shades of cool | theo nott

38 || crucio

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"𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣' 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪,
'𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙞 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙚"
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The girls recited all that they knew to Draco. He was dead silent, a pained look taking over his face, making Vera realize that, most likely, all the things they were saying were accurate.

"And that's everything you know?" Draco asked, his eyes flitting around for confirmation.

Pansy nodded as he squeezed her hand softly but Vera decided that she had to be more firm if she wanted answers. "Listen, you are not going to tell this story based on how much you think we know. Tell us everything." Vera demanded, blinking quickly. "Please Draco." The words were an afterthought but they were dripping with sweetness.

Draco sighed softly, quickly straightening as Pansy looked at him with a pitying look. It was a natural empathetic response but Draco hated sympathy and pity. "I don't really know how to start." He admitted, his usual prideful eyes glancing down at his feet.

"Start at the beginning." Vera said decidedly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I promise we are good listeners."

That got a smile out of Pansy who rested her head on his shoulder and looked up at Draco expectantly.

Horror grew on their faces as Draco explained how he had been trained all through out summer. "My aunt, Bella, she... she taught me lots of things. I used the Cruciatus Curse on mice in the dungeon as soon as I turned seventeen and my magic was undetected and allowed by the Ministry." His voice choked up. "I couldn't cast the Killing Curse. I didn't have it in me. Do you know what Bellatrix said?"

The girls looked up at him, their eyes filling with tears. Vera held his hand gently, prompting him to go on when he was ready. He laced his icy fingers with hers, giving both of his best friends a grateful look.

"She said that she would kill the weakness in me and get rid of any trace of my worthless parents." He said, voice shaking. "Bella made me practice Dark Magic for hours, even when I was twitching and seizing because my body was rejecting it. She drove into my mind with magic, and I had to put up walls or she would see all of you guys. I was so scared that she would hurt you all." He choked on his words, shaking his head.

"And when your eyes go all lifeless— that's Occulemency, right?" Vera asked cautiously. "I've been noticing that you've been using it to shut down any emotions."

"Yeah." He confirmed, with a nod of his head. "I'm a natural Occulemens. It's common in highly magical families. I believe Mattheo and Theo are also natural Occulemens, although they haven't quite tapped into their potential like I was forced to do. Regardless, it was easy for me to pick up the skill." He fell silent for a bit, the only sound was their breathing in the room.

"And then?" Vera prompted, seeing as Pansy didn't want to force him to speak.

"She trained me for weeks, not allowing me to see my mother for days on end to prove my loyalty. Bella said my weak father deserved to rot and she would make her nephew something that the Dark Lord could be proud of." He continued, trying to level his breath. Draco twisted a strand of Pansy's hair with a strangled sigh, before letting his free hand fall into his lap. "When she deemed me ready, Snape was there to test if I was ready for the Dark Lord. He deemed my Occulemency bearable for a feeble minded wizard, but the Aurors would see right through me. I begin training with him during Hogwarts." Draco spoke in a hushed tone, sniffing softly. "And— the Dark Lord came to meet with me a week ago. He asked me what I knew about Potter, and I told him everything I knew. Despite that, he—the Dark Lord—" He broke down in a panic thinking about it, his low sobs echoing the room. "Fuck, I'm so weak!" He gasped out. "I'm actually a failure."