|| Star-Crossed ||

69

1 WEEK LATER
DRACO MALFOY

I shouldn't have apparated in. It was a mistake. Now what I saw is stuck in my head, playing on a loop. Her empty eyes, their laughter. Then what they said to me, it hurt more than anything.

I had just gotten back from a surveillance mission. The Dark Lord wanted me to surveil known Order safehouses. I spent all night doing it and when I could finally go home in the afternoon, I wished I hadn't. I apparated into my drawing room because I wanted to check on Caroline. When my feet hit the ground, I saw it. She was out of her cage and there were two death eaters, taunting her. "What would your dear brother say if he knew what we did to you?" one said. "Do you think your parents are happy they are dead now that their daughter is a death eater whore?" the other said. They laughed and she just stood there, staring at the ground while tears rolled down her cheeks. "Why don't you get on your knees for me, Potter?" the man said. She didn't fight, she didn't refuse, she didn't struggle, she didn't say anything. I was about to walk away when she saw me. We locked eyes and I could see not only the pain, but the exhaustion. "Take your bra off," the other man added. She pulled the straps of her bra down and revealed her breasts. Then she sank to her knees in front of him and unzipped his trousers. I left before I saw anything else. I ran to my room and Theo was sitting at my desk. He's been tracking Potter's movements. Our plan is to find him and he can help us get her out. "Draco, mate. Potter was spotted-" he started. I ignored him and ran into my bathroom. I emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet and sat against the wall, breathing heavily. Theo ran in and stood in the doorway. "Mate?" he said quietly. I looked at him and fought back tears. "She didn't fight them. They broke her." I said. He sighed. Then he grabbed a cup and filled it with water and handed it to me. "She's not broken. She's doing what she has to do to survive." he said. He sat down next to me as I drank the water. "When she fights them, they beat her. The pain is excruciating and there's nobody healing her. She's doing what they ask to stay alive." he said. "The look in her eyes- it was empty. The light was gone. She used to have this light in her eyes. It made me feel like maybe things would be ok. It's gone now." I said. "Do you want me to go check on her?" he asked. I nodded. "I would- I just- I don't think she wants to see me." I said quietly. He nodded.

CAROLINE POTTER

After they were done with me, they went to get drinks. I pulled the straps of my bra up and sat down in the corner of the cage. I thought I would cry but I didn't. I guess I couldn't cry anymore. I tried to sleep but I couldn't do that either. A few minutes passed and then they came back. "Would you like to drink with us, Potter?" the man asked. They opened the cage door and he knelt down in front of me. "It's some of Lucius's good liquor," he said. I shook my head. "Why? Don't you want something to wash down all that cum you just swallowed?" he said laughing. My stomach sank and I kept my eyes to the ground. "Please, I don't want-" I started. He grabbed the back of my neck roughly and jerked me forward. I looked at him with fear in my eyes. "I don't care what you want, half-blood bitch!" he spat. He grabbed the flask and held it in front of my face. "Drink," he said sharply. "Please," I said weakly. He grabbed my face and forced my mouth open. Then he began to pour the liquid into my mouth. I coughed and sputtered as the liquid burned my throat. "That's right, swallow it all," he said. "What the hell are you doing?" They stopped and turned around as Theo ran in. The men stood up and stepped in front of me. "Just giving the girl something to drink," the other man said. "Everyone knows you aren't supposed to touch Malfoy's bar set," Theo said. "Everyone also knows ever since Lucius got back from Azkaban, he's gone soft." the man said. "Yeah, we aren't scared of him or you." the other added. "Are you scared of me?" a dark voice said. Draco walked in and they froze. "Master Malfoy," they said, bowing their heads. "That was my fathers whiskey collection. He's no longer in charge which in turn makes it mine. So you didn't steal from him, you stole from me." Draco spat. "We apologize, Sir. We just wanted to party with the girl," he said smugly. "Get out of here, before I change my mind about hurting you." Draco spat. The two men exchanged looks and gave him a smug grin. Then I felt him pouring the whiskey on me. It soaked my hair and body and I squeezed my eyes shut. "Oops, I spilled some," he said. Then they walked out. "Crucio," Draco said. They both fell to the ground screaming. Draco watched with a smirk. Once the spell broke, they ran away. Theo came into my cage and knelt in front of me. "Are you alright?" he asked as he wiped some of the liquid from my face. I nodded. "Let's get you cleaned up," Theo said. "No," a voice said. They both whipped around and Bellatrix was there. "Bella, the girl reeks," Draco said. "Half bloods always do. Now, you and Mr. Nott's presence has been requested elsewhere." she said. They locked the cage and they left.