The Marauder's Daughter

EXHAUSTED

(tw//mild talk of s**f h*rm)

josephine lupin-black

The days strung on and on of professors prepping us for our futures and Draco and I repairing the vanishing cabinet. Harry had spent most of his time with Slughorn doing Merlin-knows-what, and Ron spent most of his time snogging Lavender every chance he got.

Hermione hung out with me, Ginny, or Luna most days, and every Saturday night we'd sit in the library and help first and second years with their school work.

"Alright, I'll see you two later," I said to Hermione and Luna, before trudging off down the hall to "Defense Against the Dark Arts."

I ducked my head down as I entered into a secret passage behind a sculpture in the halls that led to the seventh corridor where the Room of Requirement sat. Fred and George had shown it to me back last year.

Carefully, I crept up the rickety spiral staircase. It stopped at every floor, but I didn't stop until I hit the seventh corridor's opening.

I poked my head out the statute, and then slumped into the hallway quickly before running down to the tapestry where I paced back and fourth three times, thinking of what it was I required. The giant doors appeared, and I entered.

The room was quiet at first, but then I heard a small crying coming from the back of the large, junk filled room. I walked as quietly as I could through the piled up trash that littered the room, the piles looming over me. The cries echoed off the walls, a sad cry.

When I finally reached the back, I peaked around an old bookcase. There, I saw the source of the crying: Draco Malfoy.

His sleeve on his left forearm was bloody, his cheeks tear-stained, his hair messy.

An old ink well fell from a shelf as I accidentally bumped it. Draco's head quickly turned to me, as he wiped his cheeks furiously, pulling his suit coat over the top of his forearm.

"You're here early," he stated, standing up, his voice cracking though he tried to sound as stern as possible.

"And you're bleeding," I responded. "And crying."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Oh please, don't act like you care or know. Besides, we have to get to work."

I flashed my eyes down to his arm and then back to his face as he approached me. "Let me see your arm, Draco."

He shook his head. "I'm fine, Josephine. Stay out of it."

I reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling up his sleeve a bit before he jerked his arm away from me.

"I told you, I am fine," he hissed at me. "We need to get to work."

I frowned. "You're exhausted, Draco. All we do is work. You-you need to tell me what's going on."

I could see his eyes grow heavy, but he turned his head away before the tears fell.

"You don't need to be involved."

"Draco, I won't ask you again. Show me your arm."

He glared back at me, but his expression changed, and I knew he couldn't hold it in anymore. He practically collapsed into my arms, wrapping his arms around me, his head in my neck.

I sat down carefully, still hugging him as he sobbed into my shirt. I reached my hand down and grabbed his wrist, and pulled his arm up to where I could see. I tugged up on the sleeve, and blood dripped down his arm, leaking from his bandage.

His dark mark.

I understood then and there what was wrong. He had to fix the cabinet, or he died, but there was more to the issue. There was more to the task.

I moved my hand to the back of his head as he cried more and more, soaking my shirt.

"He...he's going to kill me-" he whispered as he sniffled.

I shook my head. "No, he won't. I promise you. I will get you out of this, Draco, but I need to know what the rest of the task is."

He looked up at me, and turned away from me, leaning against the wall behind us where we sat.

"I-I can't tell you."

"Yes, you can, Draco. I won't tell a soul, I swear to Merlin."

He gulped as he leaned his head back against the stone wall, his eyes puffy, his arm scabbed and scratched down layers, but the dark mark still shining through the deep red.

"He's ordered me to...to kill Dumbledore. And...and if I fail to succeed, I die."

My eyes glanced over to his pale grey ones, now clouded with tears.

"The cabinet is to...is to let the death eaters in so I can k-finish the task."

I nodded my head and reached over and placed my hand on his shoulder before turning to face him.

"I am not going to let them hurt you," I whispered to him. "Not my mother, not your father, not bloody no-nose-" he chuckled slightly, "-not even Harry. Snape and I will get you out of this, you have to trust me on that."

His eyes flickered over to me. "You can't tell anyone, please," he whispered. "My dad would kill me before the Dark Lord even got the chance."

"I won't tell, I promise," I said to him. "Now, before we start working on this bloody cabinet, I have to ask you, would you be willing to come to my wedding?"

He looked at me confused. "You're wedding? Since when are you engaged?"

I laughed and looked down at the ring on my finger. "Since August," I smiled. "The wedding is in December, while we're on break. We figured we'd do it as soon as possible because, well, we don't know what's going to happen with old no-nose, and we'd hate to not have a family before it all goes down, which we know it will one day."

Draco nodded. "I'd love to come but...how will the Weasley's feel? Fred? I'd reckon my presence would ruin the evening, and I don't want to ruin your day."

I chuckled. "You won't ruin my day, Draco. And, you're my family, so you deserve to be there. Mrs. Weasley would like you, and the others would warm up to you eventually."

He laughed. "Key word: eventually."

"Oi, you," I laughed, "they would warm up to you, I swear. I'm living proof. I didn't like you when I first saw you, and now here we are."

He gasped. "You didn't like me?! I thought I was very charming when we first met."

I scoffed. "Oh please, 'I'm a Prefect, you filthy little blood-traitor. I was ordered to watch your practice by Professor Snape,'" I imitated in his voice.

He shoved my with his shoulder. "Listen, I didn't know you then."

"Mhm," I said before standing up, and extending my hand to him. "Let me clean up your arm and we will get to work on this cabinet."

Hours passed, and finally, the green apple disappeared and reappeared with a bite in it. I yelled happily and jumped up and down as Draco smirked, picking up the apple. I threw my arms around him and he did the same in response, picking me off the ground and shifting back and forth on each foot, left to right.

He set me back down and sighed. "We don't have to do this anymore," he said relieved.

"Thank Merlin," I murmured as I grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder. "Now come on, you need sleep."

We parted ways Draco heading to the dungeons and me headed up the stair cases to my common room. I reached the common room and plopped down on the couch with a grunt.

"There you are," Ginny said as she walked down the steps. "You look exhausted."

I chuckled. "Defense Against the Dark Arts with Snape will be the death of me. I stayed behind and finished all my essays for him, thank Merlin."

She laughed and pulled me off the couch. "Come on, let's go to bed. Hermione's on another rant about Ron."

I followed Ginny up the stairs and laughed with her, trying to hide my thoughts about Draco. He's only a year younger than me, but had to grow up too soon. He doesn't deserve it, not a bit, and it kills me that he's having to go thorough this.