Flee from Freedom - (mattheo riddle)

9: For you. My Lord.

11 January 1997 (6th year)

Rain again. It rarely snows back at Malfoy Manor, it was supposed to snow at Hogwarts, but it's raining. It's getting colder by the day, and I'm surviving off warming charms and cups of coffee. The clock on my bedside table reads 1:26am. Pansy, is already fast asleep, along with the rest of the girls in our dorm.

I'm not.

Something is brewing in me, I can feel it. I got the letter yesterday morning. A meeting with the Dark Lord at 1:30 this morning. Me. Draco. Our parents. That's it. When I saw Theo's name not in the small list I knew it must be important. Then I saw Mattheo's not there either, and I knew it was going to be a bad one. Or perhaps it saved me a bit, I haven't really spoken to him since last night. Since he kissed me.

Thankfully I'm not left dwelling for too long, as the door clicks open. I spin around to see a flash of white hair in the frame. Saying nothing, I stand, grabbing a coat from the end of my bed and follow Draco out of the door.

We say nothing. We walk in silence, all the way to the potions classrooms. Despite Slughorn being re-instated at potions teacher, Snape still has control over the un-used classroom at the very back of the dungeons. He allows us to attend meetings via floo. At this time of night, the castle is empty, completely silent, bringing an eerie chill that we've come to be familiar with. Especially in the dungeons.

Now we are stood in front of the fireplace. It's 1:29, I can see it on Draco's watch.

"Are you ready?" Draco says, staring into the ash at the bottom of our feet.

"I never am."

Another moment of silence.

"Mafoy Manor."

We are surrounded by green smoke.

__________

No matter how many time I travel by floo, I will never grow to like it. I find that I shut my eyes, I don't watch the green flames engulf me.

We step out simultaneously, into the drawing room. I never forget the chill to the manor. It's rooted deep in everything. The furniture, the walls, the residents. Every time I have to come back it's like being slapped across the face. The kind that stings for hours afterwards. It's always dark, giving you the feeling of being trapped in a tight space.

"Ah, my children." Narcissa glides towards us, her arms outstretched, her heels clipping gently on the floorboards. She's effortlessly beautiful, as always. Her hair pinned back, revealing the bright white stripes under the ebony black on top. A long black dress, falling at her ankles, almost brushing the top of her thin black heels. Everything about her has grown to repulse me.

Reaching up to cup my face, her hands fall at my jawline. Her fingertips are cold and her gaze is almost empty to the trained eye. Other people might see love but I definitelty fucking don't. I don't respond. I wait for her to let go. Then I watch out the corner of my eye as Draco is pulled into a full embrace, a long one.

"Mother." Draco murmurs into her shoulder. I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

"The Malfoy Children. Here they are." A new voice enters our space.

It's chilling, snake-like, smooth, every word rolls off his tongue. I haven't seen the Dark Lord since the beginning of the year. Although, he's not something you'd easily forget. His eyes are sunken into his head, and his tongue darts about his mouth like a snake. Every part of him is like a snake. Cloaked in his usual mottled grey robe, his feet poking out from the bottom. I hold my head up to avoid looking at them.

"Draco." He steps past Mother as she steps back, ending right in front of my brother. "Such young talent, such brains, such a promising soul. How are you faring with the cabinet?"