Love Never Dies. (Draco Malfoy Fan Fiction) (Watty Awards 2013 Winner)

Chapter 39: Family.

A/N: Hi everyone, here's the new chapter. I expect the story to be completed in a few more chapters. But when it's done, I'll be adding more POVs :) Thank you for reading and keep commenting and voting! Thank you x

"I am aware of the Dark Lord's new mission for you," he paused, looking at the both of us for a moment. "That needs to be conducted here at Hogwarts. Firstly, before we do anything else, I want the both of you to drink this." He handed us a small vial of white-ish and silvery liquid that swirled about its glass container. I look at it, curious as to know what it was. 

"What is... this?" I ask Snape, gesturing to the small vial in my hands.

"A restoring potion," he mutters, his hands busy shifting pieces of paper here and there across his table. "I figured that the both of you have lost a significant amount of weight since the last time you've been here and that it would be suspicious if you lost weight over the holidays rather than gaining." He rolls his eyes at his last statement, returning to sort out his papers. I unstopper the small vial and a sweet smell erupts from it. I look at Draco who had a frown on his face. He looks back at me and nods for me to drink it first. I roll my eyes before I take a swig of the sweet-smelling potion. It was warm in my mouth and tasted like honey. I could feel my cheeks reddening and my sunken collar bones returning to their normal, un-sunken state. I smile as I felt myself feel stronger, the blood rushing to my fingers. "I feel so much better," I comment, asking Draco to drink some of his too.

He takes the whole vial in one gulp. The effect was instant. His lips returned to their pink colour and his cheeks blushed a little. His eyes didn't look tired anymore, their shine restored to their state. 

"Now, on to your task," Snape swirls his cape around, using one hand to push it back so it lay behind him like a train of a wedding dress. "The Dark Lord has six horcruxes, I'm sure you know that. However, that's what most of us know. The both of you, however, are given the priviledge of knowing that the Dark Lord has one last piece of his soul hidden, not within an object like a horcrux, but it's hidden in a chest. A chest made of the souls of the people he killed. That, is somewhat the seventh horcrux." 

Draco and I nod in understanding before Snape continued, "The both of you are to find this chest, with planning first, and bring it back to the Manor for him. He knows not where the chest is, it's location pushed aside from his memory to prevent Dumbledore from finding out, so you have to work closely together to find it. Any questions?" 

We shake our heads before we were gestured off, being told to go back to our dormitories. "Goodnight, sir" I say before he nods and turns back to arranging the things on his table. 

The cold air of the corridor hit me and a shiver ran down my spine. Just when we were about to enter the corridor that led to the common room, he suddenly grabbed my shoulders and made a U-turn, back away from the common room and walked us down to the Room of Requirement. The door was already present so all we had to do was push it open and go in. 

"What are we doing here?" I ask in shock as he pushed the door open with both hands. 

"There's something important I need to tell you before we start on the new task," he whispered, allowing me to go into the room before he did, closing the door.

"What is it?" I ask as I take a seat on a chair, crossing my legs as Draco took a seat beside mine. 

He put his arm around the back of the chair, his hand dangling so that it cupped my shoulder on the other side. "Listen... I know I didn't really tell you why we became death eaters. I just... I didn't want you to look down on me or hate my family or anything. But it's come to a point where I can't hide it from you anymore so I decided to tell you right after Snape sent us off. The past few times we caught Potter and the others but we let them slip through our fingers countless times was considered a failed attempt. That's why he sent us here to complete another mission under Snape's watch and guidance. Now, the reason we became death eaters was because my father failed so many times before we became death eaters until we had to become death eaters in order to fulfill his duties. Our success in handling the mission determines my family's life," he paused for a moment, looking down to his shoes. "I'm sorry this happened to you and that I had to bring you down with me in this when you weren't part of my family." He looks back up at me, his grey eyes bearing in mine, his eyebrows turned downwards in disappointment in himself. 

"Don't be sorry. Your family is mine as well. I don't regret marrying you and I won't ever. Whatever happens, we have to do it together and not let our status ruin our relationship. I knew from the start what I signed up for, turning into a deatheater and I know this mission is important and I'm prepared to sacrifice certain things to make sure it's successful no matter how much I don't want it to. I promise things will work out fine, one way or another," I put a hand on his cheek and kiss him before I wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him. He hugs me back, his arms around my waist. "I promise."

We stayed that way for a while, just hugging each other in the Room of Requirement. It was nice to be able to hug him like this, not being interrupted by anything. I missed his company despite being beside him ninety-percent of the time. I missed being free and being open about my feelings since they've been covered by a mask since the whole situation started with hunting Potter down. But this new mission seemed less daunting of sorts yet severely important on the other hand. 

"We'd better go," I pull away from Draco and get up from the chair. He follows behind me as we walk out of the Room of Requirement together, peering out first before leaving to prevent unwanted attention. It was good enough that we were skipping classes yet alone sneaking out from the Room of Requirement in the middle of the night. 

We make our way back to the dormitories, our footfalls echoing off the cold, grimy corridors. I kiss Draco goodnight before I proceed back up to my room where Esme seemed fast asleep. I sigh before I change into my nightgown and lie down on a familiar bed. I look up to see the deep green and silver drapes hanging off my four-poster bed. I tried listening for the waves and I did. It was calming and set my mind clearer. But that clear-mind wasn't for long when Esme turned around and looked at me with eyes I've never seen before.

"What?" I ask her, bewildered at her expression.

"I know," she answered back, her eyebrows moving up and down in seriousness.

"Know what?" I ask. Don't tell me she knows about my status, I think.

"I know about you being a deatheater," she lowered her voice at the last word, her eyes gleaming under the moonlight. "Don't lie to me, Rachel. I've seen the mark on your arm and I know you're in it with Draco." 

"Esme, you're right. I am a deatheater but-" 

"I understand now, I won't tell anyone. I promise. I know how hard it must be, being summoned here and there for missions and assignments. I just want you to know I'll help you with anything," Esme replied.

"But how did you-" I wanted to know more. How did our identities slip out like that?

"Blaise and I noticed that the both of you didn't contact either of us during the holidays and just now when you were about to wash up I wanted to say hi but you stalked off with Draco after getting a note. Apparently your boyfriend, or should I say, husband-" Esme looked at my wedding ring "- hasn't been too careful on his part either. Blaise noticed swirls of lines on Draco's arm and well, we spoke for a bit and came to a conclusion that maybe you two were..." she trailed off, since we both knew what Draco and I were.

"Well, thanks then. I'll ask you if I need the help," I answer her, unwilling to ask anymore questions. I know I said I would ask her for help if I needed it but I couldn't. I couldn't put her in danger that way. I couldn't have her risk her life for someone like me. Someone who wasn't worthy of love, someone who watched her father die in front of her eyes yet not do anything about it. I couldn't, but I left it as that. 

Esme noticed my sudden silence and decided to leave me alone to myself. So she turned back and fell asleep as I lay awake in bed until the early hours of morning, just thinking about how terrible I was the past few years. I totally ignored Hermione, despite her attempts to befriend me again. I know she's my cousin but was my attitude towards her right? Or was I merely trying to protect her from myself? From her cousin who could bring her death? Was it just instinctual for me to wish for her constant success by hiding from the Dark Lord and his minions (and I was one of them)? I uncovered this part of me that yearned for her safety and I found that that part of me has always been there. I guess there wasn't much darkness in me.

A flicker of light was ignited that night that made me re-think myself. I decided to follow the Dark Lord's instructions not because I wanted to, but for the sake of my family and friends. It was cliche and extremely muggle-like for me to think that way but it was what I had to do.