfoy was
trained well, and he had learned the resistance against the magic they sought to
break him with.

It was beginning to hurt. Everything was beginning to ache a little.

Don't cave. Don't cave. Don't cave.

November 12th, 2002.

Day twenty-three.

''No!'' Malfoy screamed, once again being shown just how much of a monster he
was before she turned him human. They showed him the children. They showed
him the mothers. They showed him the men, ''Please, stop!''

They threatened Talia. They threatened Amelie. They threatened Atlas. Over and
over. Again and again.

Draco wished he could die. That was all he wished for, that they one day would
hurt him too much, make him bleed more than he could spare, leave him without
food for one more day, allowing him to starve to death, but no. They knew
exactly where to stop in order for his body to heal, and then they did it again and
again and again.

Smith's favorite way to go was to carve his scars open, to make Draco scream for
his life as they ripped the knives through his chest. Over and over.

Die. He wished he could die.

Don't cave. Don't cave. Don't cave.

November 20th, 2002.

Day thirty-one.

A hearing. That was all they told him as they threw the clothes he'd arrived in
into his cell. The black suit. The white shirt. The shirt he clothed in after his
night with her, after betraying her in the worst way by leaving her. The shirt still
had a thread of hair from his daughter glued to it. He wanted to die.

Get dressed. You have a minute, they continued. He didn't understand much
anymore. He barely grasped what day it was. He was so weak. Draco had never
been this weak before.

Die. He just wanted to die.

''In here,'' They pushed him out in an oval room, his irises stung. His chest
ached. His mind clouded. He couldn't think as they dragged him down onto a
chair, tied his wrists to it.

The setting was large. Voices mirrored.

Someone talked. He couldn't hear them. They talked again—still nothing.

He blinked. He couldn't see. The spells they'd cursed his eyes with had turned
his vision blurry.

Draco couldn't breathe properly. He coughed out, blood stained the sleeve of his
suit. Daggers brutally dragged down his throat. He was sick. Between the heated
water they so maliciously poured over him following the ice-cold shower they
made him take, he had gotten sick.

His head fell back against the chair. He could hear people argue around him.
There were too many voices to make out a thing.

Dying. Perhaps he was finally dying now.

Rest. He needed rest.

He fainted.

Don't cave.

December 2nd, 2002.

Day forty-three.

''Let's try again, shall we?'' The minister asked politely as he looked down at
Draco from his chair. He was sitting high up, above everyone else, ''Are you
feeling any better now, son?''

Malfoy swallowed. He didn't quite know where he was anymore. He

remembered the last days as if they were a dream. A nightmare. He recalled the
noise of a beeping sound, something constantly ringing in his ears. He placed an
infirmary, a nurse making him drink a potion that tasted rotten. It still felt in the
back of his throat when it came to his mind.
Draco nodded. The minister cleared his throat, ''Well, I suppose you are aware of
what charges you are facing, Mr. Malfoy?''

''I am,'' Draco gritted, boring his stare through the floor, ''Sir,''

''You have failed this world terribly. There isn't an excuse for what you have
done, and I'd like to know more of the tasks you carried out for the Dark Lord
during the years as his servant.''

It became hazy again. The reality was fading. His mind was protecting itself.

Don't cave. Don't cave. Don't cave.

December 16th, 2002.

Day fifty-one.

It was almost Christmas. They told him it was. He had been gone for over fifty
days now. There were fifty marks on his wall. He'd clawed them into the stone.
His fingers bled, but it didn't hurt. Nothing hurt more than being away from
them.

He couldn't even think about his family without breaking. How he knew Amelie
would cry herself to sleep, in loneliness at night. All because she wouldn't want
Talia to see her crying. All because she would never worry about their daughter.
Talia. She turned two years and seven months two days ago.

He cried.

Draco cried again.

He couldn't think about them. It was too hard.

He threw up. He passed out.

It was dark.

Darkness.

He was so close to caving.

December 30th, 2002.

Day sixty-five.

''Are you ready to plead guilty?'' The minister asked. His temper began to falter.
They had been going at this for two months. Over sixty days, ''For the crimes,
the world know you committed?''

Draco swallowed the taste of blood as it soared in the back of his throat. The
torture was turning viler. The methods were more brutal.

He didn't answer.

''Very well then.'' The man said, annoyed, ''Take him back to his cell and
continue the lectures.''

Death. Draco just wanted to die.

He would rather die than cave.

January 10th, 2003.

Day seventy-six.

''One last chance, son.'' The minister said as the guards chained him to his chair.
They spent another two, almost three weeks torturing him. He didn't care that
they did. He couldn't care. They said it was the last day. The last hearing. Four
months.

''You have one last chance.''

They showed him his sins again, what he'd done, who he'd killed and
slaughtered. They showed him things he didn't even remember. He had no
recollection.

''You will be sentenced to death, either way, Malfoy. Do us all a favor and plead
guilty.''

He didn't. Draco pushed his lips together.

''This is unbelievable—''
''Sir, if we perhaps...''

''No!''

He wasn't having it. Any of it. He craved for Draco to plead guilty.

''What about your wife, Malfoy?''

That earned his attention, Malfoy snapped his head. Looking straight at the man
in charge with murderous eyes. Draco didn't speak much anymore. It hurt to
speak.

''There we go,'' He pulled at his cloak, straightening his collar, ''What if I were
to...let's say build a case against your wife? Leave your child to grow up by
itself?''

Draco looked away. If he weren't surrounded by that many people, he would tear
the head of that man off his neck, and he'd feed it to animals. That's how
threatening his daughter caused Draco to feel.

His lack of answers caused the Minister to lash out. He was shouting and
cursing. He didn't have any control anymore, ''Plead guilty!''

Malfoy merely rolled his eyes. Dryly shaking his head.

''Do you?'' The Minister shouted, harder this time, ''Do you plead guilty, or do
we have to rule against you? This will be much more pleasant for all of us you
plead guilty—''

Still nothing. Not a movement as he sat so provokingly still in his chair.

''Kill him!'' The minister growled, his voice shook the room, ''Kill him. Then kill
his wife and child!''

That caused Draco to feel loops of panic. Death. He was going to be sentenced
to death. He should be happy. He wished for this all along. He wanted to die. He
had begged to the heavens to die. For this world to grant him mercy.

He always wanted to leave, to rest, but he didn't want to die on their terms. He
didn't want to fall at their satisfaction. He didn't want to fall at their ruling.
He was guilty. He had indeed executed every deed the Dark Lord forced him
into. Willingly or not didn't play a part in the Ministry's eyes.

They didn't mind that Draco was compelled, that he was manipulated to a point
where he barely knew his own name, and that his father stood beside the vicious
lead and watched as his son slaughtered innocent souls to their satisfaction.

In their vision, someone needed to fall. Someone needed to take responsibility

for the lost lives, and as one of the last standing men with that mark inked to his
arm, he was the one they chose. Draco Malfoy was going to fall, one way or
another.

''Right now!'' He slammed his fists to the table, standing up and pointing his
wand at Draco, ''You plead in our favor right this second, or I will personally see
to it that your wife and your child face the same consequences you will!''

''Sir!'' One of the ladies beside him whispered, but he didn't care. He didn't listen.
He was spiraling. Heads were going to roll for every ounce of blood that was
spilled during Voldemort's regime, ''You need to—''

''Execute him!'' He waved his hands at the guards, but even they hesitated, ''Right
now! Execute him!''

They slowly began to move towards Draco as he still remained in his chair,
chained. It was over now. He knew it was. It was done for. He was done for.

Talia would never see her father again. Amelie would die herself in the missing
of him. His mother would never forgive herself. Atlas would be alone.

Over. It was over.

After twenty-one years on this miserable earth, Draco Malfoy was meant to die.
He was going to fall. He was falling.

Mumbling among the other rulers mirrored. Voices lowered and raised. The
tension was dread-filled. Horrifying.

It was time. He had to pay. He had to fall.

Someone yanked his head back. A wand was pushed into his neck. Done. Over.
It was over.

''Kill him! I said kill him right this second or I will have all your heads served—''

The room was hushed.

The workers of the law next to the minister pushed their lips together—footsteps
were heard. No one said a word.

Draco tried to twist his spine, looking over his shoulder to see what the rest was
so frighteningly staring at. Coldness dragged in. Someone that wasn't supposed
to be there suddenly was.

''I do, Minister,'' The voice said harshly, ''I take full responsibility, and I plead
guilty to all charges.''

Draco closed his eyes. He didn't know if it was sorrow or relief he felt, but
something stormed through him as he felt a hand taking a squeezing grip of his
shoulder. He released a shaking breath.

Lucius. It was his father.

''I hope you can forgive me for running a bit late, son,'' He mumbled, dropping
his touch from Draco's arm and facing the ruling of their world.

''I, Lucius Malfoy, the true right hand of Voldemort, plead guilty for all charges.''

The minister looked like he could faint. His skin was burning red. His fists
balled, and before he could even open his mouth — every last one of his workers
stood up.

One lady lifted her hand in the air, ''All in favor for Lucius Malfoy to be
convicted of all crimes and free Draco Malfoy from all charges?''

Each and everyone stated their voice—the sound of the letter that would come to
be his favorite one echoed throughout the room.

Draco couldn't even blink. He didn't know how to anymore.

The lady turned to face him. Her face held a gracious smile, ''You're free to go.''
He didn't. He didn't understand a thing. It wasn't until his father stepped around
his chair, looking at him with so much apology in his eyes, that it shook his son.
He was sorry. He was so sorry for everything he'd ever done. This was his
pardon. He gave his life for Draco's, ''She's outside, son.''

That was it for Draco. That was the thing bringing him back to being—the words
clocking him out of his locked mind.

The guards didn't earn a chance to free him of his chains before Draco tore them
to pieces. He stood up, taking a breath and staring blankly at his father. He was
sorry too. ''I don't—''

''I know.'' Lucius took a seat in the chair instead, ready to term with his true
faith. He finally did what he should've done years ago, ''Protect your family in
ways I failed mine, son. Now go. She's waiting for you.''

Then, he ran.

Draco marched his way out of that courtroom, leaving his father behind. He ran,
and he ran, and he ran. He didn't stop. Draco didn't stop at anything until he was
standing outside, in the wintery air, with rain as it firmly slammed to the ground.

It was raining. Of course, it was raining.

Draco ever so brought the rain.

''Draco!''

Her voice was an angelic calling from above. He barely believed it to be real. He
didn't see her. He looked around, but he couldn't make her out among the
moving bodies around them.

''Draco!''

Again. Perhaps he was dead. Perhaps they indeed killed him inside that
courtroom, and this was heaven. She was his heaven. His Amelie. Her. Her and
all her. Always her.

His heart stopped. Not a beat caused his blood to push throughout him because
there she was.
Amelie.

His Amelie.

It felt like time stopped. As if the world moved slowly. As if he saw her for the
very first time again.

The icing rain felt so warm upon his skin.

She was there. She was right there, shouldering her way through the sea of
humans around them. So much was occurring, cars were driving, people were
chattering, church bells were ringing, yet all he saw was her.

She was running, so was he. Neither of them stopped until her legs were
wrapped around his waist. Amelie threw herself right at him, into the shelter of
his arms, and she didn't let go. She would never let go again.

Draco sobbed out, feeling her arms as they hooked a solid grip around his neck.
He cried into her shoulder. She didn't say anything. People stared at them from
around, but all they saw was each other. Them. Them. Them. He and her.
Always.

''I love you,'' He gasped, looking up at her as she tightened the grip on him.
Breaking. Draco Malfoy was breaking. He was crashing and falling in ways no
torture ever could drive him to do. He was free. He was free with her. They were
free now.

