𝐚 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 {a Draco Malfoy story}

chapter sixteen

Rose

     Shit.

     The only person my grandmother has every truly feared, the person Harry has been trying to fight for all these years, the person I vowed to stay away from no matter what the cost...

     He was standing in front of me.

     Voldemort twirled his wand in his hands. "If I am not mistaken, Rosalind, you are Merlin's descendant, correct?"

     "Yes, sir."

     "You're very well behaved. Now, Miss Esparay, I am going to make you an offer and I hope you make the right choice." He glanced at Draco and I's intertwined hands. "You have the option to not become my follower just yet. But, in exchange, I expect to be told about Potter's whereabouts at all times."

     I gulped. I didn't want to betray Harry like that. "And the other option, sir?" I kept my head down.

     "You will become a Death Eater and you will accompany Draco on the task I've given him."

     I took a deep breathe in. "May I have an hour to think about your offer?"

     Voldemort clenched his wand in his fist and his jaw visibly tightened. "I suppose you may. One hour, no more."

     "Thank you, sir."

     I left the room quickly and Draco guided me to the backyard of his house, specifically the garden section. the bright colours of the flowers were the exact opposite of what was going on in the world at the moment.

     Draco's leg was shaking and his hands became sweaty. "I think you're more worried than I am at the moment. What's the task you need to complete?"

     "I can't let you do it, Rose. We'll find a way, maybe you could - no, that would be too -"

     "Draco -"

     "I can't believe I got you into this mess -"

     "Draco."

     "What are we -"

     "DRACO MALFOY."

     He stopped talking and moving around, but his expression did not change. "Draco, I'm not weak. I won't betray Harry after everything he's done for me. He was my first friend here and he didn't even have to know my name to be kind. I have to take the second option."

     "No, Rose, no way. It'll ruin you."

     "How bad can it possibly be? I was just told I had to become a Death Eater and I lost my grandmother - well, not exactly, but you know what I mean -"

     "I have to kill Dumbledore," he mumbled.

     I heard him loud and clear. I didn't want to believe him, so I asked again. "What?"

     "I have to kill Albus Dumbledore."

     My heart ached as I looked at the boy in front of me, obviously not wanting anything to do with the life he was forced into. I walked over to him, the vines of a tree hanging above us. "Not anymore."

     He scoffed. "Rose, you know I love every word that comes out of your mouth, but that's a load of rubbish."

     "No, what I meant was..." I trailed off. "You don't have to do it alone."

     He smiled down at me and pulled me into our tenth hug of the day. He breathed on my neck and I wrapped my arms around him. 

     "I don't think Voldemort's going to be as hard on you as he was on the rest of us. He actually gave you a choice. Except maybe Bellatrix - she's my aunt, you know. My mother's sister."