Jump

Chapter Five

When I woke up the room was dark and cold. Draco was still wrapped around me, and I could hear him breathing. He was asleep. I quietly crawled out from under him and into his bathroom that was attached to his room. I shut the door behind me and slowly turned to face myself in the mirror. My eyes shifted from my face to my arm. I quickly looked back at my own face. My eyes were puffy, and my hair was a mess. Tears began to silently roll down my cheeks. I walked backwards until I felt the wall and I sank down it. I brought my knees to my chest and rested my head on them. I started to sob. My sobbing turned into screaming. Draco ran in and stood over me. He crouched down and grabbed me in his arms. I began to shove him away, but he only held me tighter.

I hit his chest and arms a few times until I had no energy left. I rested my head on his chest and cried. I screamed and cried until my throat hurt. Until I fell asleep again. I woke up and blinked my eyes. I looked up at Draco and we were still on the bathroom floor. He looked down at me and I could see his face was puffy as well. I sat up and wiped my face. He stood up and walked over to his shower, turning it on. He walked back over to me and lifted me to my feet without saying a word. He began to slowly undress me and walk me to the shower. His face was stone. He had no expression and I couldn't tell if it was because he was trying not to cry or because he was trying to be strong. Maybe he was numb. Right now I didn't have the energy to think about it. He opened the glass door to the shower and I stepped inside.

I felt the hot water hitting my body but I was so numb that it didn't phase me. I glanced around and saw a bar of soap. I picked it up and held it under the water for a moment before lathering it on my body. It smelled of apples. I noticed his shampoo was mint as well. No wonder he always smelled so good. I lifted the soap to my nose and took a deep breath. Even the smell of him comforted me. I continued washing my body, pausing on my arm. I stared at it for a couple of seconds when suddenly Draco was standing behind me. He took the soap out of my hand and continued lathering it on my arm. I flinched as it was still sore.

"How long is it going to hurt for?" I quietly asked, staring at it as the suds fell from skin due to the water washing it away

"It doesn't." He stated, disgust in his voice.

I turned to face him and rested my head on his chest, closing my eyes and listening to his heart beating.

"Do you hate me?" I croaked.

He stood still for a moment almost like the question surprised him. He placed his hand on the back of my head.

"No." He whispered.

"But now I'm the thing you hate most in this world, I'm- I'm a-" I could feel tears stinging my eyes but my body was tired of crying so they never broke the surface.

"The thing I hate most in this world is Potter." He jokingly scoffed.

I just rested my head back on his chest and sniffled.

"Quinn." He started, pulling me back by my shoulders and looking in my eyes. "I don't hate you. I hate that mark. I hate myself... for letting you get that mark. If I would have stayed away like I planned to do, like I had been doing-" He trailed off when he realized I was softly smiling. "What?"

"Not everything is about you Malfoy." I joked.

I was angry and upset, but not at him so it wasn't fair for me to make him feel bad.

"Quinn." He whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Draco, stop apologizing. This was not your fault. You couldn't have known this would have happened." I said sternly, turning my back to him and washing my face.

"Yeah, if I would have known their plans-"He started to grumble.

"You would do what?" I scoffed.

"I would have killed them."

I turned back around, and he was looking down at me. His eyes fixed on mine. I could see rage behind the little specs of blue in the vast ocean of gray that were his eyes. His lightly colored brow was furrowed, and his sharp jaw line was clenched. Even when he was angry, he was a work of art. I could see bags under his eyes. This world was taking something so beautiful and trying to destroy it. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let it take a boy and break him beyond repair, a boy I loved. I rested my forehead on his chest and placed a single, long kiss on it. He wrapped his arms around me and squeezed, resting his head on top of mine. I took a deep breath and decided I was going to be ok. I was going to be strong. For him. He had been dealing with this and it wasn't fair for me to overshadow that. We were both death eaters now.

