Y/N Potter?

Chapter 16: Beneath the Surface

I woke up the next morning with the same sense of numbness I had felt the night before. The curse was still there, wrapping itself around my mind like a vice. I couldn't shake the feeling that time was slipping away faster than I could grasp it. Monday was approaching—looming like a dark cloud—and I was powerless to stop it.

As I dressed for the day, my movements were mechanical. I wasn't making decisions anymore; I was simply following the commands echoing in my mind. My parents' influence was like an invisible hand pushing me forward, reminding me of the role I had to play.

But deep inside, I was screaming.

Down in the Great Hall, the usual chatter filled the room, but everything felt distant. I sat at the Slytherin table, barely registering the conversations around me. Blaise was whispering something to Draco, who kept glancing at me with a frown. He knew something was wrong—everyone close to me did—but no one could fix it.

Harry sat at the Gryffindor table, his eyes flickering toward me every few minutes. I could feel the tension in his gaze, the unspoken promise that he wouldn't let this go. But what could he do? What could any of them do?

I felt like a ticking time bomb, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold myself together.

After breakfast, I drifted through the day in a haze. Classes passed by in a blur, and I barely registered anything the professors were saying. It wasn't until Potions that I was jolted out of my daze.

"Y/N, stay after class for a moment," Professor Slughorn said as we were packing up our things.

I felt a tug in my chest—the curse's influence telling me to obey. I stayed behind while the rest of the students filed out, exchanging curious glances as they left. Draco lingered by the door, but Slughorn shooed him away.

Once we were alone, Professor Slughorn looked at me with concern. "My dear, you've not been yourself lately. Is everything alright?"

I wanted to answer, to scream that nothing was alright, but the curse wouldn't let me speak. My mouth stayed shut, and my hands remained motionless at my sides.

Slughorn frowned. "I've been teaching long enough to know when something's wrong. You don't have to tell me now, but if you ever need help, you know where to find me."

He sighed, seeming unsure of what to do, and waved his hand. "Go on, then. Get to your next class."

I turned to leave, the compulsion pulling me toward the door, but as I did, I caught a glimpse of Draco waiting in the corridor. His eyes met mine, filled with worry, and something flickered behind them—something that made my heart ache.

I needed to tell him the truth. I needed to warn him about the initiation. But I couldn't.

Later that day, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, I found myself wandering through the corridors again, aimlessly. My mind felt heavy, and the curse tugged at my every thought, dragging me deeper into its hold. I was losing the strength to fight.

As I passed by an empty classroom, a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me inside. I gasped, but the moment I saw who it was, my fear subsided.

"Draco," I whispered, my voice breaking through the curse just enough to say his name.

He pulled me into the room, shutting the door behind him. His face was pale, his eyes intense. "What's going on, Y/N? You've been acting strange for days, and I know it's not just the usual stress."

"I—" I wanted to tell him everything. The curse, the initiation, the danger. But the spell clamped down on my mind, silencing me once again. I felt my mouth close as if someone else was controlling it.

Draco's jaw clenched. "They've done something to you, haven't they? Your parents?"

I couldn't respond. The silence was suffocating.

Draco's face twisted with frustration. "You don't have to say it. I can tell."

He paced in front of me, running a hand through his hair. "You're not going to join them, Y/N. You're not. I don't care what they say."

The emotion in his voice made my chest tighten. I could see the struggle in him—the same one I had. His family was pulling him in one direction, but he didn't want to go. He didn't want to become what they expected.

I could feel my will crumbling beneath the weight of the curse. If I couldn't fight this, if I couldn't stop what was coming, I'd be forced to join them. I'd become a Death Eater.

Draco stopped pacing and turned to face me. His voice was quiet now, but filled with determination. "We'll find a way. I promise."

For a moment, I saw the boy I had fallen for, the one who was more than the sum of his family's expectations. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe we could fight this together.

But the curse was too strong. My parents' voices echoed in my mind, reminding me of my place, of the role I had to fulfill.

"I can't—" I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips.

Draco stepped closer, his hand resting gently on my shoulder. "Yes, you can. I won't let them take you. We'll figure it out, Y/N."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe that I wasn't alone in this, but the chains around my mind tightened with every passing second. Monday was coming, and with it, the end of whatever freedom I had left.

As Draco pulled me into a gentle hug, I felt the weight of the curse bearing down on me, stronger than ever. Time was running out. And unless we found a way to break free, the storm would swallow us both.