''I love you,'' His lips pushed against hers. He kissed her, repeatedly, relentlessly,
over and over, again and again. He kissed her so much that neither of them could
breathe, ''I love you. I love you. I love you.''

Amelie shattered in a sob. He couldn't make out of it was her tears, his tears, or
the rain that stained their skin. He didn't care. He kissed her. His lips moving
against hers. Her fingers tangled in his damp hair. His body finally finding
peace.

''I love you,'' She whispered, heartbreakingly yet so mending, ''I love you,
Draco.''

He caved. He caved. He caved.

He would always cave for her.

She slowly slipped from his arms, staying so close to him through the chaos
around them. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. He didn't want to blink. He
didn't want to miss one single split second of looking at her.

She was there. Right there. After months apart, they would never let the other go
ever again. It was them. It would always be them now.

Tears stained his exhausted eyes. He was tired. Draco Malfoy was so tired. He
was done. He was finished, yet he'd never felt more alive because there she was
—his every reason to keep fighting.

Her. Her. Her.

It had always been her to him.

She was crying, oh how that girl was crying and he was falling apart. He was
crashing and flaming until he finally had the chance to hold her again, and he did
now. He held her. He felt her purity on his damned lips. He was alive. She was
breathing.

Draco had earned his freedom. His peace. His days with her. With them.

Draco Malfoy was, at last, after twenty-one years of burning in his very own
hell, free.

He was free.

They simply looked at each other, falling in love over and over again.

Malfoy would always fall for her.

''I'm sorry—'' He tried to speak, but she shook her head at him. Tears kept
leaking from the lids of her eyes. Beautiful. She was so beautiful. So captivating
that he didn't even notice. Draco failed to see what was on full display in front of
him. He kissed her again, his hands on her jaws, ''Fuck— Amelie, I love you.''

She smiled. Amelie smiled against his lips as she leaned back, causing him to
feel empty without her body pressed to his. He blinked, surprised. Gaping and
staring.

''I'm yours, and you're mine...'' Amelie whispered through thunder as it echoed
around them, rain as it poured. Her fingers seeking and finding his. She took
them closer to her, resting them upon that little heart she carried.

Another little heart.

Draco cried. He shook, realizing what she meant. She whimpered.

Amelie tried to smile through her tears. Her beautiful tears, as she said, ''And this
is ours.''
 Act-three

This chapter contains mentions of abuse and violent actions. Please read
with caution.

I am so sorry.<3

_____

Amelie Avery Malfoy.

August 2015.

She grabbed another box, moving it out of the way to make more room. She
didn't need more space. They had a whole Manor to store things in, but she
wished to be practical, to save as much room as she possibly could.

Amelie smiled. A shy arch came across her mouth as she picked out the things
filling the packages. Her eyes fell dearly over the stuffed animals placed in one
of them.

They used to belong to Talia and Teddy.

Her little hearts, she laid them back down before turning to another box, and she
did the same thing there. She smiled. She huffed out at the books crowded in that
one.

It was Talia's old books. Amelie remembered reading to her when she was little,
she wasn't as little anymore, but she still adored it when they read together.

Sometimes, when life got a bit too heavy for her daughter, she'd come knocking
on Amelie's door, seeing how her mother was scribbling something in her leather
book, and she asked if they could go downstairs. Amelie always knew what that
meant.

They nestled up in front of the sofa, on the floor right by the fireplace, and it
didn't matter if it was the middle of summer or if it was cold and gloomy outside,
they ever so did that, and Amelie read. She read and read and read to her
daughter, having her head on her lap, brushing her fingers over her hair. It was
their favorite thing to do.

Talia didn't live to be too much like Amelie, not like little Teddy was.

He was her in the flesh. He looked like his father, the blond hair, the sharp nose,
but he wasn't anything like him. Teddy was careful, gentle, calm. She would
usually find him in the garden, picking flowers that later were placed on her
pillow. He would talk to the birds, and he would make sure he gave them
breakfast before eating anything himself. He had her eyes and her soul.

Amelie and Teddy were so much alike, as if he was a tiny version of her all over
again.

While Talia was outspoken, open, straight to the point, she never stood down
from a challenge. She was tough, honorable, good. She had the kindest heart,
and sometimes, Amelie saw a little too much of Draco in her. She loved the
spirit Talia carried. She loved that she reminded her of Draco.

Amelie shook her head, feeling the warmth as it spread through her. Sensing the
bright feeling her perfect little family caused her.

Her arms dipped into another box. She smiled at the princess dresses.

Talia loved holding tea parties and would always throw a tantrum because her
father wasn't wearing a dress. It went so far that he wasn't allowed to be near her
when she was turning that side out. Narcissa made him one, and when Talia least
expected it, Draco joined her parties in a princess dress.

She was never mad after that.

Amelie let going through that box, until her heart missed a beat. It was one of
Draco's old suits, the black, handsome suit he ever so wore. To this day, she
couldn't believe how one person was able to own that many of the same kind.

Bringing it up to her nose, she buried her face in the soft material. Him. It was
his scent. The most perfect scent there would ever be. Home. It smelled like
home, that never changed, and neither did he. Her Draco. Her beautiful Draco.
Act two.

October 21st, 2002.

She woke up with her breath caught in her throat. The late autumn sun flickered
in between the curtains. Amelie sat up, quickly pulling the covers over her chest,
and she looked around. Nothing. He wasn't there.

''No, no, no....'' She whispered to herself, crawling off the bed and reaching for
her night robe. The silky material slipped over her bare frame, and she knotted it
over her stomach. Running out of their room, Amelie didn't stop until she tore
the door to her daughter's room open, and she saw their little life already sitting
up in her bed, ready for her mother to pick her up.

Her heart dropped. Amelie's heart fell and ripped through her before crashing
into the pit of her stomach. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be true.

''Little love,'' Her tone was so thin, weakly walking across the floor and reaching
down to take Talia in her arms. She hugged her so close, settling the tiny life
over her belly, they made their way downstairs.

Amelie hoped and believed with everything that what she knew would be true
wasn't. She knew he wouldn't be here anymore, that he would be gone. He said
goodbye to her the night before, she remembered. It was one of the most
heartbreaking nights of her life.

''Amelie...''

Narcissa was looking straight at her as she marched through the doors, Talia
wrapped around he waist. There was a burst in her vocals, something that
crackled, something Amelie hoped she was mistaken about, but she wasn't.

His mother looked at her with so much apology as it crammed her dark eyes.
There was something so rueful stained in her irises. It broke Amelie's heart. She
didn't even make it all way inside the kitchen until her lower lip began to quiver.
Tears prickled in her bronzed eyes.

She couldn't breathe, Narcissa noticed. The lady hurried up to them, and she took
Talia in her arms, running over to the pool of blankets on the floor, covered in
toys and stuffed animals, and she let the little girl down before she was right
back with Amelie.

Narcissa caught her right in time before her knees could bruise along the marble
ground. She fell with her. Amelie couldn't think.

''Please—'' She sobbed out, her insides wrenching, ''Don't—''

Narcissa took her head in her palms, and she placed it on her shoulder, ''He'll be
back.'' She tried to comfort, over and over, ''He will always come back for you.''

Her vision was blurry. Her mind was clouded and dark. It felt like she died. It
truly felt as if a piece of Amelie's heart went with him, and it did because there
she was, on her knees on the floor, begging over and over for this to be a trick,
something not real. Something inside her head. Something wicked still lingering
from the war, but it wasn't.

It was real

He was gone.

''He wanted this, Amelie....'' Narcissa pushed her lips into her head, ''He wants
you to be safe.''

''But what if I don't—'' Her words rolled off her tongue in an utter mess. She
couldn't shape her tells properly, ''I can't— I don't want to do this without him—''

''You knew that this was coming, sooner or later, Amelie. He needs to take
responsibility for what—''

''Don't give me that!'' She snapped. Pushing herself off the floor, stumbling
several steps back, ''Don't give me that moral talk. He saved everyone. Even if
they don't know it, he fought for us, all of us. He doesn't—''

''Amelie, please...'' Narcissa could feel what that breaking girl was meant to do.
She was heading towards the door, ''Don't do this.''

''Then what am I supposed to do?'' Amelie yelled out, turning around and facing
Narcissa in a drastic move, ''Give up on him? Let him go? Let him take the
blame for what that monster put him through?''
Tears were streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably, ''We have a daughter
now. We have Atlas. What example am I setting if I just let him go without a
fight? He's my Draco! He's my husband, he's her father—'' She pointed a direct
finger at Talia, feeling as if she was losing her mind.

''He deserves to be fought for. He deserves that I at least try to fix this.'' Her
voice thinned out, shaking her head as her hair spilled wildly around her, ''He
doesn't deserve whatever they'll put him through. He killed for him. He killed
their people, he—''

She was breaking. Amelie was crashing into the indefinite ground in the missing
of him.

She swallowed the bitterness in her mouth, gulping on her sobs, ''I'm not giving
up on him. I refuse to give up on him.''

Narcissa's lips parted. Her heart ached for that girl and what she still had to
handle. They were supposed to be free. They had earned their peace, yet the
world didn't seem to give her more than a second of it. This sphere, the life she
lived, still robbed her of everything.

Amelie walked out. She left Talia with Narcissa, and she ran upstairs, taking her
wand in her fist as she twitched her wrist.

The reality looped around her. Magic brought her to where she needed to be. It
was a huge building. Glass covered the entire inside of it as people rushed
around her.

She didn't stall a second, Amelie marched her way to the elevators, and she
stepped inside one. The man already standing inside it looked at her
bewilderingly. She stared back, not completely clear that the only thing still
coating her body was her night robe.

''Ma'am?'' He questioned, tilting his head as the red hat on his head followed the
movement, ''Where to?''

Amelie drew a breath, her bare feet stung along the cold ground, ''Where do they
take inmates? People who turn themselves in?''

He blinked quickly. He didn't think the girl holding in a complete mess in front
of her could get any stranger. Amelie's hair was tousled, her chin stained in tears,
''That would be to the criminal wing, but ma'am...'' He hesitated as the doors
closed, ''That doesn't seem to be the right place for you.''

''Take me there.''

''But—''

''Now!'' She harshly whispered, wrapping her arms around herself and pressing
her spine tightly against the wall behind her, ''Please.''

He shook his head, disappointingly almost, and with a thunderous sigh, he

pressed a button.

She held onto the walls for dear life as the cube moved rashly.

It came to an abrupt stop, causing her to jolt forward. Her fingers grasped at the
metal bars as they opened.

''The criminal wing, ma'am.'' The man said, shooting a puzzled glare at her, ''If
you're absolutely sure you wish to jump off here.''

She inhaled sharply at the horrifying surroundings. The hallway was pitch dark.
Black tile covered the whole corridor as she carefully stepped off, looking over
her shoulder, ''Thank you,'' Amelie whispered before she walked down the hall.

Guards stood along the walls the further she went. Their inky suits strained
across their tensed bodies, and their wands were held high.

Amelie was scared. She was terrified, but she was even more furious. The sparks
of fire torched inside her the second her eye caught a desk at the end of the
corridor. Her severe steps echoed along with the tile for each step she seized
until she was standing in front of the man, sitting nonchalantly behind the wood.

Amelie cleared her throat, earning his attention almost immediately.

He gave her a dry look, tipping over his desk a bit to see her properly. He
scoffed, ''Yes?'' He raised a brow, and it was the driest word she had ever heard
anyone speak.
''I believe you have an inmate here that I'd like to see.'' Her voice was forceful,
demanding, ''Draco Malfoy.''