He reached over and turned the water off then opened the door to step out. The cold air crept in and hit my skin causing goosebumps to form everywhere. He handed me a towel and wrapped his around his waist. I admired his strong shoulders and the muscles that rippled down his back. He ran his fingers through his wet hair but a few strands of blonde and silver fell in his eyes. He glanced over at me and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms, and smiling. I looked down and noticed I was still standing in the shower and hadn't even unfolded the towel yet. I was basically drooling over him, naked and cold.

"You gonna dry off or just stand there, Stillstone." He smirked, raising an eyebrow.

I stumbled out of the shower and wrapped the towel around my body. It was warm and soft. After I finished drying off, I walked out of the bathroom and into his room where he was getting dressed. I looked around and admired how much it had changed from when we were kids. The floor was white marble and the wall that faced the outside was one big window with long black curtains draped over them. His bed was against the right wall, facing the left. It was a king-sized bed with four dark oak posts. It had silky white sheets and a black comforter on it. Across from the bed was a dark oak dresser that was 6 drawers high. Almost the same height as Draco. There were pictures and paintings hanging on the wall around the room. Some of people I have never seen. Some of Draco and his family and one of Salizar Slytherin. I glanced at Draco as he was sitting on his bed pulling a white plain shirt over his head. He had on a pair of fit gray boxers and black dress pants that had not yet been zipped up or buttoned. His eyes met mine and he froze in place for a moment.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"Its beautiful." I whispered.

He raised and eyebrow and leaned back on his hands.

"What is Stillstone?" He smirked.

"Oh- uh- your room." I stuttered, blushing.

He stood up, buttoned his pants, and walked over to his dresser, pulling open a drawer. He dug around in it for a moment before pulling out a white shirt and a pair of running shorts.

"I don't have any clothes that would fit you, but these might be close." He said, handing them to me.

I took them from him and held them up, looking at them like I have never seen clothes in my life. I pulled them on and as soon as I let go, the shorts fell to the floor. Draco let out a laugh and grabbed his wand.

"Multicorfors." He said sternly.

The shorts changed into a pair of jeans that fit me just right in all the right places. The shirt turned into a black shirt that had long sleeves but was low cut in the front between my breasts. I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry." He giggled. "It looks great on you though."

I slipped on my knee-high boots and made sure my wand was still in them. It was. I brushed my fingers through my long-wet hair and grabbed a bottle of lotion form his dresser.

"Is everything you own either mint or apple scented?" I asked, holding up the mint scented lotion.

"No. my toothpaste is bubblegum." He joked, placing a kiss on my forehead.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked, watching me rub lotion on my face. "Were not staying here."

"Obviously." I said quietly. "Let's go get some food. I'm starving."

He smiled at me, and it looked good on him. I wanted to see that more. Possibly for the rest of my life.

"Come on, love. I know a great place." He stepped forward and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of his room.

Once we were in the hallway, I could hear Bellatrix loudly singing downstairs. My heart jumped to my throat, and I could feel my hands shaking. Draco could too so he squeezed my hand to let me know he was still there.

"You are safe with me Quinn." He said sternly. "We just have to get outside then we can use the port key."

I looked at him and nodded. I was too afraid to speak because if I did I might throw up. We continued walking down a long hallway until we reached the top of the stairs. We crept down them in hopes no one would hear us but unfortunately Bellatrix was walking through at the same time. I stopped dead in my tracks as she looked up at us and smiled with nasty yellow teeth and her eyes wide open, fixed on me.

"Oh look. Its our new plaything." She hissed, wagging her finger in my direction.

She let out a loud, deranged laugh and Draco tugged at me to keep walking. I shook my head and managed to focus back on him. Once we reached the bottom of the long staircase, Draco pushed me to the opposite side of him then where Bellatrix was. I grabbed on to his arm and hid behind it as we shot straight for the front door.

"Where are you love birds off to?" She sang behind us.

We turned around and before I could blink, she had skipped from one side of the room to the other and was now standing directly in front of me. She grabbed a piece of my hair and twirled it between her fingers. Draco stepped in front of me and nudged her back with his chest. I peered out from behind his arm, just enough that I could see her still staring at me, smiling.

