Pawns | A Draco Malfoy Love Story

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Before leaving the room, I changed out of the dress that I had worn all night. No other clothes were laid out and so I put back on the ones that I was wearing upon my arrival here. The top had a large stain on it from the wound Draco had given me, so I fastened one of the buttons on my cardigan to cover it.

Wormtail guided me through the hall and down the large staircase into the room that we had apparated into yesterday. As we walked down the stairs, his hand reached unexpectedly into my pocket and he snatched my wand.

I was about to snap at him, but I saw people waiting on the floor below. Draco stood next to his mother, and Bellatrix waited at the bottom of the stairs. She reached out her hand and Wormtail handed her my wand.

"Heard some good news," she said, stepping forward and stroking my hair as I descended the last step.

I glanced at Draco who looked nervous, his eyes darting between his aunt and I.

"You were quite close with Potter." She gave a nasty smile, revealing her crooked yellow teeth menacingly.

My heart fell to the floor. Wormtail must have told her. But how much, I couldn't be sure.

"I was, yes," I confirmed, in a quiet voice that was loud in the big room nonetheless.

Her smile grew even wider and she looked psychopathic. "Well done, Draco," she said, speaking to him but keeping her eyes on me. "She gets better and better."

I was confused. I thought she'd seen through me; that my connection to Harry meant that I couldn't possibly be one of them. But instead, she looked excited.

I swallowed hard and steadied my breathing. My legs started to feel weak. I didn't like the look she was giving me.

"Let's hear it then," she whispered in my ear, sending a cold shiver down my spine. She circled me, her head close to mine the whole time. "Tell us what you know," she said, taking a small step back and speaking louder.

Thinking harder, her excitement made sense. She wanted information. I said nothing at first, my brain too overwhelmed by what I was being asked to do. I rapidly tried to think of something seemingly important to say, but nothing was coming. There was nothing I could reveal without seriously putting Harry or the others in harm's way.

She looked at me wide eyed and manic, breathing hard.

"No?" she said, taken aback by my silence.

I saw Draco 's chest rise and fall rapidly as he watched his aunt stare at me.

"Why not?" she demanded. Her voice was suddenly deep and stern.

I opened my mouth but no sound came out.

She laughed humourlessly. "When Draco said he had someone who'd help I wasn't sure what to expect," she started to explain. "Draco hadn't revealed to us that you were a friend of Potter's," she said, casting him a reprimanding glance. "I'm not sure why," she said, in a bored voice, "but after last night, when we discussed your parenting issue and your vengefulness, and Wormtail over here told me about the company you once kept, I figured that you must have gotten close to the Potter boy for information."

She backed up now and stood a good distance away, enough to have my full body in view. She looked disgusted. "Am I wrong?" she asked, again with a deep and stern voice.

"No," I said, aware that I wasn't being convincing.

"You're lying," she accused, eyes burning into me.

Draco intervened, a slight sound of alarm present in his tone. "She was friends with him, genuinely too. But that was a long time ago," he said. "After meeting me, she-she changed," he tried to explain.