Twisted Tales

The Dark Mark

The Christmas Holidays sneak up on me. One second Draco and I are worrying about finishing Charms homework and the next my trunk is packed and being loaded onto the train. Keeping busy was probably for the best though. As I watch the countryside fly past us, the nerves settle in. I won't be coming back to Hogwarts the same. I find it impossible to sit still, instead pacing back and forth through the small compartment, question after question bombarding my mind. Will it happen right away? Is he already going to be there when we get in? Who else is going to be there?

On about my hundredth pass through, Draco reaches out, curling his fingers around my wrist, "Will you please sit down? You're making me anxious."

Lucius and Narcissa are waiting for us outside the station. Dressed in rich blacks and stunning greens they look very out of place amongst the muggles in their jeans and puffy jackets. Narcissa greets us both with a warm smile and welcoming hug. Lucius, in his typical poised manner, tilts his head, his stony expression remaining.

While Draco walks ahead with his mother, filling her in on how his term went, his father holds me back, thin fingers curl around my shoulder. He whispers quietly to me, "Your father will be arriving on Monday. I suspect he will only be staying long enough to perform the ceremony." His voice returns to normal as we slip down a deserted alley, dipping into a seemingly abandoned restaurant. "Draco tells me you two are going to Paris this year."

"Yes. I'm rather excited about it. Will you be joining us?"

All along the walls are fireplaces, the flames crackling as they lick away at the logs inside. Various witches and wizards corral their own children together, tossing powered into the flames, turning them green. One by one they step into the flames, calling out their destinations, disappearing shortly after.

We queue up, Helix struggling in her basket to get at another boy's rat, "Not this year. I've got some business to attend to. It's a very busy time at the Ministry as you may know."

"We're having work done on the sitting room fireplace, you'll likely pop in in the dining room," Narcissa says as Draco throws his own handful of Floo Powder into the now open fireplace. "I've laid down a rug."

In the blink of an eye, Draco is gone. I wait a few seconds before following suit. The flames lick at my legs, warm and inviting, "Malfoy Manor."

Shutting my eyes to keep out the ash, I spin through thin air, opening them again to see Draco offering me his hand. I'm just out of the way when Narcissa arrives, followed closely by Lucius.

"We'll call you for dinner."

And with that, we're off. Leaving Helix to her own devices, I charge up the stairs after Draco, our footfalls echoing through the house. He pulls the door to his bedroom open, falling against the white comforter, sending pillows flying. Sitting back up, he reaches for me, pulling me back onto the bed next to him.

"I've found this incredible chateau. It looks right out onto the ocean. There's a balcony where we can have morning coffee – " His smile fades. "You're still nervous, aren't you?"

I roll onto my side, dusting my fingers over his forehead, moving away the hair there. I trace down over his temple, over his jawline, ending with my thumb on his bottom lip, "It all sounds wonderful, Draco."

"You can talk to me, Bell. Please." There's a broken plea there that I've never heard before. It sends my heart into my stomach.

"What if he looks at me and decides he's made a mistake, that I'm not actually as worthy as he thought?"

Draco sits abruptly, leaning over me, cradling my face in his hands, "He won't. You're the smartest witch I know. You can do loads of things other people can only daydream about. You've infiltrated the other side, made Potter trust you. There's no way he'll think you aren't worthy."