True Love Conquers All (sequel to Loving You)

Chapter XVII {The Undying Truth}

weirdly quiet. like the memory of a long day ago. a lone figure--Hermione--walks from the river to the woods, a pail of water in hand, leaving silent footprints in the frost that glitters on the ground.

darkness. for a moment, i hear nothing. then, Hermione's voice softly whispers "Vanessa...Vanessa can you hear me?"

"yes." i whisper back

"good. that's good..." she says

"we got away." i whisper

"yes." she answers

i sit up "are you alright?" i ask rubbing my eyes

"I'm fine. but Harry's been sick." she says

at that moment i look over and see Harry sleeping or rather passed out a few yards away from us.

i sit on my bunk, flipping through The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore. it isn't that pleasant of a read.

suddenly i feel myself being picked up from the bed and thrown out of the tent.

"what the-" i begin

"I KNOW!" a crazed looking Harry screams

"what?" i ask trying to get up off the ground

"I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!!" Harry yells shoving me back down on the ground

"know what?" i ask

Harry strides over to me, grabs a fistful of my shirt, and lifts me off the ground. our faces only inches away. "i know you're a Death Eater." he spits 

"Harry, i can explain!" i yell

he shoves me backwards

"what's going on?" Hermione asks coming back from the river

"we've been betrayed." Harry says wiping is chin from the loose spit

"what do you mean?" Hermione asks furrowing her eyebrows

"Harry, let me explain." i say trying to keep calm

"VANESSA'S A DEATH EATER!" Harry screams

a loud gasp comes from Hermione's lips as her eyes go wide.

"JUST LET ME EXPLAIN, GOD DAMNIT!" i yell taking them both by surprise

"no. you're with them. you don't get to explain." Harry says taking his wand out and pointing it at me.

"Harry...maybe we should let her explain." Hermione begs

"why should i let her?" Harry asks "for all we know she could've told You-Know-Who we were going to be at Godric's Hallow!" 

"maybe she has a really good explanation. give her the benefit of the doubt." Hermione says grabbing onto Harry's broken wand and taking it from his hand

"fine then. explain yourself." Harry spits

we all sit around the fire that is lit. the sun has gone down. 

"where should i start?" i ask

"from the beginning. i want to know everything." Harry says 

"well...it was the night of the final task of the Triwizard Tournament." i say inhaling deeply "when Wormtail was raising You-Know-Who again. he needed my blood. he sliced a vertical cut down my left forearm." i say pointing to the spot he had cut through the sleeve of my shirt. "at first it was just a carving of the Dark Mark, but then these purple veins began almost growing out of the Mark. they engulfed my entire arm, then made their way all the way around my body." i pause, observing their facial expressions. Hermione looked concerned while Harry just had a bitter look on. "the night at the Ministry in fifth year is when it happened. after the fight, Harry ran off after Bellatrix. i followed. when You-Know-Who showed up Bellatrix freaked out and took me with her as leverage. we appeared at Malfoy Manor where i was told that the knife Wormtail had cut me with was laced with poison, and that the purple veins that had then engulfed my body were killing me. i was also told that if i didn't become a Death Eater i would die a slow and painful death." i pause "at first i was going to die. why would i ever want to become a Death Eater and betray my friends?" Hermione begins smiling "but" Hermione's smile fades "Draco began to talk to me. he didn't want me to die. he didn't want me to leave him. so he became one with me. it cured me of all poison." i say

"then how are they not tracking you right now?" Hermione asks

"I'm getting there." i say 

"the night Dumbledore died, when Harry was dueling Snape, i ran over to Draco to tell him goodbye, when he ripped this necklace," i held up the pendant he had given me almost two years ago. "from my neck. he pressed it down onto my Dark Mark and it healed the Mark." i say lifted my left sleeve to reveal my light grey Mark. Hermione gasps "I'm still a Death Eater but they can't track me. Draco gave me a chance. a chance to fight with you, Harry. a chance to fight for my best friends. a chance to fight for the love of my life." i say

Harry inhales deeply then stands up.

"okay then." he says before walking into the tent 

Hermione smiles and rubs my arm "give him some time. i trust you. i know you're telling the truth but Harry...it just make take some time" she says getting up and walking to the tent

i stay seated, huddled under a dark blue blanket, staring at the stars. i find comfort in the thought that maybe just maybe Draco is staring at the same stars right now. and then i realized. that my love for Draco is undying. if one of us goes. my love will remain.