Jump

Chapter Four

Finally, it was the night of the Yule Ball. I stood in front of my mirror smoothing out my dress for the millionth time. It was a floor length, fitted gown that was white. It had a low cut back and a v neck front and the straps tied around my neck. I had on a pair of pearl earrings to match, and my hair was in curls down my back. I was nervous. I decided I was ready and took a deep breath. I slipped on my nude-colored heels and made my way into the common rooms. There were people standing around chatting. I saw Zabini talking with Crabbe by the fire place. They were talking and laughing about something when he turned to look at me.

"Damn Stillstone, you clean up nice!" He smiled.

"I could say the same about you."

He was wearing a pair of fitted robes that were black with a green button up and a white tie. Of course, he went with our house colors. Many people probably were. I never liked green.

"Have you seen Draco?" I huffed, looking around the room.

"Yeah, he went down to the great hall already. He was asked by professor snape to help set up a few things I think." he said with a stern look. "Quinn, I am really happy you two finally came together. He is going to kill me for saying this but, he has had a crush on you since first year. Every year we had to hear about how disgusted he was that other guys were always hitting on you. We knew he was just jealous."

"Yeah, well the feeling was mutual." I whispered with a blush.
"Has he... never mind." he stopped.

"What?" I asked with concern.

"It's not my place to tell." he cleared his throat and turned back to continue talking to Crabbe.

I put my hand on his arm and gently pulled him in for a hug.

"Yes. I know about it." I whispered.

He pulled back slowly and looked at my face. He gave me a soft smile and a nod before I turned to walk out. I straightened my dress and my hair one more time before heading out into the hallway. The hallways were lit up and bustling with people. It was nice to see some life in the school again. I smiled and waved to people as we passed. There were a few couples arguing and some kissing in the corners. I just laughed and shook my head. I reached the final staircase before the great hall, and I took a deep breath in. I rounded the corner and looked down to see all the dates entering together. I suddenly had butterflies in my stomach. I began to slowly walk down the steps when I felt an arm wrap around mine. I smiled and looked over to see my brother smiling back. My heart sank but I pushed that feeling down. He looked so handsome. He was wearing our fathers' robes and when I noticed, I gasped and covered my mouth with both hands.

"i know, I know." he said laughing.

I could feel the tears rising to the surface but quickly blinked them away. I didn't want to ruin my makeup. We reached the bottom of the stairs, and he gave me a hug before entering the great hall. I looked around for a moment to see if I could see Draco, but he was nowhere to be found. I sighed and turned to walk in when I bumped into someone.

"Draco." I breathed.

He was standing over me, looking down at me. His hair was slicked back, and he was wearing fitted black robes. Oh my did he look devilishly handsome.

"Have I ever said that I love when you say my name?" he smirked.

I looked down and blushed, but he quickly grabbed my chin in his hand. He lifted my face back up to meet his and placed a soft kiss on my lips.

"You look stunning, love." he spoke gently.

Then he turned and held his arm out for me to take. We entered the room, and it was beautiful. Not just the decorations but the people as well. There was music playing and people talking. I couldn't help but smile. Then I saw Pansy. She walked in the room like she owned the place. It made me sick. I rolled my eyes and Draco leaned down.

"Play nice Stillstone." he whispered.

"Do I have to?" I scoffed.

He laughed and I couldn't help but watch him. The corners of his eyes wrinkled. It was nice to see him happy. Even if he did still look tired. A few teachers proceeded to give a few speeches and Dumbledoor talked about the wizard tournament. Everyone cheered and then the dancing began. I could see Harry dancing with a very pretty girl and Ron was sitting with her twin sister it seemed. Hermoine had showed up with Viktor Krum, of all people. They looked good together.

"May I have this dance?" a voice asked. I looked up and it was Oliver.

I looked over to Draco who was already irritated. His tongue was pressed to his cheek and his temple was pulsing. I placed my hand on his leg and he looked at me. I smiled at him and looked back up to Oliver.

"i am here with Draco-" I started to say. I looked back over at him, and he had not taken his eyes off of me. "So maybe another time."

Draco leaned forward and stood up. He held his hand out to me and I placed mine in his. He looked at me for a moment then placed my hand in Olivers.

"One dance won't hurt love." he said gently.

My expression changed to be surprised and I looked at Oliver. He gave me a big smile and began to walk me out to the floor when suddenly Pansy appeared.