The guard's eyes widened, and he sunk back into his chair, ''Never heard of that
name.'' He stated shortly before he began fiddling with the papers in front of him
again. He sounded nervous, she could tell.

''Rubbish,'' Amelie yanked her head back, glaring at him now, ''He's here. We
both know he is. So why don't you save us the trouble and let me see him.''

The guard looked at her again, and it was a slight delay in his answer. His sight
darted over her head, and he snapped his fingers, ''Unfortunately, Mrs. Malfoy, I
won't be able—''

''How do you know who I am?''

Her words left him gulping. He couldn't answer that either. Dread grew to take
over his sharp features, and he snapped his fingers again, harder this time. Two
of the guards behind her slowly moved closer. When they were standing right
next to her, practically breathing down her neck — Amelie snapped her own
fingers while twitching her wand.

The two men flew back. She didn't even look at them. She bored her intense
stare at the man in front of her, ''It's clear to me that you've been warned that I
might show up here, so instead of wasting my time, let me talk to the person who
told you not to let me in.''

He raised to his feet, pressing his palms into the table. His jaws clenched for a
second, the ticking muscles in them tensed. He gave a quick nod of his head,
allowing one of the still-standing guards to do as she told.

Amelie paced back and forth in front of that desk. Her sight grounded as she
wondered if she took water far above her head with this. If she should've stayed
behind with her daughter and let his mother come and reason with them, but she
didn't have the patience for that. When it came to Draco, she wouldn't cave. She
couldn't.

''Miss Avery...'' A man's voice mirrored through the hallway, ''Or should I say
Mrs. Malfoy?''
She looked around. She didn't see anything. She didn't see anyone. The desk was
gone. The men around it had vanished. Amelie scowled at the darkness
consuming her until she faded. Her mind giving in to whatever was happening,
and she fainted.

_____

It didn't take long until she woke up, her spine pressed against the cold ground,
someone was holding her down. Slowly, she peeled her lashes wide. The bright
light tore through her pupils, shining right at her.

''What—'' Her gasp echoed, reflected amongst every man standing in that tiny
room they'd placed her in, ''Let me go.''

Someone cleared their throat, flipping something in the cool air. She winced as
they promptly let go of her. Their hands allowing her to move now, and she did.
Amelie jerked off that floor hastily. She stood up, trying to make out what was
happening around her.

Her head was dizzy. Her vision was everything but clear as she wrapped the
night robe tighter around her shaking body. She was scared again, holding alone
in a room with over a dozen men.

''So, you decide to storm into my ministry and cause a scene?'' The man talking
stood with his spine facing her, ''That's one foolish thing to do.''

Amelie shook her head. Her eyes grew broad in disbelief. She hardly grasped
what was occurring, ''Who are you—''

Her breathing was shallow, non-existent, barely there.

''Isn't it obvious?'' The man gripped the ledge of the glass he faced, ''I'm the man
in charge.''

''Minister.'' She didn't dare to look at him anymore, scared it would do more
harm than good. He so clearly knew about her already, ''What are we doing in
here?''

He huffed out a dry chuckle before he turned around, and he faced her, smiling
devilishly, ''Isn't that a little too obvious as well? What house did your file say...
ah, Ravenclaw. Could've fooled me.''

Her world couldn't get any darker. Her life couldn't fail her more than it had
already. She didn't know him, and he was already taunting her. Her brows
dragged together, frowning.

''But let's not be hostile with another....'' He continued, sucking his inner cheek in
and facing the glass again, ''I suppose there's a reason you're here? In my
Ministry?''

''I don't—'' She looked away, nearly sensing as her soul left her body, but the
worry for Draco kept her sane. He was still in danger, ''Where is he?''

He tapped his fingers upon the glass, tipping his head and gesturing for her to
stand beside him. Amelie hesitated as she snaked a glance across the room. She
didn't stand a chance, and it left her with no choice.

She did as he wished for her to do. Amelie positioned herself next to him,
watching the reflection of them in the glass. Only darkness scored on the other
side, ''What is this?'' She asked, shockingly. Still not processing the fact that they
took her into a hidden room, ''Why are we—''

''Turn the lights on, will you?'' He shot a quick look over his shoulder, talking to
one of the guards, ''You see, dear....'' He huffed out, sounding far too amused,
''When Malfoy turned himself in last night, I figured you'd come running, so I
orchestrated something for you.'' His hand splayed wide, smoothly signaling for
the glass.

The light turned on.

Draco.

It was Draco.

''No!'' Amelie slammed her fists into the glass. Tears filled her eyes as she
watched what they did to him. They beat him. They tortured him right in front of
her. He wasn't conscious. His eyes were closed, his mouth hanging wide. His
head tilted back, ''Please—''

The man stepped back, moving to pace around her, ''As you know, your husband
isn't like any other Death Eater. He's the vilest one of his kind. He's a monster.
He was as ruthless as the Dark Lord was, if not worse at times. I've seen it with
my own eyes. I was on sight several times after one of his executions. It was a
blood bath. He slaughtered people like they weren't living creatures to begin
with.''

Amelie couldn't listen. She couldn't focus. She kept hitting the glass.

''And he was only seventeen at that time. He was a bloody child, and still, he
held no remorse for human life. He took it like you take candy from a child. He
killed and killed, and I see it highly appropriate that he pay for the sins he
committed.''

Amelie's stomach flipped. She felt sick as it rocked within her.

''He will be put on trial after a month in isolation with the treatment I see fitting
for this matter. What you're looking at right now is nothing compared to what
they'll do to him if he doesn't plead guilty.''

Amelie was hyperventilating, ''Please, don't do this—''

The man locked his fingers behind his back, tilting forward a bit, ''I offered him
a deal. He or you. Of course, he chose to give himself up, than to sacrifice you
and your daughter.''

''Let him go—'' Amelie still tried to fight, even if they all knew it was in vain,
''Let him go, and I'll do anything. I'll do anything you—''

The Minister let his fist collide with the glass, earning her attention as she
flinched back, ''Do you want me to lock you up as well? I would be delighted to
do so, Mrs. Malfoy. From what I understood, you played quite a part in taking
lives—''

''No,'' Her teeth gritted, tears spilled from her eyes, ''You don't get to pretend that
you know what he's done and what he's been through. You said it yourself. He
was a child. He was manipulated and forced into—''

The man merely looked at her. Studying the woman she'd become, she wasn't
anything he'd read. She wasn't the abused child, the confused mind her files said
she was.
''You are the Minister of magic, and still, you torture him. You know who's to
blame for this, and it isn't Draco. You just want a scapegoat to blame this on
because the Dark Lord is dead, and Lucius Malfoy is nowhere to be found. This
has nothing to do with Draco. This has everything to do with you, needing to
win the people over, to make them trust you. But let me tell you one thing,''
Amelie took a threatening step closer, ''As you said, you read my file. You know
what I've done, who I am. You know what I have to protect and when a mother
is in the survival mode for her child and that child's father... You don't know
what she'll do.''

''Is that a threat?'' He cut her short, the evilness in his eyes flamed, ''Because
threatening the Minister of magic might be the most foolish thing you'll ever do,
Mrs. Malfoy.''

''I was the Dark Lord's daughter for nineteen years, without anyone finding out.''
Amelie fought back. Her whole body was shaking, ''And when you did find out,
you threatened my husband with it. You forced him into leaving his child, his
wife, to be the reason you stay where you are, but I'm not ashamed. The world
can know who I am. I'll be happy to tell them, but with that, Minister—'' She was
intimidating now, ''With that, other secrets get out, and I will be the least of the
world's problem when they find out what your Ministry let pass by because you
were scared.''

''And who will believe you? You are a child. A child with the Riddle legacy, no
one—''

''Are you willing to take that chance? To believe that I don't know what
happened within those walls? You are torturing my husband as we speak,
Minister. If anyone is the sinner here, it's you.''

''I am the man in charge now, Mrs. Malfoy, and when I say that Draco Malfoy
will be held accountable for the things he's done. He will. For the public eye, I
will keep my honorable facade up, and you will accept it. You will take
whatever headline is written, and you'll stay quiet — he will be charged and
convicted for being a Death Eater and the most ruthless one at that. That is how
this will play out unless you want your name to be added to that list?''

''Don't—' She took her hand to her mouth, muffling the sounds that fled her chest
at the vision of Draco nearly being killed behind that glass. Her throat closed in
on her, ''He didn't do this. He's not responsible for what your Ministry failed to
protect him from.''

''He's going down. One way or another, but the remaining question is, are you
going with him? Or will your child have at least one parent standing when this is
over?''

It was a threat. An indirect ultimatum. A warning.

Amelie didn't do well with his menaces, not when Draco was at stake, ''My
daughter,'' She said, taking a step closer to the man now, ''My daughter will have
both her parents standing when this is over. Draco Malfoy will be returned to
me, and if you're not willing to own up and take accountability for what your
Ministry failed to see, that's on you, but don't you dare drag my husband into
your wishes to stay in power. He's not the one who should pay for this. He was a
child.''

''What if I take your child?'' He sneered, growing impatient with her lack of
standing down, ''What if I take that little girl away from you? What is she now,
two and a half? She'd be put in a shelter—''

Amelie took three steps forward, ready to hurt that man standing in front of her,
but she halted the second his men grabbed her shoulders. He stared at her wide-
eyed, brushing the fabric of his suit off, ''You'll learn how to behave, Mrs.
Malfoy. As I said... I read all about you before I decided to go after your
husband. The best friend you sent overseas, the little orphan brother, the
divorced mother-in-law. Adrian Pucey. Blaise Zabini. Hermione Granger. Pansy
Parkinson—''

''Don't you dare!'' Amelie yanked her arms back, trying to free herself, ''Don't
you dare speak their names.''

''He is responsible for their deaths, every last one of them, child.'' He seethed
evilly again, ''You should take a look through that bloody glass, and you should
see the refection of a killer. He might have helped this world free itself from the
darkness keeping it locked down, but don't you forget how he poisoned it to
begin with.''

Amelie kept yanking. She kept twisting and turning her body in panic at Draco's
screams. She couldn't look at what they were doing to him. She wasn't strong
enough to keep fighting if she did, so instead, she tried to get loose.

''Sedate her if needed, she's—''

Amelie, with all strength she had, managed to snatch one of the guard's wands
out of his hand, and she aimed it at the window, whispering the explosive spell
beneath her breath.

The glass shattered. Nearly the whole wall went with it as all of the men
stumbled back. It all went by so fast — Amelie barely grasped what she was
doing until it was done.

She pushed herself forward, jumping over the crushed pieces of glass, and she
threw herself at Draco. His body was numb and lifeless on the ground as she
tugged at the material of his shirt. She cried. She tried to force his frame up with
hers, but it didn't comply. He was too hurt.

''I'll fix this,'' Amelie gasped, pushing her lips into his head. Her sight flickered,
noticing how the guards began to wake up from her doing.

She kissed his head again and again and again, tears spilled, ''I'll fix it, Draco. I'll
come back for you. I will always come back for you,'' Her voice cracking and
breaking. It even hurt to blink now. It hurt to exist without him close to her.

It didn't take more than a minute until the men breathed down her neck, and they
dragged her off Malfoy's body. The Minister stared at her, gapingly, before he
took his eyes off her, and he gave a quick arch of his eyebrow, signaling for his
servants to take her out of that room.

He was done with her. Finished. She heard what he wished to say, ''Don't you
forget this.'' He warned her, ''He will go down, but there's no reason for you to
go with him.''

Amelie was thrown onto her knees in front of the elevator. She rushed to get
back up, and she glared after the guards walking away.