"Were just going to get some food." Draco grumbled lowly.

"Oh what? Is the princess here too good to eat with us? We are her new family now." She licked her teeth after she spoke, and I could see some lipstick on her tooth.

"You are NOT my family!" I said sternly, stepping out from behind Draco.

Draco squeezed my hand again and I could feel him starring right at me. I kept my gaze on Bellatrix though, I knew if I looked at him, he would shake his head and tell me to keep quiet, but I am tired of people telling me who my family is. Who my father is.

"Listen here love. Do you think your dear old mummy will take you back knowing what you are? Do you think she could ever love you again?" She sang, stepping forward, now inches from my face.

"That's enough!" Draco said sternly.

"What about your brother? Hm? You might as well kiss your whole family goodbye because once they see that mark on your arm you will have no one else besides us to call family. You'll see." She laughed, turning away, and skipping back to the kitchen.

Draco grabbed my arm and we darted outside. When we made It out it felt as though all the air in my lungs had been sucked out. I hadn't even thought about my brother or my mom. How could I tell them? Was she right? Would they even love me?

"Don't." Draco said. I looked up at him and he was staring at my face with a look of guilt and desperation. "Do not listen to her. She is wrong. Your mother and Fynn will still love you. Of course, they will." He stepped closer to me.

"What if-" he placed his finger on my lips to stop me from finishing my sentence.

"Don't." he said sternly.

I looked down as he turned and pulled an object out of his pocket. I couldn't quite see what it was but suddenly we were spinning and twisting through the air. I could feel his hand still holding mine and then suddenly I could feel the ground below us. Once the world stopped turning around me, I could see Draco standing in front of me, and in front of him was a tall building. It looked to be two stories high and was made from red bricks. There were windows all around the bottom floor and none on the top. The door was a single black door with a gold knob. The sign on it said P&M Eatery. We walked inside and there was a house elf standing by the door.

"Welcome Mr. Malfoy." He spoke dryly.

Draco nodded and continued inside. We walked to the back left corner of the restaurant and sat at a table that was set for two. He pulled my chair out and tucked it in as I sat down.

"This place is nice." I said, looking around amazed.

"Its my fathers." He stated, opening a menu, and looking at its contents.

"Oh. So that's what the M stands for then?"

He nodded without looking at me.

"What about the P?" I slowly asked.

"Do you like wine?" He asked, ignoring my question.

I stared at him for a moment until it finally hit me.

"Parkinson." I stated. "You own a restaurant with PANSY?" my eyes grew large as I said her name.

He quickly shut his menu and sighed. He glared at me with his tongue in his cheek.

"I do not-"

"Draco!" a high squeal interrupted him.

He groaned and rolled his eyes.

"What the fuck is she doing here?" he mumbled.

A small woman with long black hair and large brown eyes scurried over to us, her eyes were locked on Draco.

"Hello Ms. Parkinson." He said, gritting through his teeth with a fake smile.

My eyes grew large again when he said that and I immediately opened the menu and raised it to cover my face, in hopes I would disappear from their sight.

"And who is this?" She queried trying to peer over my menu.

"This is Quinn. Quinn Stillstone." Draco said, darting his eyes at me.

I dropped the menu slowly and smiled at her.

"Hello... ma- ma'am." I managed to spit out.

"Oh." Her lips pursed out in disgust, and she turned her eyes back to Draco.

"I heard you and Pansy had a nice time at the ball." She said, smiling again.

I rolled my eyes and looked up at Draco. He had a nervous smile on his mouth, and I could tell he was looking at me from his peripherals.

"Yeah, we danced together but Quinn was my date." He said, clearing his throat.

She looked over to me and I just smiled at her. My stomach was still settling from apparating here and now I had to deal with Pansy's mom. She looked back at Draco and gave him a concerned and almost disgusted smile before nodding and walking away. Draco sat back down and let out a huff, almost like he had just got done running. He looked at me and gave me a nervous smile before clearing his throat again.