"I thought you two broke up." she cheered. "I guess that means Draco is free."

She pushed past me, and I looked at Draco. I wanted to scratch her eyes out. I wanted to pull her hair. I wanted her dead honestly, but Draco showed restraint so I can too. I looked up at him and he looked at me. I gave him a stern nod but mouthed the words 'I'm watching her'. He rolled his eyes and blew me a kiss with his lips. I continued to follow Oliver out to the floor. He spun me around until I twirled into his arms.

"What happened? Is your mom ok?" I asked.

"She's really good. Much better. My dad is with her now. He had to come back from a business trip but once he did he told me to get back to school. So here I am. Just in time!" He said with a smile. "So, you and Malfoy huh?"

I blushed and let out a laugh.

"Yeah. Something like that." I said.

I looked over to Draco and Pansy and she had her head on his chest and he was staring at me. His face looked so annoyed, and I just laughed at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Be careful." Oliver said.

"What?" I asked, confused, turning my attention back to him.

"With him. Everyone knows his dad works for he who shall not be named, it's not hard to guess he will too." He said with a stern tone.

I slowed down our dancing and leaned back to look at him.

"I am very capable of taking care of myself." I said, irritated.

"Yeah, looks like Malfoy is too."

I looked over and he was kissing Pansy. I looked back at Oliver and didn't know what to do next. I didn't want to look at them again. I could feel my eyes starting to sting with tears. I had completely stopped moving at this point and Oliver wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Get me out of here." I whimpered.

I kept my eyes to the floor and let him lead me out. We made it out into the hall, and I broke out of his arms. I began to run, and I tripped on my heels. I fell to my knees and when I stood back up, I threw my shoes off and began to run again. As I ran tears began to stream down my cheeks, so I closed my eyes.

"QUINN!" I heard Draco yell behind me.

"I think you have done enough mate." Oliver said.

Just then I heard a crack and when I glanced back, I saw Oliver on the floor and Draco standing over him. I turned and kept running. I turned a corner and leaned against the wall to catch my breath. I saw a door to my right, so I flung it open and went inside. It was the stairs to the astronomy tower. I began to climb up them for what felt like years, until I reached the top. The air was cool, and the wind was strong. I could still hear the music from the party, and I could smell smoke from the fires lit throughout the castle. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in. I slowly walked to the edge and looked down. It was a long fall from up here. The water below looked cold and unforgiving. The waves crashed into the rocks, but it seemed silent. I looked up and the sky was clear. The moon was bright, and I felt like I could touch the stars. The wind blew through my hair as I took in everything. I began to cry more. Why did everything good have to go bad for me? My dad. My friendship with Draco. Now my love for Draco. Why did he keep hurting me? I thought he meant what he said. I shook my head and laughed out loud. Of course, he didn't. How could a boy like Draco Malfoy have feelings for me? Suddenly I heard someone climbing the stairs behind me.

"Quinn." Draco whispered, out of breath.

I didn't answer. I didn't have the energy. I just stood there, looking at the sky. I could feel him getting closer to me, so I took a step forward until my toes were hanging off the edge.

"If you jump, I jump." He said.

"You know, I accepted you, even when I heard you were a death eater. Even with your anger issues and how you have always treated me. I forgave all of that." I said, still looking up.

"Quinn. It wasn't me."

I closed my eyes. I was tired of his excuses.

"Be good snowflake." I sniffled. "Thats what my dad said before he left that night. To be good. I feel like I've done that, so why do bad things keep happening to me." I turned to look at him.

He had tears in his eyes but a strong look on his face.

"Quinn. She kissed me. I didn't kiss her." he whispered.

"I believe you." I said. "But you didn't push her off. You probably didn't even yell at her. Or defend me."

He closed his eyes and dropped his head, allowing a tear to fall from his eye. He moved closer to me and wrapped his arm around my back, pulling me into his chest. I closed my eyes and heavily sighed. He just held me. He pressed his lips on my head and we stayed there for a few moments while I cried. After a while we found ourselves sitting on the floor. We were both silently looking at the sky now. He looked over at me and I dropped my head to look down.

"Quinn." he said softly.

"Why are you so tired all the time?" I asked.

He sighed and looked back up.

"I have been very busy these past few months." he said lowly.

"With what?"

"I can't talk about it." he answered, irritated.

I stood up and straightened my dress. I wiped my face and turned to walk back down the stairs. Draco jumped to his feet and grabbed my hand.