Still feeling his body against hers. The moment they had the night prior still
haunted her mind. She could sense his lips on hers. His hands were on her body.
His touch and his words in her ear — to now, where she heard his screams
instead. His body bled, and his soul being drained.
She had to figure out a way to fix this. Amelie had to.

_____

The days passed so slowly. The minutes felt like hours. Every tick of that clock
echoing throughout that quiet mansion caused her to squirm. It felt to her as if it
was taunting her. As if the world was mocking one of the gravest losses in her
life.

The universe she was trapped in took everything from her, over and over. Again
and again. She saw nothing but darkness ahead of her, between the thoughts of
Draco never returning to her, all the way to her daughter growing up without her
father.

She was breaking, hurting, dying. She felt like she was dying.

The missing of Draco Malfoy was lethal, and for every day that went on without
him close to her, dragged her below the surface a bit more. Drowning. She was
drowning again.

She tried to go to the Ministry as often as she could, but they had banned her
from even entering the building. Having no clue what to do anymore, Narcissa
tried instead.

They fought and fought. They strived and brawled, but nothing. Draco couldn't
be saved from what was waiting for him.

Death. They were going to kill him.

The Minister released articles following articles in different papers and posts,
saying that Malfoy was the one to blame and the one that would take the blame
for what happened to their world.

November 24th, 2002.

It felt like she couldn't breathe. She couldn't drag the air her lungs craved down
her chest. Her throat closing in on her, her whole self caved. Amelie ruptured
and broke as she heard the sound echoing throughout the bathroom.

She was sitting in their bathtub again. Her wand pointed at her stomach as she
felt her whole world crumbling around her. She knew this would happen. Amelie
knew there was a possibility for this to be true.

He wanted another baby.

They created something so beautiful again.

Amelie was carrying another little heart. She was pregnant. The heartbeat
mirrored along the tile walls, nearly blooming as it caused rings to spread on the
surface of the water she was seated in.

Her head fell back. Her eyes closed. Tears. The tears were there again. She
hadn't cried in weeks. She didn't have the strength to cry. There were no tears
left for her to give. The sphere had taken them all from her.

Narcissa came to her rescue that day. She took her hand and helped her out of
the bathtub, she wrapped her into a towel, and she laid her down on their bed.

''And you're certain?'' She asked, looking down at Amelie as she shut her eyes,
gritting her teeth, ''Do you know for how long? In order for the spell—''

''The night he left,'' She whispered, balling the sheets between her fingers.
Amelie wanted another little human in her life too. There wasn't a thing she
wished for more than this when she and Draco talked about it, ''He said—''

''Shhh, dear.'' Narcissa nodded, slowly taking the wand to her belly, ''You don't
need to put yourself through that again. Think about this. This little miracle
found its way to you at this time. It's almost as if this is Draco's way of
protecting you.''

Amelie nodded. Her tears tasted salty in the corner of her mouth as she drew a
breath, feeling the magic rising around her.

Narcissa hummed. She nodded and worked her wand above Amelie's tiny bump.
Over another blessing in their lives. Pregnant. She was indeed pregnant.

''Something wrong?'' Amelie couldn't form her words properly. She couldn't
comprehend a thing, ''Is it—''

''Do you want to know?'' Narcissa withdrew her hands, only letting the bright
light swirl around them, ''What's growing inside you?''

She did, and she didn't. Amelie didn't know. She didn't know if she wished to
know. Not without him here. It was as much a piece of him as it was of her. She
shouldn't be doing this without him, but at the same time, she felt like she
needed to know.

There was another little heart now. He wanted this. They wanted this, and that
merely broke her heart more because he was supposed to be here. She wasn't
supposed to do this without him. He left her with this. He wanted her to have
something more when he was gone.

Her head brushed against her pillow, squeezing her eyes so hard that she saw
stars, ''Tell me.''

Narcissa smiled comfortably, her hands stroking along Amelie's jaw, ''It's a boy,
Amelie.''

She sobbed out. She had tears left to cry.

''You're having a healthy little boy.''

January 7th, 2003.

He'd been gone for three and a half months, and she was dying even more now.

Amelie did everything she could, even if it was nothing to do.

She went through every book, every lead, every loophole. Everything. She dug,
and scanned, researched, and studied but nothing. Their world had never seen a
trial similar to this one. She was helpless.

Standing in their room, she peered around.

She hated that room now. She absolutely loathed it. Most nights, she'd sleep in
the armchair Draco had placed in Talia's room. It was all she could manage,
sleeping curled up with his night clothes on.

It went so far that she even considered bringing Theodore back home, granting
his memories back, and having him help her. But Draco's words echoed in her
head when those thoughts came to mind, how she set him free for a reason, how
she wouldn't have done that if she weren't absolutely sure of her doings.

She let those thoughts go as quickly as they came.

''Amelie.''

She turned around. Her hands automatically fled to her stomach as she watched
the little boy standing in the doorway.

Forcing a smile, she rested her brows, looking dearly at her little brother, who
wasn't that little anymore. He'd grown so much over the past years, and it
wouldn't be long until he would be gone too.

He was turning eleven next year, and a new life away from them in Hogwarts
waited.

''Hi, love,'' She kept that smile, gazing down at him, nearly frowning at how he
was looking at her, ''What's wrong?''

Atlas stamped on the same spot a few times, seeming nervous, ''Can I tell you a
secret?''

She kneeled in front of him, reaching her arms out for him to take place in them,
''Of course you can.''

He stared down in his lap, almost shaking, ''Draco told me something before he
left....''

She scowled now, confusingly, ''What do you mean?''

''He...'' Atlas drew a long breath, feeling as he was betraying Malfoy, but he
couldn't see his sister this way anymore.

He couldn't have her hurt in the way she was. He couldn't miss Draco anymore
either, ''He said I had to keep it a secret. You were already in bed when he came
into my room, and he gave me something.''

''Atlas, what did he give you?'' Amelie shifted a bit in her position. Her eyes
stayed on her brother. Her heart began to pound, ''What—''
''He said he was going away and that he couldn't come home for a while, and he
said I couldn't tell you.'' Tears pooled in the little boy's eyes, ''I wanted to tell
you, but he said—''

Her arms wrapped around him, dragging him closer, ''It's alright....'' She
hummed, pressing her lips into his head, ''I know it's hard, but he needs us, Atlas,
so if he told you anything that I can use to find him, you have to tell me.''

Atlas nodded, ''He said I could only show you this if it was an emergency, if
something happens and we need help.''

Amelie's heart was bursting in the cage of her chest, hammering against her ribs
at a feral pace.

''I know I'm late... I know I should have said something when he left, but he
made me promise to wait.'' Atlas swallowed so hard. His face held a sad cloak, a
hurtful one, as he dipped his hand down his pocket and brought a piece of paper
up, ''Here.''

She took it heedlessly. Her fingers grasped at the tiny sheet. Her brows knitted,
her mouth pushed into a firm line as she blankly stared at it. All it contained was
an address. No name. No directions. No note. Nothing. Simply an address
outside of London.

''Altas... did he say—'' Amelie dropped the paper to the ground, ''Did he say what
this was? Who I can find here?''

The boy looked away. He felt so guilty. He had promised Draco not to say
anything. Malfoy told him never to tell anyone about that little scrunched-up
note, not even if he wasn't coming back. That address was something he had to
keep to himself.

''Talia's grandfather.''

Amelie's eyes grew enormous. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat as she
coughed out. Atlas flew to his feet, nearly holding his own breath. He was so
scared that she'd be mad at him. That she'd do something or say something
mean, but she didn't.

Of course, she didn't. She took a minute to collect herself before she crawled
forwards, and her arms once again wrapped around her brother. She hugged him
so closely because she knew what this meant.

It was a way out. She could get Draco back.

Cursing herself for not coming to that conclusion on her own, she kissed his
head, ''Thank you.'' She whispered, ''Thank you for telling me, Atlas.''

Amelie didn't spare a minute. She went to find her wand, looking into the living
room where Narcissa was playing with Talia, and she smiled. She felt hopeful.
For the first time in months, she felt hope.

Perhaps it all would be alright after all.

Hugging her wand in her fist, she raised it, and she breathed the magic to take
her to the address.

_____

Dark.

It turned dark around her. She could hardly make out a thing within that sea of
trees she stood in the middle of. In front of a tiny cabin.

This looked nothing like a safe house Lucius Malfoy would choose. It looked
poor. It was worn and weary. She was used to that man showering in wealth and
luxury.

Her steps were so insecure, so tender. She couldn't know if it was a trap she'd
walked in on. She couldn't know if this was someone tricking her, but Amelie
was more than willing to take that chance. When it came to Draco being free and
coming back to them — she'd do anything necessary to make that happen.

Her hand was shaking frantically as her knuckles collided with the wood.
Knocking on the door confidently, even if she felt like she was crumbling
within.

It turned still around her. Like the air stopped breezing, the world ceased.

And then, suddenly, the door slammed open, and a wand was aimed at her. His
whole self startled as if he'd seen a ghost. ''What the hell are you doing here?''
The man snapped. His voice was rigid. His face told it all. He wasn't pleased
with all to see her, ''You need to leave.''

Amelie took a step closer to him. Her wand tensely hugged in her fist. She was
fearful when it came to him, ''Lucius—''

''No.'' He said, dense and serious, blocking her way. ''You can't be here. If
anyone followed you—''

''No one followed me,'' She countered, her answer was fast, certain, ''No one
knows where you are.''

He rose his brows, flipping a stray strand of blond hair off his shoulder, ''Then
how come a witch like yourself found me that easily? He's only been in holding
for a few months—''

''Three,'' Amelie swallowed the doubt she felt as it rocked within her, ''He's been
locked up for three months, Lucius. Almost four now.''

The man scoffed, seeming unconcerned, ''Well who keeps count—''

''I do,'' Amelie spoke, taking another step into the house he was hiding in, he
backed up, ''I do. His mother does. My little brother does too. All of us keep
count.''

Lucius visibly tensed, his shoulders straight like he had something to prove for
his nonchalant answers, ''I suppose that's why you're here? Because you believe I
can do something for my son?''

She nodded, he scoffed again, ''Well, let me make this little visit a short one. I
can't. I can't help you. So do us both a favor and leave.''

He turned around, waking further into his house, but instead of obeying his
command, Amelie walked after him. All the way to his kitchen, where he turned
back around and let out a displeased sound.

''I don't know what you expect me to do. They can not find out about me being
alive. Everyone is in the belief that I went down with the Dark Lord. If the
Ministry even gets a clue that I am indeed alive, we both will be put away.''
Amelie placed her hands upon the kitchen counter, staring blankly at the man
and his ignorance for his son's well-being, ''He's your son.''

''Don't you think I know that?'' His tone harsher, ''Don't you think it kills me to
know that he's in there, taking god knows what punishment for my actions?''

''Then why aren't you doing anything—''

''Because—''

''Because what? Because you're scared to take responsibility for your actions?
For your doings? For what you let him do?''

''You don't know—''

''I do. I do know. I do know what you put him through. And I know that this
makes you a coward. You're weak for letting your own child taking the blame
for what you manipulated him into doing.''

Her words threw him off. His jaws clenched. His breathing stilled.

''He did wrong. I know he did things to humans without you asking, but who do
you think he tried to please? Who do you think Draco is protecting as we speak?
You don't think he knows where you are? Of course, he does. How do you think
I found you?''

Lucius's shoulders sunk, ''What?''

''He gave my brother a note, with this address, before he was taken, telling him
that he could come here if he ever needed help. That you'd help us in an
emergency. Well, this is as close as an emergency we can come.'' Amelie didn't
rest. She spoke her mind and her truth, ''Did you know we have a daughter?''