"So, you never answered me, do you like wine?" He coolly asked.
"Uh. No, I don't." I said, still shaken by what just happened. His face changed back to looking tired and his gaze dropped to the table.

"But I do like coffee." I jeered.

His eyes met mine and he gave me a smile. He sat up and raised his hand to get the waiters attention. We ordered our drinks and our food and once the waiter had walked away, we fell silent. It was as thought we both had something to say but neither of us wanted to say it. I glanced up at him and he was picking at one of his fingers.

"What's going to happen?" I asked quietly.

"I don't know." He answered. "I wish I did. I wish I knew what they were planning so I could protect you."

"Draco, you can't protect me from everything." I said with a slight hint of irritation in my voice.

His eyes narrowed at me, and his tongue pressed against his cheek.

"Draco don't be upset. It's the truth." I said, turning my gaze to the waiter who was bringing our food. "I can take care of myself."

The waiter set our food in front of us and I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled the fresh bread and sweet fruit.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do Quinn." He grumbled. "If I had been protecting you from the start, you would never have been at my house, never would have gotten that ugly mark on your arm." He seethed.

I looked down at my arm and even though it was covered by my sleeves I could still feel it. It was strange. It was almost like someone was holding my arm even though there was nothing there. Nothing besides this ugly mark.

"Its okay to hate me." He said quietly.

I looked back up at him and he was staring at my arm as well. I quickly placed my arm in my lap and began to eat with my other. His eyes shot up to mine, but I kept my gaze on my food.

"I hate me." he said under his breath.

He leaned back and began to eat. We didn't speak another word until we finished. Draco left some cash on the table and looked at me. he didn't have an expression on his face and once again I couldn't tell if it was because he was trying to not cry or be strong. We stood up and walked back outside. Once I felt the cool air hit my face, I closed my eyes. The sun was out now, and it was shining on my skin. I looked over to Draco who was watching me, studying me. I flashed him a smile and held out my hand. He took it and I pulled him closer to me. I wrapped his arms around me and rested my head on his chest.

"Draco, you silly, silly boy. I could never hate you." I pulled my head back to look up at him and he was already looking down at me.

"I love you." He whispered.

The look on his face after he said it made it seem like he didn't mean for it to come out, but it rolled off his tongue so perfectly. So smooth that it was like he's been saying it his whole life. His pale cheeks turned red, and he took a step back from me.

"Draco-" I said reaching for him.

"I think we should go back home now. Would you like me to take you back to the school?" He asked, still in shock.

"Draco, what- what are you talking about? Why do you want me to leave?" I asked, confused.

"I just have some stuff to do and-" he began to explain.

"And I can help you now, remember?" I said grabbing my arm.

He looked at my arm where I was holding it and a look of pain and guilt washed over his face. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and sighed.

"No. I don't want you in this. You need to go home or to the school or somewhere, but not with me." He argued.

"Draco-"

"No. Lets go." He demanded.

I shook my head and turned around to face away from him. I took a deep breath and looked around to see if I knew where I was. I recognized this place a little. I had been here once before, and I think I can get back to town from here. So, I started walking.

"Stillstone, where are you going?" Draco shouted from behind me. "Quinn! What the bloody hell are you doing?"

Ignoring him and trying not to cry, again, I kept walking. Draco Malfoy. The only boy I have ever loved. The only one I would give my life for, and have. He still can't admit his true feelings for me. once again, my heart is broken thanks to a blue eyed, blonde haired boy. I keep walking until I feel a hand grab me. they pulled me into an alley behind a pair of buildings. When I turned to see who was holding my arm, it was an older man with white hair. He looked dirty but somehow didn't have a spec of dirt on him.

"Keep your mouth shut." He grumbled.

"Let go of me! Who are you?" I squealed.

"I said shut it." He shouted.

