The Seventh Year

Inner Conflicts

He ran to his dormitory because he couldn't face her, not after what he'd done at the end of last year. He turned the corner to the Slytherin Dungeon sharply. A drop of sweat trickled down the side of his face, and his breath quickened as he broke into a sprint. He did not check to see if she was following; he felt no need to. The Carrows began to relax around him, under the impression he was one hundred percent loyal to the Dark Lord. Was he on Vo— his side? 

Since that night in the Astronomy Tower, he struggled to understand where he stood. His brain felt like exploding because his parents' morals conflicted with his own. Still breathing hard, he stood before a bare stone wall. 

"Mors comedenti," he said firmly. A dark passageway revealed itself, and he stepped into the darkness.

----

Ginny tried to keep up with Malfoy noiselessly; regrettably, her steps echoed through the corridor leading to the Slytherin dungeon. The platinum blonde boy seemed to be in too much of a hurry to hear. He rounded a corner, and Ginny listened for the Slytherin password. She did not catch it, so she dashed to the bare-wall hallway. If the entranceway closed before she made it inside, it would be useless trying to get in.

As she came around the corner, Malfoy was entering a dark passageway. She waited a moment before following him through the dim hole in the wall. He began to sit on the couch when Ginny couldn't help but shout, "Malfoy!"

His head snapped in her direction, and he instinctively fixed his black suit. His icy grey eyes stared into Ginny's warm butterbeer-colored ones. For a second, she thought Malfoy's expression showed a flicker of fear. She almost smiled but stopped herself at the last second. 

"How did you get in?" he asked angrily. "Get. Out. You aren't allowed in here, filthy blood traitor!" His tone was filled with warning. The name-calling had become old, and being called a blood traitor no longer bothered Ginny. "Weasley, what do you want?" He was practically shouting at her; his hands were balled into fists.

Ginny took a moment to respond. "I could ask you the same thing." Her voice shook slightly, but Malfoy was too stressed to catch it. "You were the one staring," she shot at him. 

Before he had the chance to respond, she punched him square in the face. He thought he felt his nose break, but that was the least of his concerns. She continued to hit him repeatedly, acting irrationally. After several more slaps, she pushed him against the wall and drew her wand, pointing it right under Malfoy's chin. 

The blonde boy began to whimper. What could have been a tear dribbled down his face, but he passed it off as sweat, wiping the droplet instantly. His nose began to bleed, and his face turned paler than ever.

"Wow, tough little Weasley!" he laughed. "Where's your boyfriend? Haven't seen him lately, have you? Where's Potter?" He spat the last sentence so arrogantly that Ginny couldn't hold herself together any longer. 

She spotted a trophy shelf on the opposite end of the room. "Oppugno!" she said aggressively. One of the cups flew from the shelf and spun in his direction. Ginny held her hand steady as she attempted to aim a sharp wood corner at the base of the award towards Malfoy.

Thinking fast, Malfoy yelled, "Arresto Momentum!" The trophy's movement slowed, and Ginny let it fall to the floor. 

"Stupefy!" was the only other spell that popped into her head. Malfoy blocked it with a swift motion. Ginny could see his anger rising, so she pushed even harder. "Levicorpus!" He was too quick and moved out of the way.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he said. Ginny barely blocked the Body-Bind Curse. It didn't surprise her one bit that Malfoy was beginning to fight back. That's what she wanted. 

Unable to control her emotions, she shouted, "Diffindo!" He was a hair too late, and the spell grazed his cheek. The blood spilled from the fresh laceration. 

An even more engaged Malfoy shouted, "Sectumsempra!" Ginny blocked the curse but stood there, dumbfounded that he would stoop so low. Malfoy looked equally shocked but said nothing. 

They both stood there silently; he was unable to meet Ginny's gaze. Both heaved, exhausted from casting spells at one another. Before either one could speak, the rest of Malfoy's posse loudly made their way through the opening. 

"I guess you can go back to scheming with you Death Eater friends," she said fiercely, her face scrunched out of disgust for what Malfoy had just tried. 

Ginny pushed past Pany Parkinson, Crabbe, and Goyle. The trio began shouting insults as she ran to the other side of the wall, but she let them taunt her. Before she could lose her temper, she disappeared around the corner and ran up to Gryffindor Tower.

----

Draco had let his anger get out of control. What were you thinking? Sectumesmpra would have killed her, and the Carrows would have beaten you for it! he thought to himself. Surely she wouldn't tell anyone besides Neville and Luna. If either Amycus or Alecto heard talk of any sort, they'd probably be Crucio-ed until they were mad. 

At least he wouldn't be punished by his father's Death Eater friends. But then he thought of how they were supposed to be his Death Eater friends. His stomach churned at the thought of being friends with such evil siblings. They had watched out for him throughout the year, but it was only under after his father continuously beseeched for them to do so; they had asked for something in return, so it wasn't even a favor. 

Pansy's annoying, high-pitched baby voice brought him back to the present, where blood was now dripping onto his robes. 

"Merlin's beard, Draco! Are you alright? Let's get you to Madam Pomfrey! I'll stay with you, so you're not alone!" He had gotten sick of Pansy babying him. It was something she had done since their fourth year after he asked her to the Yule Ball. 

He always suspected she was under the impression that he fancied her, but she never addressed it; neither one mentioned the idea of them dating. He would never date her, anyway, because she never knew when to shut it. She also never knew when enough was enough.

For instance, on the way to Hogwarts the year before, she asked to play with his hair, and he allowed her to because he enjoyed the attention. Throughout that year, she asked on multiple occasions if she could stroke his hair again, and he turned her down every single time. 

"Pansy, shut it! No, I don't need to go to Madam Pomfrey. I'm fine," he said, the asperity in his voice made Pansy take a step back. Her eyes filled with tears, but she ran upstairs to try to hide her sorrow. Loud sobs could be heard as she ran to her dormitory.

"What a git," said an amused Goyle. Crabbe high-fived him, and they both set off for their rooms. Draco stood alone in the common room once more, hearing the distant songs of the Merpeople in the Black Lake above him. 

Closing his eyes, Draco felt peaceful and relaxed. The song was enchanting. The Merpeople's music was one of the few things that prompted him to stay at Hogwarts. His anxiety melted away whenever their voices traveled as far as the common room. He could lose himself in their tune, but only for a moment. 

He imagined a world where Death Eaters and the Dark Lord were defeated; he would live in a small wood cabin surrounded by a colorful garden, far away from Malfoy Manor. He'd give anything for this dream to become his reality. His eyes fluttered open at the sound of the passageway appearing, and he climbed the stairs before anyone saw him. 

His moment of euphoria had passed. He would never lay in a vibrant field of flowers, own a small vegetable garden, or experience love, for no one could fancy a Death Eater. His dream was crushed as the weight of being the Dark Lord's servant fell upon his shoulders once more. 

The light that kept the broken blonde boy hoping had gone for good.