The Truth About Esmeralda Potter [DRACO MALFOY x OC]

Chapter One.

I woke up in darkness. My tattered clothes hung limply upon my fragile frame.

It was hot darkness, bearing down upon my bony shoulders. It suffocated me, crushed me and I couldn't breathe. Beads of sweat started to form on my brow, growing and growing until they trickled down my spine.

My strength left me, forcing my knees to the ground. Curling up in a ball, I prayed for the sweltering heat to melt away. It kissed my skin and tore apart my ragged clothes, leaving puckered scorch marks trailing down my limbs. I cried out as searing hot pains sliced through my body, and I'm incapable of stoping it.

I watched in horror as my skin swells and twists under the increasing heat, warping my sickly thin skin. The unbearable darkness encased me, turning up the temperature until my throat ripped itself raw.

A flash of green erupted through the darkness, earthing it's electric current just beside where I lay. A body dropped down beside me. Ginger hair falling in bloody matts around the pale face with no features. It's petite hand- riddled with cuts and bruises- stretched out in my direction, as if it was reaching out to me in its last moment.

Then splinters bursted from an unknown source and rained down upon me. Most stuck upright on my warped and ugly skin, others wriggled their way through it, severing nerves and cutting into bones and muscles.

Even though my vocal cords had already ripped themselves to shreds, I could still feel the screams of pain bubbling up my throat.

A flash of silver and a shaggy mane crossed my vision before the heat enveloped and scorched the remaining skin I had left.

~(°•°)~

A cool darkness kissed my skin as my eyes shot open. My breath was ragged, forcing short breaths in and out of my tired lungs.

Beside me, a dark figure laid entwined with my body. My heart almost leapt out of my chest for a faint moment until the familiarity of their grip around my torso clicked into place. Relief flooded through me and I tried to get my breathing under control, feeling the warm breath against my cheek always calmed me after my nightmares.

Closing my eyes, I willed myself into a peaceful sleep.

But it never came.

The panic that had flowed through me during my night terror always did a good job at keeping me up.

I let out my frustration through a rushed breath and begun to untangle myself from the familiar person beside me. Their grip was always like iron when we first settled in for the night, but when I woke and they did not, the grip was almost always loosened.

But it was still the hardest part of my nightly routine.

Detangling is always the hardest part of anything, whether it be rope, hair or someone who held you so tight out of fear you'd disappear.

And like untangling a pile of rope, you've got to start somewhere- for me, I always started with the arms and then the legs.

The arms were the trickiest, and although my companion was a deep sleeper, I didn't like to take chances.

Though years of practice kicked in and I had myself detangled in no time.
Slipping out of the small bed we shared- out of muscle memory, avoided the floorboard that has woken the figure in my bed many times- my bare feet tiptoed me over to the large pile of books I've stealthily stacked against the wall where no one could see if they were to simply glance in.

Which is what my family does every so often.

I picked up an old black leather bound book with frayed edges and yellowed pages, wrinkled with age.

I found this book in the gutter on the last day of school after the girls had stopped chasing me, punching and pulling at my hair.

It had been raining and the street I ended up on looked dark and miserable. I found the book buried in the gutter under a pile of wet mush that was once leaves, with only it's spine peaking out.

It had read "Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsensius Jigger". It was filled with strange recipes that I'd tried to make but never had the right ingredients.

It talked of stewed lacewings, bezoars and brewing the concution for an absurd amount of time. I didn't understand how it worked. The titles above the recipes spoke of love potions, good luck potions, and my favourite- that I'd nicknamed The Sleeping Beauty potion- the Draught of the Living Death. From the brief description of the potion before the ingredients list, it told me it put the user into a deep sleep in which could only be awakened by the right antidote.

It warped my brain trying to think how it all created the perfect mixture.

Maybe this time it'd work-

No.

Last time I'd tried to complete one of the recipes, it accidentally exploded. That was a hard one to come up with an excuse for.

Putting down the weathered book before I could find another recipe I wanted to try, I picked up an even older book.

It looked even worse-for-wear than the last. It was a stout little book- thick and small- with a dark green cover. Frayed edges, worn spine and faded patches of dull green.

In bold gold lettering, though picked at and faded, still indented in the old cover, were "Grimm's Fairy Tales".

I've had it for as long as I can remember, and with it, memories I treasure from the start of my childhood.

I remember sitting in warm muscular arms that held me so tight.
I remember the calloused fingers pointing to the pictures in between the aging pages.
I remember the vibrations emitting from the strong chest I laid on as a babe and the large smile painted across a face I now can't quite make out.
I remember a warm glow that grew hotter and hotter until it scrotched my skin.
I remember the pain.

But I could never anymore than those few glimpses. My past has always been a mistery to me, so secretive and hidden.

The only reminders I have are this book, and the puckered burns trailing from my left arm up to my neck and down my back.

The ones I wish were simply apart of my dreams instead of my reality.

~(°•°)~

I didn't do much in the hours that followed.

Usually I'd read until the sun rose and my companion would too.
But today I had too many thoughts on my mind for it to be distracted by nonfiction.

Golden sun rays slowly rose and pecked my cheeks as I strolled through the garden. Fresh green grass tickled my bare toes, and the dew cooled whatever heat my nightmare had left behind.

My thoughts ran away with me until I couldn't deny the truth any longer. The day had begun.

Another dreadful day had begun.

I snuck back inside, careful not to disturb anything. My family hated when I leave the house early in the morning.

I froze when I saw my bedroom light on.

The sleeping figure on my bed was no longer in their deep slumber.

Author's Note.

This is my first story on Wattpad, so if you don't mind voting and commenting, that'd be much appreciated.

Let me know what you think of it so far, do you like it? Dislike it? Want something to happen? Want something to not happen? I can't think of anymore questions so yeah. Let me know what you think!!

P.S I'll be updating two chapters at a time, so it'll​ take me longer to update. Just so you know, I'm a slow writer but I'll make it worth your while!