We continued walking down the alley until we reached a door. It looked like the back entrance to a building. We stopped right in front of it and he pulled out his wand. He swished it in a triangle pattern then tapped it a few times on the metal door. The door creaked open, and a few men were standing inside. I tried to see all their faces, but it was very dimly lit in the room we were in. it looked like we were In a wizardry pawn shop. We are in-

"..Borgin and Burkes." I whisper.

The men stop talking and look at me for a moment before they continue their chatter.

"Where did you find this one, Yaxely?" one man asks.

"Don't worry about it. She was walking down the street alone. She is pretty, right? How much can I get for her?" Yaxely asks, licking his chapped lips.

"It depends on how much we can sell her for. You will get your cut, don't worry about it." The store owner shouts.

Are they trying to sell me? What the fuck is going on. My heart starts to pound, and I want to throw up.

"I'm not- My name is Quinn. Quinn Stillstone. I'm- I'm with Draco Malfoy." I try and stutter.

The men all stare at me for a moment before they let out a laugh then return to their argument. I must get out of here. I shouldn't have left Draco. I should have just gone home. Just then the door in the front of the store swings open and I see a head of long white hair walk in. Lucious. He walks in and sees the men arguing and me standing to the side, probably shaking from fear and confusion. He looks at me and raises and eyebrow. Like father like son.

"What are you doing here?" He questions coolly.

"Um- I don't- I don't know." I manage to spit out.

He turns his attention to the men who are glaring at him with looks of worry.

"Why is she here and where is my son?"

They look at him then over to me, realizing I wasn't lying. The man lets go of me and I take a few steps away from him. I want to run but I don't know where to run to so I stand and wait for someone to tell me I can leave. Lucious looks at me and lifts his chin in the air, keeping his eyes on mine.

"What a pretty young thing, aren't we?" He places his cane under my chin and lifts my head up.

I close my eyes and pray that this ends well for me. He drops my chin and I open my eyes to see him turning to leave. He snaps his fingers at me, which makes me jump but I follow him. We walk out of the store and he turns, glaring down at me.

"You better keep out of trouble girl, or the dark lord will hear about you. You are no good for my son. If you mess up his work and ruin my life, I will kill you myself." He says, spitting with anger as he talks.

I nod my head and he turns and storms away. I watch as he walks away until he is gone from my sight. I look around and can tell I am In Knockturn alley. My stomach drops and I am now terrified. I decide to walk to the left in hopes I will find my way out or run into someone I know. I have never been here, and I have tried my hardest to never come here. As I'm walking, people are running into me and giving me nasty looks. I can even feel a few people grabbing at my hair and pulling my clothes. I close my eyes and try not to scream. When I open them, I can see a head of bright red hair. They must be a Weasley! I pick up my pace until I reach whoever it is. I grab their shoulder and when they turn around, I realize its Ginny's dad. I take a deep sigh of relief.

"Hello." I pant. "You do not know me, but I am friends with Ginny." I explain. "I have never been here, and I don't know how to get out and I am terrified. Can you please help me?" I beg.

He looks me up and down for a moment before giving me a gentle smile.

"Of course, dear. I come here all the time for work. I have just finished what I was doing and was headed back to Hogwarts, if you would like me to take you?" He offers.

I wanted to go back to Malfoy Manor but at this point, anywhere in better than here. He pulls out a piece of what looks like a statue and grabs my hand in his. Suddenly we are spinning and twisting. After what feels like forever, we land on stone. Once my vision comes to me, I see we are in the courtyard at the school. I hunch over and place my hands on my knees, panting.

"Are you alright dear?" He asks, concerned.

I wave my hand up at him to dismiss any worries he may have.

"I have done that a few too many times in the past day." I gasp.

He lets out a laugh and pats my back.

"I trust you will be okay from here. I have some work to attend to. It was nice meeting you Quinn Stillstone." He shouts as he runs off.

I manage to stand up and I begin to slowly walk to the Slytherin common room. Once there I slump down on the couch and close my eyes. I can feel the heat from the fireplace caressing my cheek. This feels nice.

"Don't you have a bed to sleep in?" I hear Pansy scoff.