"Its voldemort." he blurted.

I stopped and turned back around. He let go of my hand and dropped his head. The expression on his face made him look defeated. Not with me or this conversation, but with life. He looked tired of everything.

"What does he have you doing?" I asked, in shock.

Draco walked back to the edge and looked down. I walked up behind him and rested my head on his back.

"If you jump, I jump." I whispered.

He sat down and I sat next to him until he pulled me onto his lap, facing him. He began to tell me all about his task. He was to fix a vanishing cabinet that way when Voldemort gave the command, death eaters could come into Hogwarts. Voldemort also told him he needed to kill Dumbledore. That was the part that kept him up at night. He never slept, between fixing the cabinet and his fears of killing our headmaster. He cried a few times, and I let him. When he was done, I placed his head on my chest while he wept. He cried for a while until all I could hear was heavy breathing and an occasional sniffle. Eventually he pulled back and looked up at me.

"This. This is why I push you away." he said, his voice cracking.

"Draco. If you jump, I jump." I said softly, smiling.

He stood up and placed me down on the ground gently.

"May I have this dance, Stillstone?" he bowed and held his hand up for me to take.
I curtsied and placed my hand in his. He pulled me into his chest, and we began to sway back and forth. There was no music, but we could hear the wind and the crashing of the waves down below. I could hear his heart beating in his chest. That was all the music I needed.

We walked back down the stairs, into the hallway. Kids were walking around and talking. The party had ended, and people were looking for trouble to get into. We looked down the hall and could see Zabini. We began to walk over to him when suddenly professor snape stepped in front of us.

"Mr. Malfoy." He groaned.

Draco looked down at me and back up at him. He raised my hand to his lips and kissed it.

"I will catch up with you, my love." he whispered.

I nodded and smiled at snape before walking past him.

"Is it done?" he asked Draco.

"Almost." Draco said with irritation in his voice.

"Good. Not long now."

Hearing that made my heart sink. Draco had just told me what he was supposed to do and now I learned it would be happening soon. I had to be strong. For myself and for Draco. He may be an ass but he's mine and I promised him I would be there for him, so I will be. I walked alone back to the common room and when I walked in Pansy was sitting on the couch and Zabini was just heading up the stairs to his room but stopped when he saw me.

"Stillstone, you look like hell." He said.

Pansy turned and looked at me with a smirk. I wanted to curse her, but I wasn't going to stoop to her level.

"Yeah, Draco and I had a long night. We spent it together in the tower." I said without looking at Pansy.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Zabini smiled and nodded then headed up to bed. I glanced at her and rolled my eyes then continued to my bed. I walked in my room, shut the door, and threw my dress to the floor. I was so tired. I crawled into bed and closed my eyes. I could hear another girl snoring and another girl was flipping pages of a book. Soon I drifted off to sleep.

Over the next few weeks Draco and I spent more and more time together. It wasn't much, between him fixing the cabinet and being at Snapes beck and call, but we made the most of what we had. We mainly spent time in the tower or the common room. If he was ever free at dinner, we would sit with each other as well. I was learning a lot about Draco that I didn't know over the years. Mainly that he was tired and scared. He would never admit it to me, but I knew he was. He told me more about his family life and how much that had changed from when we were kids. His life seemed a lot more dark than what it used to be, but I guess that's expected when your family is well known for working for the dark lord. He always hid his mark from me. even when I told him it was ok, he would hide it. I think it was the shame of it all. He told me that no one, besides me and Zabini, knew about it. I would say I felt special but how do you feel special knowing something like that?
"How did it happen?" Draco asked.

We were sitting in the tower one night and talking about my mom and how she took my dads death.

"He- I don't know too many details. I only know that he was out doing some work for the dark lord when a fight broke out between him and some muggles. I guess one of them had a gun. Kinda funny how muggle weapons can hurt us. You think were invincible to that kind of stuff, but were just as fragile as them." I paused, taking a deep breath and watching a star that had shot across the sky. "I used to wish that he would come back. I used to hate muggles for what they did. I blamed them all for the actions of that one. But that wasn't fair. Especially when you think about the fact that he was a death eater. People said he deserved it. Now the only thing I wish for is his name to be cleared." I dropped my gaze down. "That will never happen though, so now I stopped wishing on stars."

"Quinn. He didn't want this life." He whispered.

I could feel him staring at me but I didn't want him to see the tears in my eyes. I cleared my throat and blinked them away.

