The Dark Mark: Forced Marriage

Chapter 1

It was a normal, boring day at Hogwarts: and Lilith wanted to go to the bathroom- as soon as possible. No, not to actually relief herself.  She had the Dark Mark. A symbol used by Lord Voldemort to indicate who his followers were. Getting the mark, obviously wasn't her choice. It burned like mad when she got it. But she endured the pain. However, the problem was how she was going to hide it at school. Everybody was nosy these days. Nobody ever kept to themselves. Although, she had done a pretty good job at hiding it and started wearing full-sleeved shirts to ensure nobody could see it. In fact, she didn't think she knew anybody else who had the mark. That's why she didn't even tell her best friend Hermione Granger. But that all changed in a heartbeat...

During the middle of Transfiguration, Lilith felt her mark burn. It was as if it was trying to say "SCRATCH ME" and wouldn't stop until she actually did it. She had tried to scrub it off before but it was no use. It stayed on there like a tattoo. Mind you it was a tattoo but it was different. It hurt her every single day. Feeling desperate, Lilith turned over to her best friend: Hermione, and said: "Uhh, I've forgotten something at my dorm, cover for me?". Obviously, Hermione was reluctant. Being the "good" one from her group she never broke any rules nor did she hand her homework in late. Usually, she would tell Lilith that she couldn't risk it but today she saw the desperateness in her friend's eyes. "Fine, but be quick," she said in a whispering manner, to avoid getting Professor McGonagall's attention.  Lilith left the class in a hurry before anybody noticed she was gone. 

Running to her dorm, she unlocked the door and scratched the mark so furiously that she had blood dripping down her arm. Then, she laid her body on her bed and buried her face into the pillows.  Crying with pain, she watched the blood spread onto her clean white duvet. She could then hear footsteps getting louder by the second. Somebody was approaching her door! Startled, Lilith got up and started acting like she was trying to find something. Then Draco Malfoy appeared in the doorway. He didn't have his usual smirk on his face, it was more of an ashamed look. "I thought I was the only one with it-" He said with a tremble. 

Lilith looked over her shoulder. Surely he couldn't mean the dark mark? "I...I don't have the slightest clue on what you are on about, Malfoy." Lilith said stubbornly. She was told to keep the mark a secret and she made sure she didn't slip her tongue. Draco spotted the scarlet-red duvet cover and asked: "Is that blood?!". It wasn't Lilith's fault. It burned. It made her life a misery. And the only way she could live is if she scrubbed it endlessly. Lilith began wincing at the pain and made it quite obvious that it hurt. "Does it burn? Let me see?" Draco insisted trying to pull her sleeve up.  Lilith moved away just in time and screams "DRACO! GET AWAY FROM ME!". Draco looked hurt and said, "Lilith, I've seen it. I know." 

This was rather strange as Draco had never hung out with Lilith. How could he know about her? She never took notice of him until they were paired up with each other in potions. It was almost like Professor Snape purposely wanted them to be together.  Lilith replies with a bitter: "Know what? You don't even know me". She winces in pain again and causes Draco to realise where the blood came from. "Tried to scrub it off, eh?" Draco says. Lilith didn't like the fact he was getting so personal and how he knew so much about her without her actually telling him. Lilith turns around and firmly says "Draco, Please leave..." but Draco does exactly the opposite. 

He pulls his sleeve up and to Lilith's surprise he also has the mark. Shocked, she says "You...You have it as well?" He looks at it before replying with "Yes, and I saw yours so there's no point denying it. Show me." Lilith holds her head up high and before she can tell him he's wrong he comes over to her and pulls her sleeve up carefully. He looks shocked at the dried blood but quietly says "Who made you get it?". Lilith replies with a terrified "My parents. They're working for you-know-who. What about you?". Lilith was in fact frightened to say his name but her parents forced her. It was meant to be a sign of "respect".  Draco replied with a short "My father".  He tells her to not worry and that she'll get used to it. Some day.

Out of nowhere, Hermione enters, startling them both. She has a cross look on her face as she says "Lil'? Why are you taking so long?" before realising the horrible truth. "Lilith..." Hermione says uncomfortably. You realise your sleeve is still pulled up and your secret has been exposed.  "Hermione, It's not what it looks like..." Lilith says with a tone of worry.