ethereal - draco malfoy

task

After Malfoy gets dressed and we both cover our love bites with charms, we decide to go see our mums. I have to walk down the stairs slowly, one at a time, and Malfoy laughs quietly to himself.

We finally reach my mother's study, and I try to hide my limp as we walk in. "There you two are, where have you been?" my mum questions, her and Cissy both eyeing us suspiciously.

"We were reading." I reply quickly, too quickly.

"Right." my mother says, looking me up and down. "Why are you limping?"

"I hit my leg on a bookcase." I lie through my teeth. My mum and Cissy share a look of bored disbelief, but then she shrugs it off.

"Draco, dear, are you ready to go?" Cissy asks, looking over at Malfoy.

"Uh, yeah." he says uncertainly.

Cissy nods and we all walk, some better than others, to the foyer. Before walking into the fireplace and checking to see if our mums are looking, Malfoy steals a quick kiss from my lips. He then walks over to the fireplace and caresses his bottom lip with his thumb. "See you soon, Morningstar." he says with an evil grin before walking into the fireplace and flooing away.

After they're gone, my mother turns to me with a worried look on her face. "The Dark Lord will be here tomorrow to assign you your first task." she says warily.

"Alright." I say flatly.

"So... did you two-" she starts.

"Mum." I warn.

"Right, my apologies." she says with a smile.

"I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight." I say before kissing her cheek and limping back to my room.

-

I wake up the next day, exhausted and in excruciating pain in my lower body. I wince as I make my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a shower.

As I stand in front of the mirror, images and feelings of last night flicker in my mind. The way Malfoy's fingertips grazed softly against my skin. The amount of pleasure surging through my body, like my blood was replaced with melted silver. How his grey eyes stared intensely into my hazels the entire time; we watched each other unravel by the touch and feel of each other's skin.

I snap out of my thoughts and take a deep breath to slow my heart rate before I finish brushing my teeth and take a shower.

The hot water seeps into my cold skin and relaxes my muscles; it also helps ease the pain in my lower abdomen, legs and hips.

Once I'm done, I get dressed and head downstairs to eat breakfast with my mother. I slightly limp into the foyer, and once I get to a tall chair at the island, I put my hands on the island top and slowly lower myself down in my seat.

When I look over at my mum, she's peaking at me from behind her copy of The Daily Prophet. "That good, huh?" she says with a smirk.

"Mum!" I exclaim with a scoff, my jaw gaped slightly, but a smile at the corner of my lips.

"So do you fancy him? Or is it just constant hate sex?" she continues.

"First of all, it was one time. Second of all, I don't know if I fancy him." I clarify.

"Well," she starts as she folds the paper and places it on the table, "I think he fancies you, and I think you fancy him, too." she concludes.

"You think wrong." I say matter-of-factly.

-

Draco POV

"Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to speak what's on your mind, mother?" I ask, not looking up from my book.

"Do you fancy her?" she asks quietly.

"I don't know, mum. Why do you ask?" I reply.

"Because you and I both know that she's been through enough pain for this lifetime." she says in a warning-like tone.

I finally look up and meet her burning gaze. "Like I said. I don't know."

-

Cynthia POV

We sit in the dining room in silence, waiting for The Dark Lord to arrive. Mother told me to do whatever he says for my own safety.

A black cloud appears and turns into a figure, just like last time. When he's in full form, mother and I stand and say "My Lord." with a bow in unison.

He takes a seat at the head of the table, and a snake slithers up beside him. A very gorgeous snake, I might add. A reticulated python; the longest snake species.

"As you know, Cynthia, you will be tasked with something. Do it successfully, and you and your mother both shall live. Fail to do so, you will both be killed. Do you understand?" he says. His voice is cold and sounds like a hiss, it sends shivers down my spine.

"Yes, My Lord. I understand." I say, my voice coming out 10 times stronger than I felt right now.

"Good. There is a room at Hogwarts. It is called the Room of Requirement. To activate it, you will need to walk past it, back and forth, three times." he continues.

"Inside of the room will be a cabinet. This cabinet is called a Vanishing Cabinet. Are you familiar with them?" he asks.

"Yes, My Lord." I reply, recalling the time I read about them in a book from my father's library.

"Good. The Vanishing Cabinet's twin is at Borgin and Burkes. You will need to repair the Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts, so when the time comes, you can use it to let a few of my most trusted Death Eaters, your mother included, into Hogwarts." he explains.

"Of course, My Lord." I say dutifully with a nod.

"There is another Hogwarts student that is a Death Eater, and he will be working on it, too. You will work on the Cabinet every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while he works on it every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Do you understand?" he continues.

My heart rate quickens when he informs me of another Death Eater. Who could it be? Not many people were willing to give their children up to The Dark Lord.

"Yes, My Lord." I reply.

"I have made an exception in my rules for you, Cynthia. I gave your mother my word that you would not have to attend any meetings with the rest of the Death Eaters. In return, I expect you to succeed at this task. Your mother has never failed me, and I hope you've gathered that trait from her." he adds, gesturing to my mother when he mentions her.

"I will not fail you, My Lord." I reply quietly.

"I shall be on my way now. I'll see you in two weeks, Katherine." he announces before vanishing the same way he came.

My mum immediately turns to me and pulls me into a warm embrace, in which I do not hesitate to hug her back.

"You can do this, Cynthia. You are beyond brave, smart and unbelievably powerful. I know you can do this." she mumbles as she runs a hand through my hair.

"Thank you, mum." I say, my voice wavering slightly, muffled by the fabric of her sweater.

We pull away and I wipe a stray tear off her cheek, giving her a reassuring smile as I do so.

"You can go upstairs and have one of your binge-sleeps." she says with a small laugh, in which I return.

"Thanks, mum. If you need me, you know where I'll be." I reply before kissing her cheek and going upstairs to my bedroom.

I could never resist the opportunity to binge-sleep. My mother has told me that she's woken me up and even gotten me out of bed a few times during them, but I never remember anything that happens. It's like my brain is sleeping even when I'm awake.

When I walk into my room, I change into a large sweatshirt and a pair of leggings before crawling into bed and going to sleep.