|In The Dark|

70

ANNABELLE LUPIN-BLACK

When I got back to Draco's dorm, I went inside and Theo was pacing back and forth. Draco laid on his bed, eyes shut, his chest rising and falling gently. He was still asleep. "Belle, where were you?" Theo asked. I just stared at Draco. He looked so calm, so peaceful. Then my eyes settled on the blood spot on the floor. Theo glanced down and sighed. He drew his wand and vanished the stain. "Belle, are you listening?" he asked. I nodded and looked at him. "Where did you go?" he asked. I exhaled a shaky breath and kept my eyes down. "I went to Dumbledore." I said quietly. His face went stone cold. "Are you mad?! What the hell is the matter with you?!" he yelled. "We need help. This- all of this is way out of our jurisdiction." I said. He scoffed. "He almost bled out on his dorm room floor. He would have died! He needs help. Help we can't give him!" I yelled. Theo looked at me sharply. "You don't get it." he said. "Get what? What don't I get?" I asked. "Dumbledore is your hero. But he's not mine." he said. I stayed quiet. "For the past 6 years, Dumbledore has protected you and cared for you and cheered you on. But I'm a Slytherin. Draco is a Slytherin. He doesn't give a shit about us." he spat. "That's not true." I said. "Dumbledore has known about the dangers of pureblood society. The abuse, the arranged marriages, the likeliness that we'd have to take the mark. But he didn't care. He sent us home, back to hell, year after year." he said. My stomach lurched. "After Lucius nearly killed Draco, I begged Dumbledore not to send him back there. I told him it wasn't safe. That Draco wasn't safe. Dumbledore said there was nothing he could do." he said. Tears pricked in my eyes. "So tell me? What did your savior tell you?" he asked. "He said he'd help." I said. Theo rolled his eyes. "So what? He'll do his best. But in the end, his hands will be tied and Draco will end up dead." he said. "Stop!" I yelled. Theo stumbled back. "Stop saying that! Draco isn't going to die!" I yelled. "Belle-" he started. "You keep repeating it, like you've accepted it. Like you've given up. Well fuck you because I won't give up." I yelled. He stared at me. "What did Dumbledore say?" he asked. "We have until the end of the year. That's when Voldemort expects it to be done. So, we hide him." I said. Theo's mouth fell open. "Hide him? That's your brilliant plan?" he said. "It's better than yours. You want to let him die. Than you can fuck your precious Tori with no distractions!" I spat. He laughed. "At least she lets me fuck her." he spat back. "Maybe I would have let you do it more if you weren't so disappointing." I snapped. "Bullshit. We both know you were just terrified." he said. "Shut up." I hissed. "You kept your eyes shut the whole time because you knew if you opened them you would see Donovan." he said. "Shut up!" I screamed as I shoved him back. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me towards him. Our faces were inches apart and I gasped. "I loved you, Belle. And it wasn't the sex that was broken. It was you." he said. Tears fell to my cheeks and I yanked away from him. "Well, you seem perfectly happy with Astoria now. So let's drop it." I said. "Let's." he said sharply. "Don't tell Draco about Dumbledore, ok? Not until I've got it sorted out." I said. He nodded. "You know I'm good at secrets." he said. I just nodded.

DRACO MALFOY

When I woke up, the room was bright. Light shone in through the windows and I squinted to see. I looked around and Theo was sitting on a chair next to me while Anna paced back and forth. I looked down and there was scratchy gauze wrapped around my arms. I sat up and started to pull it off. "Hey, hey, hey, woah. Draco, don't." Theo said, standing up quickly. "You have to keep it on." Anna said. My head was woozy and I tried to focus on them through blurry vision. "Lay back, ok? You're going to be dizzy from the blood loss." Theo said as he pushed on my shoulders. My head hit the pillow and I sighed heavily. Anna sat down on the edge of the bed and took my hand. She gave a small smile and moved the hair from my face. "How do you feel?" she asked gently. I just stared at the blood on her clothes. My blood. Tears filled my eyes and spilled down my cheeks. "No, no, no. It's ok. Don't cry, it's ok." she whispered. "I'm sorry, Anna. I'm so sorry." I said. She hugged me and I buried my face in her chest. "It's ok, I've got you. We've got you." she whispered. She sat back and I looked at Theo. Then I quickly realized it. I pulled the blanket over my arm as my heart started to pound. Theo forced a smile and shook his head. "You don't have to hide it. I know." he said. My stomach lurched. "Theo, I didn't have a choice. He said he'd kill my mum." I said. Theo nodded. "I know." he said. "He's known since summer." Anna said. I looked at them with confusion. "When we tried to come save you, I saw your arm." Theo said. "You knew all this time and you didn't say anything to anyone." I asked. "I'm your best mate. I'd never tell anyone." he said. A smile tugged at my lips and I nodded. I glanced over at Anna and there were tears in her eyes. "Anna-" I started. "We had a deal." she said. " I know. I'm sorry. I just- I'm sorry." I said. "Promise me. Promise me you won't ever do that again." she said as a stray tear fell down her cheek. "I promise." I said. She nodded. "Ok." she said. She kissed my forehead and glanced at Theo. He just nodded. "You'll be alright." he said.