Shattered | Hermione x Draco

Dark Magic

Snape walks up to me while I am making a potion. We all have to work individually on a simple potion, the recipe is not difficult and I follow it to the letter. Something is off, it is too thick in consistency and everything I do to make it better is making it worse. I am biting my lip so hard that I taste blood. Why is this potion not cooperating with me?

"What is wrong?" he asks softly so only I can hear him.

"I don't know," I snap back in a low voice.

Severus leans over the table and looks inside the coldren. "Did you even follow the recipe?"

I roll my eyes annoyed. "Of course I did, I don't know what I did wrong. I always triple check before I make a move. Trust me, I followed the recipe."

"Can it be your magic? You had some problems this summer with it too. Are you angry?"

"I am always angry, but I did the exercises, deep breaths and calming down. The magic is not in my fingertips for the moment, I am not using it and I am not touching my wand."

I don't mention that I feel sick, it started the night I got the Dark Mark, almost a week ago. The ceremony was on a Wednesday, we left for school on Sunday and today is Thursday. From the moment the Mark was burned into my skin it hurt, it kept burning, spreading through my arm. On Friday I noticed that the black veins were coming back, spreading out over my arm. Yesterday they came up to my elbow, starting from the bottom of the Mark. Luckily they don't show on my hands, making it easy to cover up.

I feel nauseous all the time, I don't want to eat and it feels like I have a fever. The pain and sweating is keeping me awake at night, I am lucky if I sleep two hours per night.

"Come see me after class. We will take a look. See if I can help you some more with your magic."

I nod and he walks away, as I look around I see Ron watching me. A deep frown on his face. Annoyed, I roll my eyes, wipe the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve and focus back on the potion. Why is the potion black? It should be a pearly white. As I throw in the last ingredient it starts to bubble and steam. That should not be happening. Before I can reverse the reaction, it explodes, creating black smoke that hits me in the face."For fucks sake!" I snarl loudly, the potion is dripping from my face. "Scourify," I snap as I grab my wand and wave it over my face and clothes.

People turn around and look at me. Seamus blows things up every lesson and they don't bat an eye, but when it happens to me they all need to gawk at me.

"Miss Granger, language! You can start over and will stay until you finish the potion correctly," Severus states calmly.

"Oh fuck off!" I snap, grab my bag and walk out of the class. Doesn't he understand how difficult it is to be with Harry and Ron, being watched constantly? I can't keep calm, my arm is burning. It is so stressful, I wish I could just be with Draco and Theo. Why does everything need to be so fucking difficult! Trying to make the potion again won't work, it isn't even for a grade, it is useless.

"Fuck!" I snarl, slamming my fist against the wall.

I lift up my sleeve, the Dark Mark is surrounded by black veins, running up my arm. I pull down the collar and see that the veins have spread out over my chest. Fuck! Why is this happening to me? I pull my sleeve back in place, hiding the awful mark on my arm. I hate it, how can Draco and Theo function with this blasted thing on their arm? How long will it keep burning? I can't sleep, everytime I close my eyes I see all the wands on my body. Feel the dark magic seeping in my body. When it is silent I can hear the whispering of the spell all around me. I know where everyone is standing around me, even Draco and Theo helped. The older Death Eaters put more power behind their spells, willing the Mark to stick on my arm. Lucius and Severus both look me in the eyes, standing next to each other. I lock my eyes with Severus as long as I can hold in the pain, I bite on my lip to keep from screaming, but a whimper escapes. The shield around his emotions drops for just a second and I see the guilt and sadness in his eyes. It breaks me even more and the pain overwhelms me and I let my head fall back.