Stuck with a Slytherin

21: "I reacted the same way."

You opened your eyes, shivering. What... happened? You wondered. You felt dizzy, and feverish, and pain was radiating through your body, mostly on your arm.

Quickly, you looked around at your surroundings. You found yourself in your room at your house, and suddenly, everything flooded back.

Your breathing picked up, which didn't help your lightheadedness, and you gazed at your tattooed arm. Feeling your heart start to race, you stood up and made your way to your bathroom.

You splashed some cold water on your face, then sat on the closed toilet. You attempted to take deep breaths, but your lungs refused, and you were left sobbing and hyperventilating.

Placing your head in your hands, elbows on your knees, you decided to give up the struggle and just ride out the panic. It took too much energy to try to calm down, especially on your own.

Your shoulders slumped, and you could feel your head pounding, your arm throbbing, and your vision blurring.

BANG!

A sound echoed through the house. You suspected it was the front door slamming.

"Y/n? Are you here?" A female voice called.

You stayed put, still unable to reel in your anxiety, and hoped this person would just leave you alone.

"C'mon, I promise, it's okay! It's Cissy!" The mention of Mrs. Malfoy shoved your brain back to yesterday.

"Welcome, loyal followers. I see we are missing two? Ahh, the Malfoys. They were unable to come?" Voldemort's excuse for a voice rattled the room.

She's a Death Eater. So is Mr. Malfoy. So is your dad... somehow.

Tears fell from your eyes, and you sobbed hysterically for what felt like an eternity before the door to the bathroom opened and Narcissa stepped in.

"Hey..." She started, coming to stand next to you. "I know it sucks. Does it hurt?"

You nodded hesitantly. "A bit." Of course, you were lying, you just didn't want to seem weak. It felt like every three seconds, your arm was skinned and cauterized back together.

Cissy muttered a quick charm, and the pain in your left forearm lessened, but was still there. Your breathing eased up some.

"You do understand that you may not tell anyone about this, yeah?" She continued, and you were a bit confused at her lack of proper manners, but you nodded.

"Yeah, I know." Your chest was still heavy, and tears were still flowing out of your eyes, but it wasn't as bad as a minute ago. At least you weren't also trying to deal with the seering pain in your arm as well.

Narcissa placed her hands on your shoulders gently, and you flinched. She sighed and pulled you towards herself, into a hug. "You'll be okay. It's hard right now, but you'll be okay."

You wrapped your arms around her, sobbing into her shoulder. "I-I can't do it. Why did he pick me? I'm n-not a Death Eater!" Your throat constricted, and you started hyperventilating again, against Cissy. "I'm not cut out f-for this. I can't do it!"

"I know, shhh. I know. I reacted the same way. But look how I am now! You don't have to lose yourself because of this Mark. You're still the same." Narcissa whispered encouragement to you as she held you, attempting to calm your panic attack.

You pushed her away for a moment and sat against the wall, and she joined you without hesitation, pulling you back into her embrace.

After many minutes of sitting on the bathroom floor, you tried to speak again. "I-I th-th-thought-"

"Take a moment. Breathe. You're okay." Cissy interrupted.

You sucked in a breath of air, then released it. After repeating this a few times, you felt calmer, and tried again.

"I-I thought my dad was a m-muggle?"

"Ah. He is not, he and your mother are both Purebloods. I understand the confusion, though." She explained.

"Oh. Does Draco know? About the Death Eaters?" You asked.

"He is aware that his father and I are on Lord Voldemort's side. He is not aware that you have the Mark. And you may not tell him so." Her voice became harsh on the last sentence.

"Why?"

"The Dark Lord has said so. You may not tell him until you graduate from Hogwarts. Even if he gets his Mark, you may not show him yours." She said sternly, and you nodded.

"Okay. But what about meetings?"

"He will not call you both at the same time. I do not know why he doesn't want Draco to know about your Mark, but he will do what he can to prevent him from knowing."

You nodded again, then leaned your head against the wall. "How long was I out?"

"About ten hours. It's 3 am right now."

"I'm sorry for waking you up. Could I go back to bed?"

"It's no problem, I was already up, waiting for you. And of course."

You pushed yourself off of the cold tile, and made your way to your room.

Flopping on your bed, you closed your eyes. How did this happen? You thought.

You were proud of yourself for not panicking while you were at the shed-place, but it all went out the window when you screamed, earning yourself a Crucio.

A shiver went through you at the memory, the feeling of getting torn apart physically and mentally making your heart race. You had to consciously remind yourself that it was over, taking deep breaths until you fell asleep on top of the covers.