Venom & Virtue

chapter 39

The next evening, once it reached midnight and I was sure most of the household would be asleep, I slipped out of my room.

I'd grown tired of waiting for Draco to visit again, instead, deciding to seek him out before we had to leave for Hogwarts the next day.

In spite of my better judgement, I'd begun to miss having him close by, needing to feel his dominant presence as if it were a salve for a wound, the type of relief that only he could provide.

I tiptoed down the hallway, careful to miss the spots I knew would creak as I reached the stairs.

I descended them quickly, relieved when the portraits on the wall remained within a peaceful slumber.

Whilst I headed towards the family wing, I debated how hard it would be to find his room.

I'd never set foot in it, despite the fact that we'd been staying in the manor for weeks, and I'd barely spent much time in Violetta's either.

The only plan I'd created to discover the correct room was to put my perception ability to good use, feeling around for his magic as if I were navigating a dark corridor.

But, as I wandered through the main wing of the house, I heard the hush of voices from behind a large door, stopping my feet in their tracks.

The door wasn't one I had ever opened myself, only occasionally witnessing Lucius enter and exit, locking the room with a golden key and wards of some kind.

My assumption had been that it was his private office, certainly not a space he wanted to risk visitors frequenting.

I frowned once I paused outside, angling my neck as I strained to hear through the wood.

But it was quickly obvious that I couldn't decipher much, only parts of sentences from the conversation.

"... expect... you... cooperate..." the first voice hissed, Lucius' snide tone unmistakeable.

"... what... refuse... should... choice..." the other voice was a lot quieter, demure, but I knew right away that it belonged to Draco.

He sounded exhausted, either from the conversation or lateness, perhaps both.

I pushed my body gently against the door, trying to understand what was so important that it had led to them arguing in the middle of the night.

"... duty... don't... disappoint..."

I heard Draco sigh in reply, the sound of a chair scraping backwards.

"... father... dangerous... impossible..."

There was a loud crackle, indicating a spell had been cast from a wand, and then a slam and clatter of books.

I flinched instinctively, my heart beginning to race as I tried to picture what could be happening on the other side of the wood.

Lucius spoke again, his voice a normal volume this time, clear and demanding.

"This is not negotiable."

"It has always been too risky, you guys may want to go on a suicide mission but I-"

Draco's voice got cut off abruptly, turning to an agonised yell as flashes of red streamed out under the door.

I heard Lucius cast a quick muffliato, and then silence, piercing silence.

I looked down, horrified to see a light show at my feet, repeated flashes of spells as if bulbs were strobing inside the room.

My hand slid over my mouth, trying to contain fearful whimpers as I froze, icy horror seeping into my veins once I realised what was likely happening behind the door.