"I know. And I know you don't either. But that doesn't change the fact that, that is what you both are. Death eaters." I looked over at him and his eyes were full of guilt.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek and he gently wiped it away with his thumb. After a few moments of sitting in silence I let out a yawn and rubbed my eyes. Draco stood up and offered me his hand. I took it and he lifted me to my feet.

"Lets get you to bed, Stillstone."

The next morning, I woke up and stretched my arms above my head. I decided I would take a shower before going to eat. I grabbed some clean clothes and headed out to the common rooms. There was a boy asleep on the couch and another on the floor in front of the fire. I laughed and shook my head. I continued out to the showers. Once I got there I quickly showered and got dressed in my uniform. Classes had been back in session for a few weeks now. When I was done, I headed out to the great hall for some food. I sat down and began to serve myself some food when someone walked up behind me. I turned expecting to see Draco or even Pansy. Anyone besides Snape. I gulped my food down hard and blinked at him a few times.

"Mr Malfoy wanted me to inform you that he had to return home for a.... urgent matter." He said sternly.

"Is he ok?" I asked, concerned.

"Yes Ms Stillstone, he is fine, but your presence is requested at the Malfoy Manor as well." He raised an eyebrow at me.

My stomach dropped and I wanted to throw up. What could I possibly have done to warrant an invitation to the Malfoy Manor?

"I suggest you move quickly." He stated before leaving.
I stood up and quickly walked back to my room. I brushed out my hair and left my curls down. I put on a pair of nice jeans and a white shirt that was fitted with a v neck. I grabbed my wand and stuffed it inside my brown knee-high boots and walked back out into the hall. Snape was standing outside the door waiting for me. He began walking fast and I followed behind him. We walked all the way until we reached his office. We stepped inside and he shut the door behind us.

"Draco informed me that he told you. I have no clue why you have been asked to go to the Manor, but I warn you to keep your tongue while there." He handed me a silver spoon and I looked at him with confusion on my face.

"The Malfoy port key." He stated.

Of course, it was. What a brat Draco was. I couldn't help but giggle. I closed my eyes and pictured the Manor. Suddenly the world began to twist and turn until my feet hit the ground. My stomach felt like it had flipped and been tied in a knot.

"Oh fuck." I whispered before I hunched over and gagged.

I stood there and looked up at the house. It was huge. Bigger than I remembered, but it had been a few years since I had been here. I walked up the driveway to the front door. It slowly opened and I stepped inside. The entryway was a big room with white marble flooring. It had a stone pillar in each corner and a set of stairs to the left. There were four doors in this room. One on each wall. The one I came in, one on the left wall, one to the right that led to the kitchen and one in the back right corner of the back wall, opposite of the stairs. I looked around the room for a moment until I saw a few men enter from the door to the left. One of them was Luscious Malfoy, Draco's dad. The other two men I did not recognize but they followed behind him like they were a couple of baby ducks.

"Ah. Ms. Stillstone. Welcome. We have been waiting for you." I remembered what Snape said about not talking so I just nodded at him.

"Follow me." He said sternly.

I followed in line behind the two men that followed him. We walked through the door in the back right corner into a large room with a long table. There were many chairs and each one had a different person sitting in them. Draco's mom, Narcissa, was there and so was Bellatrix Lestrange. My stomach dropped when I saw her. I had never seen her in person. Her hair was wild, just like the look in her eyes. There were many other people I didn't know but then my eyes stopped when they met Draco's. When he saw me, his expression changed from tired to worried. He stood to his feet quickly and slammed his hands on the table.

"Why the fuck is she here?" he shouted.

"Malfoy, watch your language." Narcissa said quietly.

"A little birdie shared with us that you have told Ms. Stillstone all about your tasks, Draco." Luscious said.

Draco sat down and kept his gaze on mine. Luscious lead me to a chair at the end of the table but he sat in it and motioned for me to stand next to him.
"Quinn here is a fellow Slytherin just like her father. She must be so proud. Are you proud dear?" He asked, turning his head to look at me.

"Yes." I said quietly, looking down at my feet.

I didn't want to look at him, but I couldn't keep starring at Draco. His face was making me scared. He looked like he wanted to burst out in tears.

"Well, that's more than any of us could say. Your father was a blood traitor dear. Marrying your filthy mudblood mother and befriending anyone he wanted, regardless of who they were. No wonder the dark lord had him killed." He said, smirking.