Lucius looked away.

''Her name is Talia, Draco named her. Talia Aimee Malfoy. Aimee comes from
the child, whose death you were responsible for by letting Adrian out.'' Amelie
dragged a deep breath, ''Draco is Talia's favorite person, and she's everything to
him.''
''Why are you telling me this?'' He hissed, walking further away from her, hiding
from what she was telling him, ''I don't need to know—''

''I'm pregnant again. It's a boy.''

Lucius looked up at her. His eyes were broad. Guilt.

''And Draco doesn't know because he gave himself up for us. He'd rather face
your consequences than living with his child, than being home with his mother.
He gave himself up for his family because you sacrificed yours.''

''Amelie...''

''No,'' She began to back away herself, disappointingly shaking her head at him,
''You don't have to put your son above yourself. You don't have to do anything. I
know I can't do anything. I'm helpless in this, and I would be more than glad to
turn you in, but I could never do that to him. Draco wanted to protect you, and I,
even how much it kills me not having him here, could never go against his
wishes.''

''Then why are you here? You know I can't do what you're asking me to do.'' He
said. He wasn't as solid anymore.

''I hoped that you would do what he had spent the past years doing. I hoped you'd
chose your family above yourself, but I guess I was wrong.'' Amelie felt like she
needed to throw up. This was too much for her. His lack of compassion was too
much for her, ''I'm sorry that he isn't as important to you as you are to him.''

He tried to call out for her as she stormed out but to no use. She was already
gone.

January 10th, 2003.

''You can't be here!''

Narcissa's frightened voice ripped through the whole Manor, leaving a ringing
noise as it bounced between the walls.

Amelie's veins froze at the panic she caught resounding. Her spine straightened
over Talia's bed, and she snapped her head. Staring blankly at the door and
wishing to everything that no one would find their way up there.

''Papa?'' Talia closed her eyes, drifting into her afternoon sleep. Her heart broke,
shattered on sight at the belief her daughter held. Every time someone sounded
from downstairs, she asked after Draco, hoping and wishing that her father
would've found his way back to her.

Amelie stroke the tips of her fingers over Talia's forehead, hushing her as she
fell asleep. Looking down at her one more time, Amelie turned to face the door
before slipping out from it.

She snuck her way across the upper floor, trying to be as quiet among the
bickering and shouting happening downstairs, ''Atlas?'' She whispered, slipping
in between the crack to her brother's room, ''Can you help me? With something?''

''Yes...'' He pushed himself off the floor, his toys coated the entirety of his room,
''What happened?''

Amelie shot a quick look over her shoulder, making sure no one would come
upstairs while Talia was sleeping, ''Can you go into Talia's room? Be with her
for a minute? I have to go downstairs.''

''Yes!'' He burst out, pushing her aside and running to the room across the hall.
He closed the door behind him, and she felt like she could breathe again.

Swallowing the doubt she carried, Amelie walked down the stairs hesitantly.

''If Draco finds out you were here, he'll never forgive me. You were supposed to
leave us alone.''

''Narcissa, please. Just let me talk to the girl.''

''That is completely out of the question. Have you gone mad? Over my dead
body.''

''Narcissa, this isn't for you to decide—''

''It's okay,'' Amelie stepped off the last step, facing the two arguing parents.
Tucking the hair constantly falling in her eyes, behind her ears, she nodded at the
lady, ''He's not here to hurt us, are you?''
Lucius cleared his throat, straightening his shoulders, ''No. I'm not.''

Narcissa's eyes grew wide. Her movements restrained as Amelie laid a hand on
her shoulder, giving her all the permission in the world to ease in her former
husband's presence. She backed away, but only enough to still be able to jump
between them if anything were to happen.

Amelie stood right in front of him. Already debating the idea of allowing him to
be in the house now belonging to Draco. He made it so clear that he didn't want
him anywhere near his daughter or Atlas. Her lips parted, ready to speak, but he
beat her to it.

''You said—'' Lucius nervously tugged at the collar of his coat, ''You said that I
was a coward for not owning up to what I made my son do.''

Amelie nodded slowly.

''No one has ever spoken to me in the way you did. I always thought I put the
well-being of my family above myself by making the choices I did.'' His eyes
stayed locked in hers, ''You made me realize that it's not the case.''

She nodded again.

''I don't want to be a coward, Amelie.'' He said, lowly, ''I don't want my son to
die.''

Her heart was beating again, hard. It hit so hard in her chest.

''I want my granddaughter to have her father....'' He peered over to Narcissa but
was quickly looking at Amelie again, ''I don't want him to be anything like me.''

She smiled sadly. It wasn't a smile of happiness. She felt for him. He could tell,
''Can I show you something?'' She asked as he nodded.

The girl turned around. Her dress fluttered around her as they all walked up the
stairs, and she halted right outside her daughter's door. She opened it, walking
inside as he was right behind her.

Atlas was reading in the armchair, barely paying any attention to them until
Narcissa asked him to follow her back to his own room.
Amelie looked up at Lucius, ''She has his eyes,'' She smiled, ''She has those big
blue eyes you drown in.''

He had to clasp his jaws tight. Locking them shut not to feel too much emotion.
He had never seen their daughter before. Lucius's hand gripped the edge of the
bed as he stared down at the little life sleeping so peacefully.

''She's...'' He backed up just as rapidly. He didn't feel as if he was worthy enough

to look at that little heart, ''She's beautiful.''

''She is,'' Amelie turned around, ''She's strong. She's so much stronger than me.''
She huffed out a weak chuckle, ''You think the parents are meant to keep the
world together for them, to be strong and have everything under control, but I've
been nothing but a mess without Draco, and she....''

Her spine arched, fixing the covers over her daughter's body, ''She's been the one
keeping me sane.''

''You have a beautiful family, Amelie.'' He bowed his head, the cane in his hand
struck the mat, ''What do you say about saving it?''

AUGUST 2015.

Amelie couldn't help but smile at that, putting his suit back into the box as she
smiled so widely. They indeed saved her family that day, but they also lost a
huge part of it. Lucius didn't live long after he turned himself in.

He was executed in front of hundreds of wizards and witches. Draco was there.
It was a Thursday. The snow laid thick on the ground. He said he didn't want to
go first. He said he wished this upon his father, but he went. He refused to let her
come.

The night he returned, he cried. He cried, and he cried, and he cried in her arms.
She held him. He sobbed. She kissed him. He couldn't breathe. She told him that
his father was in a better place now, that his life had failed him and that he was
well deserved of that rest. That made him feel better. They talked. They didn't
only talk about the hurtful memories, but the good ones too.

She learned that they were a beautiful family. They weren't that different from
their own little family. Amelie adored their home and everyone in it. It was
complete. It was perfect. Even when they were younger, when Teddy was born,
it turned absolutely perfect.

She saved another family once, another pack of people that now was closer to
them than always.

Act one.

September 2005.

Amelie frowned. She peered through that window, and something was wrong.
Something was so incredibly wrong. She didn't know what, but the way Teddy
was staring out over nothing, how he was seated on that couch, with no sparks in
his eyes.

She hadn't checked upon him in a while, between Talia being the storm she was
and her own little Teddy growing, she didn't find the time. She didn't want to
leave them for so a minute, but she wished she had now.

He didn't look happy. There wasn't a sign of Alessandro anywhere. She scowled
at the darkness around her before she turned in her heel, and she marched away
from the house.

Amelie apparated to the police station she knew Alessandro to be working in.
She asked a kind officer where he believed his co-worker would be. A bar. He
said that after work, Alessandro usually headed off to this bar by the beach, and
he sat there for hours.

Walking through the doors, she peered around, her hair following the
movements until she caught him. He was handsome, even she thought so. He
was tall, muscular, had sharp features, dark hair. Teddy truly had a taste.

Alessandro was sitting at the bar, his shoulders sunken, his head dropped
between them. Her heart ached. She had missed so much since she last traveled
across the ocean to check in on them.

''I'll take....'' Amelie said, cutting herself off as soon as those words came across
her. It hit her that she had no clue how to order something in a bar, ''I—''

Alessandro tipped his head, giving her a dry look as he muttered something to
the bartender in Italian. He huffed out, looking down at his glass again, ''They
don't speak English here.''

''Oh,'' Amelie was confused, it never really clocked her that people didn't speak
English, ''Well, thank you, Mr...?''

''Alessandro,'' He said, reaching his hand out for her to take, ''I'm Alessandro,
and you?''

''Amelie,'' She said politely. She could tell he was exhausted, torn, and drawn.
He didn't have an ounce of energy to spare her.

''That's a pretty name.'' He sighed, his arms fell flat to the table, and he buried his
head against them, ''Well, Amelie. Miss English, I ordered you a glass of wine.
You look like someone who drinks wine.''

''I do?'' Amelie had no idea what that meant, ''Well, thank you again, I suppose.''

''You don't quite strike me as a cocktail girl, and you definitely don't do shots.
Do you have kids?''

He was truly straightforward. He was kind, caring, even if he wasn't in the mood
at all — he still did his best for her to feel welcome and safe.

''I do,'' She smiled, taking a seat next to his, ''Two, a girl and a boy.''

''Really?'' He looked up at her again, a bit more doubting now, ''How can that be?
You don't look a day over twenty.''

Her cheeks burnt, she stared down at the counter, ''Twenty-five,'' She corrected
him, trying to hide that arch on her lips, ''But thank you for a third time, then.''

''For believing you're younger than you are?'' Alessandro straightened his spine,
keeping one elbow on the wood, turning the rest of his body towards her, ''How
old are your kids?''

She let her hands stay in her lap, meeting his curious gaze, ''Five and two.''

''Really?'' He questioned, now even looking surprised, ''So you were...what?

Nineteen when you became a mother?''
Amelie nodded, ''I was, and twenty-three with the little one. You like asking
questions, I hear.''

''I do,'' He grinned, reaching for his glass and taking it up to his lips, ''I like
learning things about other people, even strangers. I make them feel important
and heard. That's important to me.''

The bartender placed her glass of wine in front of her before sprinting off again,
''Well, come on, stranger. Try it, see if I'm right.''

Amelie made a face. She made such a grimace at the wine that Alessandro burst
out in laughter, clutching his stomach and nearly falling off his chair. She
swallowed the dry taste, shaking her head at it.

''Not a wine-drinker then?'' He settled his glass upon the table. She kept shaking
her head, ''Me neither, I hate wine, but I learned to like it because of my boy...
ex-boyfriend.''

Amelie coughed out the bitterness, furrowing her brows, ''Ex-boyfriend?''

Alessandro shrugged, trying to seem unbothered, but she could feel his pain
from miles away, ''I was acting stupid over something, and I walked out on him.
Worst mistake of my life.''

''Can you fix it?'' She sounded worried. She was worried, her tone shaking.

''I don't think so.'' He admitted, the smile on his face faded, ''I think I hurt him,
like really hurt him. I don't think he'll forgive me. I don't even think I want him
to.''

''Well...'' Amelie turned to face him, ''If I've learned something in my life, and if
you care to listen to a stranger....''

He smiled faintly.

''Forgiveness isn't up to the person who hurt you. It's up to the one getting hurt. If
you did something that you know hurt someone else, apologize, and be sincere.
He might forgive you, he might not, but that should be his choice to make. You
can hurt people unknowingly, and you never know if you do if they never tell
you the truth, but if you know in your heart that you did something that hurt him.
Apologize, and leave the choice of forgiveness up to him. Don't take that away
from him. Let him hear what you have to say, if he wants to, of course, and let it
be up to him what he wants to do with it. Then you know you did everything you
could to make him understand.''

