| Girl on Fire |

47

VERONICA MALFOY

They were all sitting there. In the exact same spots as before. Mattheo looked at me in shock and immediately stood up and rushed over. "Go back to your room Veronica." he said, trying to pull me back. I drew my wand and pointed it at him. "Don't touch me. You don't get to touch me anymore." I spat. He let go and stepped back. "What are you going to do? Hex me?" he asked. "You should know by now I'm not afraid to do far worse and thanks to the mark you gave me... I can." I said. "But you won't." he said. "How do you know?" I asked. "Because I trained you. You won't hurt me." he said. "That was before you lied to me you bastard." I yelled.

Then I felt someone else's wand on my shoulder. I turned to face The Dark Lord pointing his wand at me. He had the same curious look as before. "I'm afraid I can't let you do anything to him. He is the heir to the throne and somewhat useful." The Dark Lord said. I lowered my wand and tucked it back into my jacket. I turned to face The Dark Lord and looked him straight in the eye. "I would like the Dark Mark." I said. Everyone was staring at me wondering what would happen next. "Oh would you now?" he said sarcastically. "Yes My Lord. You said it yourself I would make a great death eater. Mattheo trained me himself. I won't fail you like my father did." I said. He gave me a smug grin. "Mattheo, why did you choose Draco over her?" he asked. Mattheo looked at me and then looked at his father. "She's hesitant. She is still skeptical of the dark arts." he said. "He's lying. He just doesn't want me to get hurt." I said. The Dark Lord looked between both of us with a glare. "Follow me into the study Veronica. I want to have a private discussion." he said.

"No father. You said I have to decide. I decided on Draco. She can't-" he started. "Enough. I am The Dark Lord, I decide." he said sharply. The room went silent and I followed him into the study.

My heart was beating out of my chest as he shut and locked the door behind us. I stood in the middle of the room and watched him closely. "Mufflito." he mumbled as he silenced the room. He took off his cloak and looked at me. I stood tall and tried to seem confident. "Tell me something Veronica, do you want to serve me because you are loyal to me or because you want to protect your brother?" he asked. I opened my mouth to answer but he spoke again. "I want you to think carefully before you answer because I can read your mind and know if you are telling the truth. Understood?" he asked. I nodded. "My Lord, I am loyal to you. My whole family is loyal to you. But yes of course I would be lying if I said it had nothing to do with protecting my brother." I said. He looked at me and nodded. "You are very interesting to me Veronica. Would you like to know why?" he asked. "Yes My Lord." I said. "My son gave you his mark. You know what that means?" he clarified. I nodded again. "But you seemed very furious with him when he chose your brother over you." he said. "He promised he would pick me. I told you I want to protect my brother and I told him the same thing. He ignored that and chose Draco anyway." I said. He nodded. "Do you think Draco is loyal to me?" he asked. "Yes My Lord, of course he is." I said quickly. "So you really do want the dark mark?" he asked. I nodded. "How are you going to prove your loyalty to me?" he asked. An evil grin covered his face. "I promise you I am-" I started. "Acta, non verba" he said calmly. "I'm sorry?" I asked. "That's Latin for Deeds not Words. Words are cheap, you need to prove your loyalty through actions Veronica." he said. He began to walk closer and there was a lump in my throat. "How My Lord?" I asked. He smiled at me and moved my hair behind my shoulder. "You are a very smart girl, I'm sure you can think of something." he said. I tried to look anywhere but his eyes but he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "You want to prove your loyalty to me and protect your brother?" he asked. I nodded slightly as the fear grew. He looked at me and dragged his thumb over my bottom lip. "Get on your knees." he said. Right then, my heart stopped for a moment. I exhaled a shaky breath and he raised an eyebrow. "My Lord, can't I-" I started. "You want to earn a spot at that table, as a woman, this is how you do it. Consider it also your fathers punishment for failing me." he said casually. I was frozen in fear. "Veronica, do you or do you not want to earn the dark mark and prove your worth?" he asked. My eyes filled with tears but I pushed them away. I forced myself to nod and he smirked again. "Good. Now get on your knees." he said. I did what he said and dropped to my knees. The cold marble floor was biting into my skin and I looked up at him. He grabbed my hair tightly and yanked my head back. "Knowing my son, I'm sure you know what to do." he said. My hands shook as I reached for his belt. I undid it and trousers dropped to the floor. Then he pulled his boxers down and pulled out his already hard dick. Tears welled in my eyes but I wiped them away. "Go on Veronica, I don't have all day." he said. And I did it.
Then he pulled up his boxers and trousers and I stood up. "I think you've proven yourself very well." he said. I nodded and wiped the tears away. He held out his hand and I gave him my arm. He pressed his wand to my inner forearm. He spoke a spell and the ink appeared on my arm along with a burning pain. I bit my lip so hard it bled as I tried to hold in a scream. Then he pulled his wand away and admired it. "Are you happy now Veronica?" he asked. I pulled my sleeve down and put on an emotionless face. "Yes." I said. "Good, because my son and your brother won't be." he said. I just nodded as he pulled his cloak on. Then he walked out. I curled up in the corner and buried my face in my knees. What did I just do?