The Plight- Malfoy x Reader

'Its Okay'

Lucius's potions room could only be described as a beautifully adorned tomb.

No windows— just a medium sized circular space with top to bottom shelves—- filled with all types of bottles and jars containing ingredients that I didn't quite want to look at for too long lest I become nauseous—as well as book shelves of scrolls and ancient looking journals. One of the bookshelves was a secret door that opened to a room stock-full of even more potions equipment and vials and paper.

Thought all of it was meticulously organized.

Severus and Lucius had their backs facing me, hovering over a table with 3 unused cauldrons whispering between each other. They seemed to be having some sort of argument—though their words were unintelligible their tones certainly weren't.

I however, was feeling as though their voices—however hushed—were irritating as hell— like a buzzing nat in my ear.

Especially as I sat in an iron wrought tub filled with ice that was enchanted not to melt.
My skin & body were burning and if it weren't for the enchantment I'm sure I'd be boiling myself alive this very moment.
On that note, if I didn't feel like I was having heat stroke I'd probably be mortified. There was little dignity to be had in what was basically a room full of people watching you take a bath.... In your bathing suit.

Draco was leaning against the door archway pretending as though he wasn't watching my every movement and—were it not for him looking so distraught—I would've already barked at him to go away.

Otto—at least—was doing something that didn't require his direct attention on me. He was flipping through a textbook of enchantments on a chapter describing the pros and cons of certain heating and cooling spells on a chair he'd procured.

He was the one who figured out the bath enchantment.

I dunked my head under the water for a moment and when I returned up—and wiped my wet hair from my vision—every single pair of eyes in the room were on me.

"What?" I hissed.

Severus and Lucius exchanges looks, then turned away, while Otto went back to reading. Draco merely shifted his position against the wall.

"I'm sure I can manage not to drown myself," I retorted to no one in particular. The heat was causing me to be even more irritated than normal. Like trying to keep your sanity while someone was firing a blow torch at you.

As if they could see that, not one of them quipped back.

After what felt like a miserable eternity, Severus and Lucius finally seemed to come up with some sort of agreement.

"Out. The both of you," Lucius direct at Otto and Draco, and before Draco could open his mouth to argue, he added, "She doesn't need an audience right now."

Severus watched in slight amusement as Draco lingered for a moment, looking between his father and me—then dispiritedly left the room. Otto—his face an ever cool and collected mask—looked unbothered as he followed.

The door shut and Severus pulled up a chair next to the tub while Lucius remained standing.

"May I see your palm?" Severus asked pulling out his wand.

I nodded and placed my hand face up on the side of the tub. He placed the tip of his wand on my wrist.

His magic entered my skin in a silver color, snaking up the veins of my arm—looking as though there were systems of rivers under my skin.

He'd done it when he first arrived but I'd been so hot and distraught I hadn't fully appreciated the beauty of it.

For a few moments my veins glowed as Severus concentrated.