Alessandro blinked quickly.

''And if he doesn't understand, if he doesn't forgive you — that's his choice too,
but at least it was his choice to make.''

''You really thought about this, didn't you?'' He let out in a whisper, ''Do I have
to beat someone up for hurting you?''

Amelie chuckled, shaking her head. If he only knew how many people had hurt
her, ''A lot of people hurt me. Some of them demanded forgiveness. Other
people left it up to me... But either way, I ended up forgiving them all. I believe
in happiness. I believe that what you give has a way of coming back to you. Poor
choices don't make a bad person, you know.''

''Some people are bad,'' He stated, putting on a serious face, ''Some people are
just cruel and evil.''

''They are...'' Amelie knew that there were some people that never earned any
forgiveness in this world. She'd seen it first hand, ''I knew this boy once. He was
truly dear to me, but he was the best example of evil. He hurt me in ways no one
ever has, but he worked his way back from it. He became one of the most kind-
hearted, sweet souls I've ever known. He was my worst nightmare, and now...
Well, now my son has his name.''

''Really?'' Alessandro bent over the counter, resting his arms upon it, ''That's
truly something, isn't it?''

''People can surprise you,'' Her voice riddled with honesty. She smiled at the
memory of Adrian. Oh, how she missed him, ''And it was all my best friend's
doing.''

''Is that so?'' He seemed so interested in what she had to say. As if he didn't want
her to stop talking, as if it was more than nice to talk to someone that didn't
know anything about his past, to hear someone else's troubles, rather than to
focus on his own, ''Why do I feel like this someone isn't your best friend
anymore?''

''Oh, he is,'' Amelie took her glass of wine up, tracing it back to her lips, ''He will
always be one of the most important people to me. In fact, the reason I'm visiting
here is because of him.''

He was even more intrigued now, ''You traveled across the earth for him?''

''I did. I do, often. I want to make sure he's okay.''

''Is he?''

Amelie gazed at him, nodding softly, ''Something tells me that he'll be just fine.''

They sat there for hours, talking and laughing about life. He drank his cup of
water, and Amelie tried with all she had to finish her wine, but it was nearly
impossible.

''So about that ex-boyfriend,'' She changed the subject, ''Tell me about him.''

''Where do I start?'' Alessandro dragged his hands through his hair, scratching
the back of his neck, ''He's a doctor, one of the best. He's... he's astonishing. I
have never met anyone like him. He's kind, caring, considerate. He has the worst
taste when it comes to decorating his home, knows nothing about color or how
to match them, but somehow... that only makes me love him more.''

''Do you?'' She was feeling so warm within, so happy to hear this, ''Do you love
him?''

''I do, more than I thought I ever could, and it makes me feel guilty because I
used to... I used to be married before him, but I lost both my husband and my
daughter... and that brings me back to why I am the worst type of person to him.''

''Why?''

''Because I'm scared that I'll never be able to give him what he wants, and he
doesn't know if he can give me what I want... I told him that I loved him once,
and he froze. He said he couldn't say it back because of his past. Apparently, he
lost someone... he says it's a best friend, but I feel like it's someone much more
important than just a best friend.''
Amelie's heart ached. Theodore was so much more than just a best friend to her
too.

''He said he's scared that he'll never feel for someone like he felt for her, she was
the most important person in his life... and now, well. Now she's not there
anymore, and it's making him believe he doesn't deserve another chance at
happiness....''

Alessandro was heaving, his chest rising and falling with force after blurting out
everything he'd ever felt, ''I love him. I want this.. life with him, but I don't know
if he wants me.''

''Then ask him,'' Amelie had that gracious curve back on her lips, ''He sounds
like a reasonable person, and if you tell him what you just told me... I don't think
anything will stand in the way of you two.''

He cocked his head, snapping it to see her properly, ''You know what? I will.''
He pushed his chair back, reaching down into his pocket, and he hauled some
money up before throwing it onto the counter, ''That nasty wine is on me,
stranger.''

''Good luck,'' Amelie looked after him as he stormed off, but he halted.
Alessandro stopped abruptly in his steps, and the next thing she knew, he was
right next to her again.

''Are you going to be okay?'' He was so tall. She had to arch her neck to see him.

''I will,'' She nodded, she knew she'd be okay, ''Now go — go get that man back.''

''Thank you,'' Alessandro looked at her, nearly memorizing her and everything
he was grateful for about her. She saved his relationship, without even knowing
him, ''Thank you, stranger... and perhaps, don't be a stranger anymore if you find
yourself back here.''

He walked out.

August 2015.

Amelie never reflected much on that day because the next time she stopped by
and checked upon them, they were happy. He gave Teddy a chance of owning
his own forgiveness, and he took it.

Her hands pushed another box to the side, taking the lid off, and she gasped.
Amelie gasped so loudly. It was her old Romeo and Juliet book.

Their old book, her and Teddy's.

Lifting it and brushing her fingers across the cover, her heart nearly stopped
beating. She hadn't seen that book in years, decades, not since she was a
teenager.

She almost feared to open it, to see all the small notes her and Teddy used to
leave each other as they kept giving it back and forth, but as the soul Amelie
lived to be. She opened it anyway, and she saw something, something she'd
never seen before.

'My dear Amelie.

I won't tell you about this. I don't think I have to. You know how I like mocking
you with these things.

I don't know what you are planning, but I know that you are planning something,
and I don't like it. I don't like it at all, because I feel like you are planning
something without me. I don't want you to plan anything without me, but if that
is the case, if you are indeed planning your life in ways I won't be a part of, I
need to tell you this.

I need you to know. Perhaps not today, not tomorrow, not five years from now,
maybe not even ten years from now, but someday.

Someday, I need you to find your way back to this book, and I need you to know
what I am about to tell you.

Some people, Amelie. Some people are too good for this world. Some people are
pure angels sent here to make the rest of us happy, to give us meaning, and to
give us life before they travel along, before they see all the good they've caused
and all the happiness they gave the people lucky enough to get to know them.

In some ways, I'd like to call them healers. They see something broken, someone
broken. Someone that has given up all hope in themselves, someone that keeps
breathing just because they have to. They see these people, and they heal them.

They come into their lives like a mighty storm. They wash all the pain and
sorrow away and replace it with the sunshine that always follows. It's like that
crack in the heavy clouds, where the sun breaks through, and the world feels a
bit lighter.

Other times, I like to see them as angels. Something too good for this world,
someone too pure and honest to stay here with us. Someone that is passing
through, giving hope and meaning before traveling along.

That's who you are, Amelie.

You are that healer. You are that storm. You are that angel.

Do you remember the night you found your Patronus? The night you finally
earned it?

I do. I remember, and for all those years, I never realized how or why your
Patronus lived to be so different from everyone else's. There wasn't anything like
it.

But I do. I do understand now.

I realized it one night when I saw you sleep on the sofa with Talia in your arms.
I finally saw everything there was to see about you. And that was when I finally
figured it out.

Grief.

Your patronus represents your life, Amelie. Every last perfect, chaotic, sad,
happy, heavy, light, dark, bright part of it. All of it.

You always told me how you mourned the life you never thought you'd have.
How you already, when we were kids, mourned your life and everything you
never thought you'd have.

Stages, Amelie. Those birds are stages, one for each part of you, six to begin
with, and none at the end.
Denial.

Amelie looked up from the book, and she found herself standing in front of the
graves she once placed in that tiny glade down the Malfoy property. She adored
that glade. That little break in between the trees, where the sun always crackled
through, and the wind seemed to be still.

She smiled. She smiled because she found her way down there.

Her spine felt heavy upon one of the rocks. She leaned against it. Adrian. She
was sitting at his grave, her legs crossed, the book tightly hugged in her hands as
she thought of it.

Denial.

Oh, how she had lived most of her life in denial.

Amelie lived in denial for almost all of her life. There wasn't a day that passed
before the age of eighteen where she didn't close her eyes for things she didn't
wish to see, where she turned away for things she didn't want to face, where she
hid not to accept the truth as it so solidly stood before her.

Denial was something she was trapped in, forced, and kept inside. Until she
broke out, she finally saw her worth on this earth. She was worthy. She was
loved. She was important. She was cared for. They could never take that away
from her. She wasn't in denial any more. She hadn't been for years now. And it
never hit her when it happened, but it did. One bird had faded.

''Hi,''

The voice made her look up, placing the book in her lap as she smiled. Atlas.
Her little Atlas.

''What brings you out here?'' She asked, patting the grass next to her, ''It's late.''

''Well, I'm an adult now.'' He chuckled, his mouth curling, ''I'm allowed to be out
late now.''

''You will always be a little child to me, I hope you know that,'' Amelie nudged
him a bit to the side, causing him to chuckle, ''What's on your mind?''
He sighed out, ''Am I selfish?'' He whispered, looking down at his lap, ''For
leaving? Do you think I should stay?''

Amelie felt so much in her heart. She was so proud of what that boy had
become, ''I think your whole life was decided for you. I think your life was
mapped and planned before you were even born. I think that everyone, even
strangers had something to say about your life, except you. Never, Atlas. Never
feel guilty or believe that you are selfish for putting yourself first. It's about
time.''

His cheeks stained in a feverish color.

''Besides, Teddy is lucky to have a healing student like you in his hospital.'' She
brushed her hand against his, ''Something tells me that you are going to be just
fine, Atlas.''

The time for Atlas to move on was, at last, here. He had fought and battled his
entire life. Even before he was able to breathe, he had the world working against
him, but not anymore. Atlas was free, and he used that freedom to heal others, to
become someone who mended what he was never given.

''Are you going to be alright?'' He asked, his voice laced with concern and worry,
''Here? With everything? I know I'll be okay, but will you?''

She didn't know if she would. She hoped she would.

''Except dying from missing you?'' Tears began to prickle, the lump in her throat
grew, ''I will miss you so much.''

She would. Oh, how she would miss him. They had been inseparable for sixteen
years, ever since she found him, playing in the grass outside that cabin, it had
been them. It had always been them. Atlas and Amelie.

He reached for her hand, taking it in his, ''I'll miss you more, Amelie.''

She smiled, closing her eyes as he stood up. She didn't want to watch him go.
She knew he still had a few more days at home before he would leave for a life
with Teddy, learning and living in the way he wanted to.

Magic always failed Atlas. He was never free of it, and neither would he be, so
he stepped away. He spaced himself from it, and he became something he truly
believed in. A doctor. A real, practicing doctor. Just like Teddy.

She peered down at the book again, picking it up and burying her face in the
letters.

I bet you thought about all the things you once denied. Beautiful, isn't it? How
far you've come? Because you have, Amelie. You have come longer than anyone
ever believed you would.

The world never treated you fairly.

It hurt you. It burnt you. It cut you. It wounded you. Still, you always faced it
with such grace. I never understood how you were able to do that. How you
could crumble, break apart and still stand.

That is one of the many things I admire about you, Amelie. The way you always
choose to meet betrayal, so effortlessly, so beautifully, never with anger.

Anger.

Her eyes flickered, watching the Manor as it stood massive in front of her.

Amelie never felt rage. She never let that spark of fury consume her. She saw the
good in people, the worthy parts of their souls. She was it all, good and bad, yet
she'd always choose the light, but there were certain parts in her heavy life where
she'd been angry, and this Manor was one of them.

It was where Draco had kidnapped her, taken her, and locked her up against her
will. It was where he let her go after she finally started feeling, where she lost a
dear friend and a little heart, where she was taken from and placed back without
anything, where she lost and found herself, where she fled from and where she
came back to.