I wanted to throw up. I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. I wanted to do so many things but all I could do was stand there and try not to cry. A single tear rolled down my cheek and I couldn't tell if it was from anger or fear.

"Don't cry my dear." He said, wiping my tear away with his finger. "The dark lord is here, and he wants to meet you!" He said, smiling.

I quickly looked up to Draco and his face went white. He stood up and put his hand on his wand. Just then the doors on the other side of the room flung open and a man came out and walked over to me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and began to lead me back to the room he just came from. Draco began to walk out from where he was sitting when the two men on each side of him grabbed his shoulders and held him down.

"NO!" He screamed. "Not her!" he began to weep.

"Oh Draco." His father said with a sick look on his face. "You're embarrassing me."

Once we were in the room the man shut the door behind me and I kept my gaze at the floor. I was too afraid to look up.

"Quinn Stillstone." I heard a shaky voice say.

My heart dropped and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"You should look at your elders when they speak to you." He demanded.

I slowly lifted my eyes and could see him standing in the center of the room. He was gently smiling at me, but it was dark. It was twisted. I could still hear Draco screaming from the other room. He was threatening and cussing at anyone who got in his way. Voldemort walked closer to me and began to slowly walk in a circle around me. I dropped my eyes back to my feet.

"Hm. So young Draco has shared some things with you that I truly did not want him to share with anyone that was not a death eater."

I gulped and could feel a tear falling down my cheek.

"The only way to fix that is to make you....one of us." he laughed. "The only problem is, your father was one of us, or so we thought. Look where he is now."
I shot my eyes up to him and furrowed my brow.

"Don't speak of my father like that." I grumbled.
He shot forward and grabbed my face in his hand. It was large and cold. I squealed and closed my eyes. He squeezed my face until I thought he was going to break my jaw. More tears started pouring out at this point.

"Pathetic. Just like your father." He scoffed.

He threw my face to the side, and I fell to the floor. I kept my head down and kept hoping this would end now. He crouched down next to me and motioned for the other man in the room to come over to us. The man came over and pulled me to my feet but he wrapped his arms around me so I couldn't move.

"Maybe you can help our young Draco and keep your life, unlike your father. You can make up to me what he couldn't." he grabbed my arm and turned it, so my palm was facing the sky.

Was this really happening?

"NO! Please NO!" I screamed.

He placed his wand on my wrist and suddenly my skin began to burn. It felt as though he was setting an open flame on my arm. I began to scream, and tears started falling from my eyes. I wiggled and kicked and tried to break free but the man holding me was much too strong.

"STOP! IT HURTS!" I pleaded.

The doors behind us flung open and Draco came running in. He had his wand pointed high and was aiming right at Voldemort.

"Let her go!" he shouted.

The man behind me let go and I fell to the ground. All I could hear was my heart pumping. My arm hurt so bad I wanted to die at that moment. I rolled onto my side and curled up in a ball. I managed to open my eyes to see Draco starring at Voldemort and Voldemort laughing. Three other men had their wands pointed at Draco while his was aimed at the dark lord.

"Draco." I whispered.

"Luscious, control your boy." He said.

"You fucking twit! Leave her out of all of this!" Draco demanded.

Voldemort began to laugh and crouched down next to me again. I flinched as he grabbed my arm and turned it for the room to see.

"Too late boy."

Draco's eyes filled with tears as he saw the dark mark on my arm. I pulled my arm away from him and pressed it against my chest. I stared at Draco as he turned his attention back to Voldemort. He raised his wand again and Voldemort grabbed me and lifted me to my feet by my throat. I began to wiggle again because I couldn't breathe. He pressed his wand against my forehead and looked right at Draco.
"Kneel boy." He said. "If you want her to live, then kneel."

Draco looked at me and back at Voldemort. His face twisted and he began to sob. He fell to his knees and dropped his wand. Voldemort began to laugh and dropped me back to the floor. He then turned and walked out of the room, everyone following behind him. They shut the doors and Draco quickly crawled over to where I was laying. He grabbed me in his arms and began to sob.

"I am so sorry Quinn. I am so sorry." He kept repeating that while I just stared at my arm.

It still burned but the pain was nothing compared to the thought of what it meant. I was now a death eater.

He carried me upstairs and laid me on his bed. He crawled over me and laid behind me, holding me in his arms. I could hear him crying still and all I could do was lay there. I felt numb now. I closed my eyes and fell asleep.