The Dark Mark (The Girl Who Lived part II)

The Weapon

With that, my fifth year at Hogwarts ended. It felt unreal. Too much like a dream. I could only partially recall what had occurred this year. All of the events were blurred together. I sat on the Hogwarts Express trying to put all of the events in correct sequential order. Neville filled me in on the rest of the events that I had missed. "And then Lucius got taken away by the Ministry..... Scarlet?" He glanced at me, for I had not responded in the longest time. "Sorry. My mind was elsewhere". I said apologetically. "No, you have a lot to think about. With the note and all". I told him about the note that Bellatrix had left. That solved who had been leaving the notes, but left more questions than it had answered. Draco entered the compartment. He sat across from us. "Looks like you'll be spending time at my home this summer. Finally come to your senses and leave the Weasley's and Potter?" "That's not it. Narcissa just wanted to see me, is all". I noticed a change in Neville over this year. Neville had more courage.

Neville no longer seemed intimidated by Draco, the boy who once bullied him. Harry entered the compartment. Ron and Hermoine would be in the prefect carriage. Harry took the spot on the other side of me. He did not sit. He still stood, staring at Draco. They held this stare for a few moments. Neither of them budging. Not a flicker of emotion behind their eyes. There was a deadly silence that came along with this hard stare. It was somewhat of a package. This silence was more deadly than any of the threats that could be exchanged between the two. Draco was the one to break the stare. The train was about to depart from the station and Draco needed to make his way back to the prefect carriage. 

"I swear, he's intolerable. I don't know how you were able to put up with him without strangling him". Harry said, sitting opposite of me and Neville. "I never said that I didn't want to. He can be quite....." I couldn't come up with any words that quite described him. Yes, once in a full moon, he was nice moments. But most of the other times, he was indescribable. "Himself?" Neville offered, too nice to insult anyone, even if it was Draco Malfoy. The train began to move. First ever so slowly, and then faster. The route was rather a scenic one. Or, at least you could assume so from the blurs of colors. 

"So Scarlet, what are your plans for the summer?" Harry asked, eager to get off the topic of Draco Malfoy. "A few things, actually. I have some unfinished business at Malfoy Manor first. I won't be spending really more than a day or two there. And, I have to help the twins at their prank shop". They asked me to do it. I figured that regardless of my answer, I'd be helping them either way. So there really was no way around it. "What are your plans?" I asked the two of them. "I suppose that I'll be spending the summer with the Dursley's". Harry replied. "You should come to the Burrow this summer. I know that the Dursley's aren't exactly going to be welcoming you home". I'd heard from Ron how poorly Harry had been treated by his relatives. "I think I will".  We turned to Neville, waiting to hear of his plans for the summer. "I'll be spending it with my grandma and my parents". As Neville said this, he tried to appear to be his happy usual self. But I've known Neville for a long time and I could easily see beneath his fake cheery exterior. I squeezed his shoulder. I knew how hard it was for Neville to visit his parents. It was odd. I'd always felt indebted to Neville. He always was there for me whenever I needed it. And now, it seemed as though the roles had been reversed. I was the one that needed to comfort him.  

The train came to a halt at King's Cross station. I said my goodbye's to Harry and Neville as we parted ways. I met Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who stood directly outside the train door. "It's good to see you, dear". Mrs. Weasley pulled me into one of her famous suffocating hugs. "Are you sure that you have to go to Malfoy Manor?" Mr. Weasley asked. He knew that I never had grown accustomed to Mafoy Manor in all my years of living there. "I'm afraid so. I've got a bit of unfinished business that I need to handle". Ginny and Ron joined us. I could see Narcissa standing with Draco a short distance away. She waved, to make sure that I had seen her. "Why do you have to spend part of your summer with Malfoy?" Ron bit into a bun I had made him, displaying his irritation. I felt as though he were a child sometimes. "I won't be that long. I'll be back at the Burrow before you know it. I packed you a week's worth of food in your bag". This may seem like a lot of food to a normal person. I said this because in a normal person't perspective, this would be a week's worth of food. But in Ron's perspective, this amount only converted into a day's worth."When will you be back?" He asked me. "I'm not sure. Not more than a week. I'll be back before you can say, "expelliarmus"". I turned to leave. "Expelliarmus". I heard Ron say from behind me.

Narcissa, Draco, and I found ourselves at Malfoy Manor. I went down to my room inside the stairs of the dungeon, to find someone there, already waiting for me. "What are you doing here?" I asked the nose-less man. He sat on my bed. "Just checking up on my favorite Death Eater. So, how's my destined rival doing?" He patted the spot beside him. Seeing how I refused, he flicked his wand. There was that burn in my arm. "Why don't you join me and tell me about the Boy Who Lived? I'll know if your lying. I've heard from my sources that you've gotten awful close with him. Do tell". As I got closer, the burn of the mark lessened. Only when I sat, did the burning cease altogether. "Harry's doing fine". I answered simply. "He's got to be doing better than that. He's got you on his side". He dragged out his words, which made them more painful to hear. He held my face in his hands and turned me towards him. I felt shivers run up and down my spine.

"He doesn't care about me the slightest bit. It's just pity". I closed off my mind, making it blank like Snape had taught me. "Occlumency. You were taught well. But even so, you seem to have forgotten that I entered his mind last year. Out of all the people he thought about, you were the one he thought of the most. The one who pulled him out of it. I've seen the way he looks at you. It's no secret that what he feels for you is the opposite of pity". "That's a lie". "The Boy Who Lived doesn't have very many weaknesses. But there's one in particular that I can use against him. Scarlet, it's you. Be my weapon". I shook free from his grip. "I'd never betray him or any of my friends". "Oh, but my dear, you will". He touched my left forearm where black ink replaced my skin. I didn't feel a burn from this, but other's must've. We were joined by Bellatrix and Draco. Draco's eyes widened when he saw my irremovable tattoo of a serpent.

"As you know, we just lost several of our members. Including your father, Draco. I'm awfully ashamed of him. I had higher expectations. But I suppose that you'll fulfill them". Bellatrix held Draco's hands behind his back, to prevent him from escaping. I attempted to yank Draco free of Bellatrix's grip. "How can you do this to him? He's got nothing to do with this". I shouted at Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix. If Draco got the Dark Mark as I had, it'd ruin his life. He'd never be the same ever again. Bellatrix didn't budge one bit no matter how much effort I used to free Draco from her grip. I scratched, slapped, and pushed her. None of those had any effect whatsoever. When she was tired of my and Draco's struggling, she shoved me to the side. Bellatrix may not have had appeared very strong, but she was. If my room was bigger and the walls were made of a different material, the fall wouldn't have had hurt as much as it did.

My head collided with the concrete walls, and my legs were scratched against hard floor. My head spun. It felt as if that collision had jumbled everything in my head around. I felt nauseous. It seemed as though my perception of time had been altered as well. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Voldemort stretched his hand that held his wand, out to Draco. His wand illuminating a bright light. I had to intervene, or else Draco would have to deal with what I had do. With the little amount of strength I had left in my legs, I leapt between Voldemort and Draco. In mid-air, my senses began to fail me. My ears rung, and I saw stars as my vision blurred. The last thing I remember was a blood curdling scream. My own.