Feeling. This home caused so much feeling to sore through her, and for that, for
that, she was thankful. She wasn't sure she would ever be angry again, and she
never was. Another bird faded.

See? There wasn't much to that, was it? But the main thing is that you felt it,
Amelie. You could feel it. You did feel it. All of it. Anger, fury, rage. Even if the
times were few, you did.

But it wasn't that often. You always tried to think your way out of feeling. You
always tried to convince yourself that your feelings weren't yours to have. You
tried to bargain.

Bargaining.

That one made her think. That one caused her to stop as she stood on the upper
floor of their Manor, outside Teddy's door. Her little Teddy. She opened it,
closing it behind her, and without truly understanding how she got there, Amelie
stood with her lips, pushing into her son's head. She kissed his hair, breathing in
that scent only he had.

Her little Teddy. He came into their lives at the worst possible time, and he made
it all right. They became whole because of him.

She smiled shyly as she whispered that she loved him. Over and over, she
whispered that, again and again, until she was scared that she'd wake him up,
and she walked out.

Standing outside of Talia's door, she knocked on it carefully to see if her

daughter was awake. No answer.

Amelie stepped inside, seeing how Talia had fallen asleep in the midst of the
chaos of books and spells spilling around her. Her little girl. Their little girl.
Their little miracle.

Amelie's life never turned the same after Talia, after their little thunderstorm.
After their rain. She took the air from inside them, both her and Draco. Talia
robbed them of their breaths and gave them proper meaning with their lives
when they needed it the most.

She smiled. Arching her spine and kissing her daughter's head. I love you, she
said over and over. Whispering it, lowly.

Amelie was thankful that she didn't bargain her life as she used to.

What if this was her fault after all? What would have happened if she didn't
leave Adrian? What would've happened if she just obeyed her father without
blinking. What if she didn't kiss Malfoy back that night in the library? What if
she simply stayed at that cabin and hid for the rest of her life?

Perhaps everyone would still be here. Perhaps they all would be alive. Perhaps it
was all her fault after all. Those thoughts could still circle at times, even up to
this day. She couldn't get them out of her head even if she so wished to, but she
didn't blame herself anymore. She wasn't at fault for all of this. She knew that
now.

She knew that even if lives were lost and souls let go to live freely, their lives
bloomed. It flourished. It grew. Amelie lived for all of them. The third bird had
faded.

Amelie breathed in, standing in the doorway to her daughter's room and smiling.
Okay. It all would be okay.

How many times did I tell you not to think that it was your fault? That everything
that happened in this life, on this earth, wasn't your fault, Amelie? But you never
listened to me. And I never blamed you.

I'm not much to listen to anyway.

But don't you see, Amelie? Don't you see how far you've come already?

Don't you see how you turned that denial into truth? That anger into love? That
bargaining into reality? Don't you see, Amelie, how proud I am over you?

How incredibly happy I am for you, but you weren't always happy.

Do you remember how I used to dry your tears? How I kissed them away and
how I told you no one deserves them?

No one does, Amelie. No one deserves those pretty tears of yours. Not even me.

Depression.

Amelie stood in front of her mirror in the bathroom. She put the book down on
the counter.

She wasn't smiling anymore.

Her eyes fell upon the scars that still showed on her chest. Marks, cuts, burns,
and wounds. She still had them. All of them.

Earlier in her life, she used to be ashamed, embarrassed for the way her past
caused her to shine, but not anymore. Now she carried them with pride, with
honor. She was so proud of herself as she let her dress fall to the floor, tracing
the tips of her fingers up the faded marks on her body.

She won the fight with her devil. And he helped her take her shame away.

Her Draco. The most honest love of her life, the purest, most heartbreaking love
of her doomed life. He took all her pain away, always. The fourth bird didn't
fade because of her. It vanished because of him.

''After eighteen years, you'd think I would be used to how beautiful you are....''
He mumbled against her neck, pressing his lips against her skin, ''But you never
stop taking my breath away.''

Amelie was smiling again. He always made her smile.

Her eyes dragged up her own reflection until it met his. Silver and bronze. Ice
and warmth collided as he placed his hands along the curve of her waist, kissing
that soft spot behind her ear, ''You are beautiful, Amelie.''

She spun around, his hands moving to her spine as he held her. Draco always
loved holding her, ''You are not so bad yourself, Draco.''

Her hair leaked wildly across her shoulders as he leaned in. His lips caught hers,
''I have a beautiful wife.''

''I have a handsome husband.''

Draco groaned against her lips, holding himself from praising her body with the
strength of his, ''Are the kids asleep?'' He asked as he stepped back, taking
another long look at the woman who saved his life.

His heart. Amelie was his heart.

''They are,'' She turned back around, taking the book in her hand and striding
past him out in the bedroom, ''I checked on them just a few minutes ago.''
''Of course, you did,'' He gave an amused chuckle, ''And Atlas?''

Amelie folded the covers off the mattress, slipping down below them with her
spine as it so heavily rested upon the headboard, ''Asleep.''

Draco hummed something from the bathroom, turning the shower on. She
smiled, flipping the worn book open again.

Acceptance, Amelie.

I always believed that you came to mind with your faith after Talia was born. I
ever so thought you'd find the peace this life had in storage for you, but it never
seemed to come. I hope, today, when you finally found your way back to where it
all started, that it, at last, came to you.

Peace. Heaven. Your heaven.

As I said, some people aren't made for this world. They are given to show us
everything good this life has to offer, and then they leave when the time comes.

Angel, Amelie. You are an angel.

You were always too good for this world, for this life, and I think that
somewhere underneath everything you are, you know it too. You weren't
supposed to stay.

You were sent here to heal, to save, and to mend the torn souls in your life. You
were meant to be everything we all couldn't. And oh, how you saved us, Amelie.
From everything.

The healer, the storm, the angel.

The most beautiful kind of all of the above, you are.

You won. You lived a life that was meant to break you. You never stood a
chance, but you took that, you took all that pain, hurt, and sorrow, and you
turned it into you, a human in the purest form.

And that only leaves one more bird.

You.

The last one standing. The one who made it. The one who survived. The one who
lived, loved and gave.

The angel sent from above. The healer meant to mend others. The storm that
came into our lives and took our breaths away.

The rain, Amelie.

You are the rain.

The kind that comforts you when you are in need of it, but still soaks you with all
of its sorrows when you're not. You could listen to it all night but despise it in the
light of day, and you... You miss it terribly when it's not raining anymore.

I think we all were your favorite feeling on your bad days, but you, you were all
of our good days.

But that's the thing about rain, isn't it? Eventually, it stops pouring.

And god, how we all will miss the rain, Amelie.

You saved us from the most vicious downfall, but don't you see love?

It finally stopped pouring.

You are free now.

I love you forever.

Until we meet again.

— Teddy. '

She cried.

Amelie closed her eyes at the stars prickling in them, the tiny dots of light as it
so alluringly waited for her. That light. That shine of heaven was tempting her to
follow.
She'd seen it before. She wished to follow it many times, but she couldn't.
Everything hurt too much to give up. The world seemed so weighed upon her
shoulders.

It didn't feel as heavy anymore. Her chest didn't ache. It didn't hurt to breathe.

She came to the realization of something as she settled that book back on the
nightstand, sinking down in their bed. Acceptance.

Perhaps she wasn't meant for this world after all. Perhaps Amelie Avery was
meant to do so much more, be so much more.

She smiled. Amelie smiled through her tears, looking like she accepted what was
coming to her.

She had spent thirty-five years in a world, trapped and chained in a life that was
meant to free her a long time ago. She was never supposed to stay.

Tired, Amelie was so tired as she felt Draco's arms tucked around her, dragging
her into his chest. It felt as if he knew, as if he understood what was happening
to them.

She was exhausted. She was worn, drawn, fragile. She was finished. She had
done her part.

Amelie had given Draco everything he never thought he needed. She gave him
peace. She gave him two beautiful children. She gave him life. She loved him.
Amelie Avery loved Draco Malfoy so much, and he loved her even more.

Soulmates, he thought as he felt her chest slowing. She was so tired, so, so tired.
He held her tighter, keeping her there for one more minute.

He cried. He cried silently into the back of her head, ''It's okay.'' He kissed that
soft spot behind the shell of her ear, ''It's alright, Amelie. You can go now. You
don't have to hurt anymore.''

Malfoy couldn't breathe. He felt her hand slowly loosening from his. He held it
tighter. He held her harder. He was falling again. He was falling and crashing,
but this time.
This time he was falling with her. He pressed another kiss against her, closing
his own eyes in the darkness within the walls of the room it all seemed to have
started. Them. It would always be them now.

He swallowed. Draco swallowed his tears, and he whispered, ''I'll be right there.''
He said, holding her body so close to his. He was protecting the last pieces of her
that were still there, ''I'll be right there, Amelie.''

She didn't have to fight anymore.

Amelie fell asleep with his arms around her. She went into that sleep she was so
well deserved of while being held by that blond man. Her Draco. She could
leave in peace now. She knew she could.

Her children were safe. Atlas would be okay. Teddy was happy. She didn't have
to hurt anymore. She didn't have to struggle. She won, and she had finally earned
her rest.

Amelie left the world that failed her so badly. The world that let the sinners feast
on her kind heart and the purity of her soul. She didn't have to let them do that
anymore. She was gone now. She was free.

Amelie Avery was free. She faded from this sphere in the arms of the most
significant love of her life. She and him. Always.

He couldn't breathe. Draco Malfoy couldn't breathe, knowing she wasn't

breathing the same air he was anymore. Amelie was gone. She faded in the hold
of his arms, and he was right behind her.

Because soulmates that found themselves lost in the midst of a storm, lovers that
loved in symphony with the pouring rain, and hearts as they stopped beating in
sync with another, it would always be him to her.

There was no secret that Draco lived for Amelie, and he did so till this day. He
faded as she did. He left when she did. His heart couldn't beat unless it were in
bearing with hers.

He didn't have to fight anymore.

They didn't have to fight anymore.

They were free. They finally earned the rest they so well deserved together.

And at last, the rain stopped pouring.

Rain
Still.

It was so still around her. Nothing sounded, nothing mirrored, nothing.

Nothing at all. It was nothing but her there.

Amelie woke up, but not like she was used to — this was nothing she'd seen
before.

This was light. This was bright. It was heaven.

Amelie woke aroused in heaven. Her heaven.

She looked around. The light was warm, loving. Not anything like the darkness
and cold she was used to. Her feet barely felt upon the soft ground. The soft,
yellow-shaded clouds hovered above her. Yellow. Her color. It was her color.

She smiled. She smiled so softly as she watched that blond human her heart
always beat for, standing in front of her.

''Looking lost, Mrs. Malfoy?'' Draco rose a brow, smiling right back at her.

Amelie walked closer, ''I don't think we're lost, Draco.''

He hummed, nodding gently before his hands landed on the curve of her waist,
''I don't think we're lost either.'' He said, feeling her face as she buried her whole
self in his chest, ''I don't think we're lost at all.''

They weren't.

For the first time, for years and years, as they so viciously passed, they weren't
lost anymore.

The darkness her soul carried, the hurt and loss, and the pain she felt for most of
her life weren't there. Only peace and warmth, and him.

Only him. Her Draco.

''We did well, didn't we?'' She arched her neck, and she looked up at the man
holding her heart in his hands, ''We can rest now?''
Malfoy tilted his head to the side, nodding slowly, ''We did well, Amelie.'' He
whispered, bending down to level her, ''We can rest now.''

''I love you,'' Her tone wasn't thin anymore. Her eyes found his. Silver and
bronze, ice and warmth collided, ''I think my heart finally beats with yours now.''