I rolled my eyes at just the sound of her voice. I sat up and glared over at her.

"Hey Pansy, I met your mom today." I hum. "She is a little bitchy... I see where you get it from." I shrug my shoulders and fall back against the couch again.

"What the hell? When did you meet my mother?" she demands.
"Oh, Draco took me to the restaurant your parents and his parents own, and she was there."

Pany's eyes go from angry to amused. She purses her lips together and folded her arms.

"Oh. I see. Did he take you to the table in the back corner? Order you wine?" She questions.

My eyes shoot open, and I realize she's referring to the fact that Draco has taken her there as well.

"That used to be where we went all the time." She laughs, flipping her hair.

I stand up and walk over to her until I am inches from her face.

"No. it was coffee. Then he took me outside and told me he loved me." I grumbled.

"Oh? And where is he now?" She asks.

I roll my eyes and push her shoulder with mine, walking up the stairs to my room. Once inside I shut the door behind me. I am alone and I am fine with that. I slump to my bed and throw myself down on it. I hear Pansy yelling and marches up the stairs and starts banging on my door. I groan and roll over, covering my head with my pillow. I just want her to stop. I want it all to stop. I am tired. Finally, she stops and it is silent for a moment until there is a few loud bangs on my door. I shoot up and stomp over to open it. The second I do Draco's arms fall around me. he squeezes me so tight that I can't breathe.

"What the hell Quinn." He shouts.

He notices my cheeks are turning red so he lets go and I can see Pansy on the floor behind him. I stick my tongue out at her and pull Draco inside, shutting the door behind him.

"My father told me what happened. I ran after you but when I got around the corner you were gone. I thought you apparated. I went back to my house, and you weren't there. When my father walked in he began to tell me what happened and I immediately came here to look for you. What the hell is wrong with you? Those men- they would have- you would have been-" he began to stumble over his words. He was pacing back and forth in my room with his hands in his pockets, looking down at his shoes. I was sitting on my bed wishing he would stop yelling.

"Draco. I'm fine." I say flatly. "What were they talking about? Who would they have sold me to?"

"Fine? FINE? Quinn they would have sold you to some nasty low life death eaters who would have done what they wanted with you! Did they touch you? Did they hurt you?" he began to frantically look over my body like I was a baby that had just fallen from a large height.

"I'm fine." I say again, tiredly.

He pulls back my sleeve, revealing my dark mark. Both of our eyes shoot down to it when we both notice a couple of bruises where Yaxely had been dragging me. I looked up at Draco and he was still starring at it. Almost like he was frozen in time. He pushed my sleeve back down and began to pace again.

"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to fucking kill them all." He seethed through his teeth.

"Draco. I'm fine!" this is the only thing I can think to say.

Truthfully, I was not fine. I was breaking. I was hurt by Draco, by this ugly mark, by strange men grabbing me off the street like I'm some kind of doll to sell. I was tired.

"How is that all you can say?" He continued yelling.

I laid down while he kept going. I could hear him yelling but I stopped listening. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I just wanted to sleep. I'm tired of crying. I'm tired of arguing with Draco. I'm tired of bad things happening.

"I'm tired Draco." I manage to whisper.

He finally stops yelling but I can't see what he is doing. I hear him sigh and he walks over to my window. I open my eyes and look up at him. He has one hand in his pocket and one running through his hair, which is a mess. Most likely from him running around looking for me. The light from the sun on his pale face makes him almost glow. He is a piece of artwork. He turns his head and looks at me. He is tired too. I reach my hand out to him and he takes it, walking over and sitting on my bed. He leans over and presses his lips on my cheek while I close my eyes.

"Why couldn't you just listen to me?" He moans against my cheek.

"Why can't you just tell me you love me?" I ask, not opening my eyes.

I don't know If I truly wanted to ask him that. But I did. I feel him sit up, but I still don't open my eyes. He stands and its quiet for a moment.

"I do." He whispers.

Then he is gone and I am asleep.