Still Not For Sale (Book 2 of I'm Not For Sale) COMPLETE

Chapter 22

                    Bethany finds Lucy again that evening after curfew limping back into the common room. She jumps out of her seat and rushes over to help her sit down, worry etched across her features. Once they're sitting, Lucy tells her what happened after she left the Great Hall. The Carrows brought her to their office and punished her by beating her and crucio'd her until she passed out. They released her a few minutes ago after making her miss her two remaining courses and threatened that worse would happen if she didn't watch her mouth. Bethany goes on a ranting rampage, drawing the attention of the students lingering around the room but a swift glare in their direction causes most to look away. Lucy pulls a parchment and quill from her bag and starts a letter to the boys telling them how their first day of school had gone and despite Bethany's protests, she slinks out of the common room to go send it off with an owl.
The chill of the coming fall sends a shiver down Lucy's spine as she keeps her guard up for roaming professors, Prefects, or the Head Boy and Girl, and as always Filch and his cat. She reaches the owlery without incident and watches the owl for a moment as it heads off into the night. With a sudden sense of calm, she ignores the screaming of her body and heads down the stairs again. A hand shoots out of the shadows at the bottom of the landing to cover her mouth before shoving her against the wall. She lets out a muffled scream and lashes out at the person until light grey eyes appear in a sliver of moonlight coming from above. Her scream dies away, replaced by rage as she tries to fight against him.
"Lucy, listen to me for just one second." He pleads, sounding unlike his usual cocky self. "Come with me please. Its just to the grounds where I can't apparate you away or anything, but it keeps prying eyes and ears away from us."
She shakes her head adamantly and tries to punch him though she can't see him.
"Either come with me or I'll turn you in to the Carrows for being out after curfew."
She sighs and nods her head, fully intending on attacking him once he releases her from the wall.
"Also, I took your wand. You can have it back when I'm done."
She glares at him as he lets go of her mouth and he takes her arm lightly and leads her out onto the grounds. She whirls around to face him once he releases her arm and tries to punch him. He grabs her fist and sighs.
"I'm not going to attack you, I just want to talk."
"Give me back my wand."
"Not until you listen to me Luce."
"Just leave me alone Malfoy! I don't know why you're so hellbent on making my life a living hell but I'm sick of it. Just leave me alone." She folds her arms over her chest to warm herself from the sudden breeze that lifts her hair.
"Look Lucy, I didn't want to do that. I didn't want to kill him but I had to. Snape did it in my place to protect me under my mother's request. My father is in Azkaban and our family has fallen from favor. I didn't want you at the school while that happened, it was to keep you safe but you escaped somehow. You need to leave Hogwarts while you can. It's not safe."
She bites out a laugh. "You really expect me to believe any word that comes out of your mouth? And boo-hoo your little Death Eater father got what he deserved, just wait until it's your turn behind bars, maybe you'll make friends with a dementor. I'm not going anywhere, but I'll let you in on a little secret." She moves close to Draco, one hand closing around her wand as she whispers in his ear. "Your mother set me free."
She takes her wand and stalks back into the castle leaving him frozen in surprise.