''I think it did all along,'' His sight flickered, taking in every inch of the love of
his life, ''I love you, Amelie.''

She smiled. Her forehead against his. Her fingers in his hair.

It finally stopped pouring.

Draco kissed her slowly, ''I'm yours, and you're mine, Amelie.'' He said against
her lips. In peace. He wasn't breaking anymore. He wasn't falling and crashing
and colliding with the indefinite ground of losing her again. He was there. Right
there, with her.

Always with her.

''I'm yours, and you're mine, Amelie,'' He said again, ''And forever, forever is
ours.''
 Fin

September 2018.

Talia walked her way into the library she worshipped. She stopped for a minute,
placing the book in her hand back on its shelf.

She finished yet another one, another book, another novel her mother had bought
for that library.

She didn't cry to this one. It was beautiful and heartbreaking as the rest, but she
didn't cry. Sometimes Talia wondered if she had any more tears to spare this
world.

She smiled as her fingers brushed along the spines of all the books that the
library carried. She walked back and forth with her eyes closed, trying to decide
which book to pick up next.

Talia always did that. She read one book a day, and she had been ever since her
parents left this life for something better.

Amelie used to read to her, but she wasn't there to do that anymore. Talia had to
read on her own now.

Peering around for what felt like minutes, she didn't quite know where to start
looking until something special caught her eye, a book, a book she never saw
before.

It looked like a diary, a black leather-bound diary. Worn and frail. It seemed to
be at least twenty years old to her.

She hesitated as she watched the initials carved into it. D.M and A.A.

It hurt. Something broke within the cage of her chest, something that had been
breaking for the past three years, broke a little more now. It ached a little harder.
She missed her mother. She missed her father. She missed them. They missed
her.

The morning she woke up three years ago wasn't like any other. She knew they
were gone. Talia could feel it to the depth of her bones that her parents weren't
there anymore. They all felt it.

It wasn't something that needed to be told or explained, something they needed

to see in order to understand that it had happened.

That they left, that they faded. The world turned darker that early dawn, and it
never got its light back. Something beautiful was taken from their lives, and it
never became the same again.

Her fingers finally found the edges of the book as she began to part it.

She opened it, and she smiled. It was her mother's handwriting. It was Amelie. It
was Amelie mixed with Draco. It was his words but her sentences.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

It said, with Draco's letters, only to be finished by her mother's words.

I love you more. I love you so much more.

Amelie had written. She had scribbled, and she had worked that little diary to the
brim.

Talia was overwhelmed, scared almost as she slipped down onto the sofa where
her mother used to hold her, where her father used to bend down and kiss both of
their heads, where she didn't know their first kiss had taken place.

And she read. Talia read and read and read. Amelie used to say she got that from
Theodore. Her old Teddy. Reading. Teddy read a lot. Talia reads a lot too.

She cried. She sobbed, and she whimpered as she read what her mother had
done. She moved from room to room while doing it. Feeling every emotion her
mother described.

''Really?''
 ''Really.''

''Care?'' Draco hissed, his shoulder against the doorframe, ''Who said I care?''

The grey eyes searched hers, and she could nearly feel the air in her lungs as it
tightened. The anxiety wavered her, ''No one,'' Amelie whispered.

''That's right, Avery. Do you know why no one said that?'' He kept on going,
making her spine collide with the sink behind them.

''Because you don't care.''

''Do you feel that?'' Draco whispered as her forehead leaned against his chest,
''Do you feel how the cold water eases everything?''

His skin fumed hot by the frosted lake around them, and the bright strokes of sun
dimmed as the darkened clouds dragged over the castle.

''I feel your heartbeat.'' Amelie lastly spoke up, and he could feel how her skin
chilled, ''I feel it beating with mine.''

''I feel it too.'' The blonde placed his head on top of hers, and they stood there, in
the water, for moments as the heavy clouds shifted closer and the drips of nature
began to pour.

This, right here, was greater than any stain of the past had the possibility to be.

''It's Amelie.'' She blurted out, her eyes fell dearly over him as she still rested on
his lap, ''I want you to call me Amelie.''

He rose a brow. His jaws clenched and unclenched, ''Really?''

She smiled, and her heart once again tripped a beat, ''Really.''

Draco's hands moved down the length of her back, and he leaned in one more
 time — with her lips pushed against his — he smiled.

''Then Amelie it is.'' He mumbled into her parted lips, and the tips of her fingers
combed through his hair, ''Amelie, Amelie, Amelie.'' Draco kept on saying her
name — he never wanted to stop speaking it.

''Draco was like the sound of rain. It comforts you when you are in need of it, but
still soaks you with all of its sorrows when you're not. You could listen to it all
night, but despise it in the light of day, and you—''

''And you miss it terribly when it's not raining anymore.''

Even if this was hard for her, talking about Draco in the way she did — she
couldn't help but smile at the thought of him, ''He was my favorite feeling on my
bad days, and I think I... I think I was all of his good days.''

The thunder echoing over the mountains made her shiver as she held herself
tighter. Her eyes fell gently over the heavy clouds storming closer.

''But that's the thing about rain, isn't it? Eventually, it stops pouring.'' She smiled
again, holding onto the little piece of bravery left inside of her.

''And God... I miss the sound of rain.''

''You're always safe with me, Amelie.''

And she was. Her head fell against his chest as she dragged her knees up, fully
giving herself to the boy holding her.

This was a painful moment for her as she realized what Draco had done in his
past. That cruel, vicious act that he was capable of should be the cue for a sane
person to leave — not to get more involved in the darkness she knew surrounded
him.

But not for Amelie.

She felt his pain. She felt the weight of his heavy heart, and all she wanted to do
— was to fix it.

''It's alright, Draco.'' Amelie sought to ease him, reaching over his exposed back
to pull the bedsheet over them, ''You're safe here.''

As they laid there, on the soft fabric of the sofa, and she looked at him — how
this chest rose and fell gently against her, how his eyelashes twitched as he
entered the world of dreams.

She couldn't believe the cruel, heartless things people told about him and his
haunted past.

They said he was menacing, dangerous.

But he was her safe.

His eyes dragged over the peacefully sleeping girl next to him as her head
traveled over the line to her imagination — and all he sought to think about was
whether she would be his sheltered lighthouse or his windiest storm.

Perhaps, a perfect mix of them both.

''Mine.''

''Mine.''

''Mine.''

''Mine.''

''Promise me that.'' His head rose as he stroked his nose against hers, ''Promise
me that you'll be mine, always.''

''I do—'' She whimpered, ''And you're mine, Draco. I'm yours, and you're mine.''
 _

Malfoy was drowning within the coat of his own skin without her.

He wasn't foolish.

He wasn't a maniac as everyone believed him to be. He just missed her. He

missed her so much that it burned his skin, and it stung in his chest. He missed
her so much that his mouth felt dry, and his knees weakened.

He wasn't crazy.

He just missed her.

I love you.

''I love you more.''

I love you.

''No one saved me until you did.''

''You have scars,'' She whispered, her eyes flickering, ''I have scars too.''

''You feel safe.''

''You're mine, and I will kill every soul that tries to scratch yours.''

It took her hours. It was beautiful, heartbreaking, bittersweet, and when she,
after what felt like a lifetime, finally put the book down, she smiled.

It was a lifetime. It was her parent's lifetime. It was their work, their life.

It was everything Amelie and Draco had lived through, everything they had
done.

It wasn't raining.

This was the first day, in what felt like years, where it wasn't raining.

It had finally stopped, all of it. The thunder. The downfall. The pouring. The
mist.

It was clear. It was light.

It had, at last, stopped pouring.

Talia smiled through her tears as she noticed that her mother had yet failed to
give the book a name. Picking a quill up from her father's desk, she gently
penned the word she believed fitted this book better than anything could ever
have.

Talia took the leather into her hands as she walked back into the library. Placing
it where she found it and hoping it would stay there forever. It was supposed to.
It belonged there. It belonged there with them.

She looked at the word on the cover again, and she smiled.

The word was absolutely perfect. The title and the naming of her mother's work.
Of Amelie. Of Draco, it was the most perfect one. Lingering with the tips of her
fingers for one more minute, she heard how Narcissa called her downstairs.

She was so proud of them, Amelie and Draco, her parents, for everything they
had ever done.

It would always be them to her. It didn't hurt as much anymore. Her chest didn't
ache.

''I miss you.'' She smiled again. Talia smiled. Happily now, as she walked away
and left the book behind her.

She was happy now, because Talia, she named it Cursed.

Fin.
 End

In which love lived to be lethal, and sin strived to heal all, but they — they lived
to mend everything.
 T h a n k - y o u.

Oh my god.

Oh my god. I don't even know where to start this. I don't even know if I want to
start it. I am so scared to let go of this book. Almost 500k words, over a hundred
chapters, over 1.2 million reads, and 10 months later, we're finally here. The end
of it all. I have cried, sobbed, laughed, and cried some more, but finally, being
here, it all was worth it.

I know that many of you might not agree with the way I finished this book, and
if that's the case — you're welcome to imagine chapter 100 as the end. But they
deserved their peace. They deserved something that their world couldn't give
them. Draco and Amelie deserved to be free together, and now — now they are,
forever.

Dramelie is everything to me, and letting go of them is truly hurtful. I have never
mourned a book in the way I will mourn this one, but they have each other. All
of them. Atlas, Talia, Theodore, Narcissa, Teddy, are all living in peace now.

I don't think it's a secret that Amelie's trauma is based on something real, and at
the beginning of this book, I was so scared to write it. I was absolutely terrified,
but you guys made me feel so safe. You made each other feel safe, and that
means everything to me.

You guys mean the world to me.

Thank you, thank every last one of you, from the absolute depth of my heart.
Thank you for reading and loving this book as much as I do. Thank you for
loving all the souls this book has carried. Thank you for being here every week,
for voting and commenting. I wouldn't have been able to do any of it if it wasn't
for you guys.

Thank you, lianlt , for always being my biggest supporter when it comes to
Cursed. Thank you for helping me with ideas and reading all my chapters in
advance. Thank you for giving me Thadrian and for being you. Cursed wouldn't
be where it is today if it wasn't for you. I love you.

Thank you, Ttcbxx , for actually liking a Draco that isn't all toxic and smutty,
hahaha. Thank you for being my absolute partner in crime and for being my ride
or die. I can't wait to see the rest of the world with you, mamas.

Thank you, laila0420 , for being you, for catching up with Cursed every now and
then, and for letting me spoil all my plots to you even though you hate it when I
do that, hehe. Thank you for being my best friend and the reason I keep
challenging my own writing.

Thank you to my besties in this fandom, malfoyuh

TheFallOfArtemis @isobelalicewriting helenattxx seselina, and all the other
authors I have gotten close to. I adore every single one of you. Thank you for
being my biggest support system and the people I can always rely on.

Thank you to all my lovely editors, to demi-malfoy drqco8_ , and all the other
amazing people who take the time to make edits for me and my books.

Thank you, Dara. The amazing artist for capturing the most beautiful moments
of this book. I am so lucky to have you bring life into the words I write.

Thank you, all of you. It's been one of the best journeys in my life, and my heart
is breaking that it has come to an end, but everything does at one point or
another. I hope we'll meet again, my loves.

I hope to see you in my upcoming works. In the continuing of Hidden, Desired

and the rewrite of I am a Riddle. In old books as in new ones. My work here isn't
completely done, and I have so much more to come.

As for Cursed, I am rewriting it into an original book that I hope I will publish as
my own in the future. I can't wait to show you the plans I have for it.

Until next time, my loves. Thank you again. I love you.

Much love, Juneekarl.