adored by him | *under editing*

sixth year × 76

"Draco, what's going on? I'm worried." Nadia whispered whilst the couple were entangled in each others arms in the makeshift Slytherin common room (The Room of Requirement).

"I wish I could tell you." He sighed, caressing her hair. "But I don't want to lose you." Draco mumbled under his breath but Nadia heard.

She sat up and looked dead into his bland eyes. "Do you remember this?" She asked, pulling the blue rose pendant out from under her robes.

Draco smiled gently. "Of course. Your anonymous first-year Christmas present."

"Exactly. I remember feeling the happiest I'd ever felt when I opened that box and seeing my two favorite things coming together so effortlessly." Nadia smiled fondly at the memory and all that came after.

"I was trying to tell you that I liked you." Draco chuckled quietly.

"I know. You made it quite obvious when you stumbled over your words in the Forbidden Forest." Nadia raised a brow, her smile still plastered onto her face. "Friends...yes, friends." She mocked with a melodic laugh; the same melodic laugh which Draco fell in love with.

"Listen..." She started, holding his face with her hands. "I love you so, so much. And you know that you can tell me absolutely anything. No matter what."

"No matter what." Draco repeated, his voice cracking slightly at the end.

Nadia nodded, encouraging him to let it out. "Just...please don't hate me." Draco begged, his eyes glossy and his lip quivering.

"I could never hate you." Nadia whispered as she watched when Draco began to roll up his left sleeve.

What she saw startled her. The evil black mark imprinted on his pale forearm. The Dark Mark.

She placed a hand over her mouth and gasped softly.

Draco was crying now. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want to do it but they forced me. Please, I really didn't want this. Please, listen to me." He choked through sobs, desperately recovering his arm.

Nadia shook her head, brushing away her own tears of shock and pulled the sleeve back up. She trailed her finger along the Dark Mark as Draco looked at it in disgust. "This doesn't define you, okay?" She placed small, gentle kisses along it. "You didn't choose this, okay?" She dropped his arm and took his face between her palms, placing a sweet, lingering kiss on his wet lips. "This isn't your fault, okay?"

Draco nodded nervously at her words. "But it's still there. And it will never go away."

"Then we'll deal with it. Together." Nadia stated firmly. "Now, what's making you so tired. Tell me everything."

Draco took a breath and composed himself before explaining, "There's a cabinet in the Room of Requirement, a different version. It's called a Vanishing Cabinet and I have to fix it up. I have to make sure it works so the others can come here. And then I have too..." He trailed off, tears welling up again.

"You can tell me, baby." Nadia whispered comfortingly, laying her forehead on his.

After a few quiet sobs, Draco finally managed to push it out of his mouth.

"I have to kill Dumbledore."

Nadia's head snapped up, her eyes wide and her breathing shallow. She was angry. "How could he ask you to do this? How could that utter devil ask a sixteen-year-old boy to kill the greatest wizard of all time?!" She hissed, her blood boiling.

"Nadia, calm down." Draco pleaded. "You can't let anyone know that you know. Because if anything happens to me or I do anything wrong, they'll come for you. You're my weakness, Nadia. And I can't lose you." He breathed, his eyes boring into her's.