The Spare

Chapter 4

I used to believe that not much could shock me anymore. I'm used to how the world works, especially now. Dumb, sadistic, perverted men who believe that blood purity means literally anything will kill and enslave just to hold any sort of power. I understand that evil won, and good lost. I understood that because I'm not a pure-blood, a man, or conventionally attractive, they believe they have the right to treat me like scum of the earth. I've even accepted that this is what's going to happen.

What I do not understand, however, is the scene playing before my eyes. Thomus Malfoy, the man who watched me get stabbed and left me to die, is approaching the stage. He holds his head up high as the crowd both cheers and boos him. The group of Death Eaters at the front make a path for him to hop onto the stage.

Goyle is still curled on the floor, clutching his genitals. Malfoy uses his dragon leather boot to shove him away from me, standing between us. Yaxley appears, holding a scroll of paper and a quill. As Malfoy signs the paper, the tattoo on my arm burns. I look down to see the name morph from G. Goyle to T. Malfoy.

The guards from before appear behind me, grabbing my arms again, and dragging me to my feet. We follow Malfoy and Yaxley off stage. As we pass him, Malfoy gives Goyle one last good kick, and the crowd bursts into laughter again.

Off stage, Macnair pulls Malfoy aside to arrange payment. I see more guards waking the next girl to be brought out. I'm led to a side door, and the last look I get of Malfoy is of him pulling his mask off, beads of sweat glistening off his temple in the dim light.

The guards lock me in a dark storage closet in some hallway, and I'm there so long, I almost believe I've been forgotten.

When the door opens, I expect it to be the guards, but instead it's... him. His silver engraved mask is back in place. He grabs my forearm with a gloved hand and we Disparate, landing outside somewhere on a stone path. This is the first time I've been outside since Hogwarts. The cool night time breeze feels good on my cheeks, and my lungs are grateful for the gulps of fresh air.

We're surrounded by dense forest, a wooden fence with a gate that opens for us. A white cottage with a thatched roof waits at the end of the stone path.

Malfoy pulls off a glove and wraps long fingers around my forearm again, this time specifically touching the tattoo. When he tugs me through the gate, the tattoo tingles under his touch. A barrier. He releases me and I turn to look back at the spot we appeared, my eyes drifting to the woods beyond.

"Don't even think about it," he warns darkly. His voice sends shivers down my spine. He begins walking up the path to the cottage.

"What happens if I think about it?" I ask, following him.

"You get electrocuted." His tone is matter-of-fact. We reach the door and go in. There aren't any lights on, until out of the dark he shoots sparks into a fireplace, and it bursts into a full flame. The warm glow bright enough to see.

The cottage isn't small, but it's not grand by any means, which surprises me. Compared to the Malfoy Manor, this place was a shack. I don't mind, I'm just surprised he'd settle for something so... humble after growing up somewhere far more luxurious.

I don't get much time to look around, because he's leading me up some stairs on the far side of the room. He opens a door at the top of the landing and steps back, waiting for me to enter. I pause, eyeing his masked face warily. There was a bed in the room.

"This is your room," he says. He points to a closed door across the landing. "Mine is there."

I bite my lip, walking past him into the room. It's small, a bed in the center with a side table and a wardrobe – the basics. Nothing to be afraid of, I try to reassure myself.