"Are you two finally ready to go? Because I would like to get there before he gets even more angry with us." Draco says when Theo and i come down from my dorm room.

"Not ready, but we can go now." I mumble, going towards Draco and giving him a hug.

"You will be okay, I promise I won't let anything happen to you two." Draco says as he hugs me. "You two will be okay."

"We are getting-" Theo spits out but cuts himself off. "How would we be okay?"

"Blaise and I have it and we're okay, you know?" Draco reminds Theo. "We will never let anything happen to you guys and we can try and help you try to change the dark lords mind about it but I'm not sure what good it'll do."

"I don't want that thing on my arm Draco." I say, looking into his arms with fear written on my eyes. "And Theo- he can't." I add. We both know that this can't happen. It brings so much darkness. 

"Okay, then I'll do everything I can so that you don't have to." Draco says. We both know he won't be able to do anything about it.

I take his hand and the four of us head towards the doors of the school. We have to go to the apparition point before we can apparate to Malfoy Manor. Normally we would take the train but we're running out of time and the train would take longer. At least this way we won't be late.

"Where do you four think you're going?" A voice comes from behind us. I hear Draco sigh with annoyance as we turn around.

"You're starting to get on my nerves Potter." Theo angrily says from behind Draco and I.

"You guys shouldn't be leaving the castle at this hour." Harry continues, completely ignoring Theo's comment.

"It's really none of your business, why don't you go back to saving the world?" Theo continues.

"I wouldn't have to save the world if people like you would stop trying to kill everyone." He says. I feel myself tense up after hearing his words, Draco tenses too.

People like you.

"Just fuck off and go worry about your own shit." Blaise says to him but he just smirks.

"This is my business. Remember that time you followed Ron, Hermione and I to Hagrid's hut after hours and got us caught Malfoy? You can consider this payback." Harry says proudly.

"Harry.. can you not do this? Please." I ask. I'm trying to be nice since he doesn't have any reason to not like me but I don't think he really cares. Whatever grudge he has on Draco is too big for him to care.

"I'm sorry to get you in the middle of this but you chose to be friends with them." Harry says to me. "I don't really have a reason to not like you but I can't let them get away with it."

Fuck. We're going to be late if we can even get there at all.

"What is going on here?" Another voice asks as they walk towards us. It's Professor Snape. The boys visably relax and now Harry looks tense.

"We have to head home for a bit but Potter here is sticking his nose where it doesn't belong." Theo explains to Snape.

"You all have to head home?" Professor Snape asks, looking at Draco.

"Yes sir." Draco responds.

"Alright, get going then. We don't need you guys being late. Come find me in my office when you return." Professor Snape says. Draco takes my hand and pulls me as he starts walking away. Theo smirks at Harry once more before turning and following us.

"As for you Mr. Potter, what is your excuse for being out of bed?" Professor Snape asks Harry. We were leaving too fast for me to hear the rest of that conversation but I can't imagine it ending well. Everyone knows Professor Snape doesn't like Harry and his friends at all.

"That was a close call." Draco sighs when we reach the apparation point.

"What was with you being nice to him?" Theo asks me. His voice sounded kind of harsh but his face didn't look angry at all.

"I thought since he doesn't have a reason to hate me, if I was nice and pretended that I wasn't like however he thinks you guys are, he would let us go."

"It was a good plan and it might have worked on another Gryffindor but Potter hates us too much to ever let us go." Blaise explains.

"That hate didn't do him any good tonight." I reply. "No doubt Professor Snape gave him detention for being out of the common room."

"Serves him right." Draco mumbles. He looks at the three of us and I can see in his eyes that he's scared to return home. "You guys ready?"

I take his hand again, Theo grabs Blaise's arm and the four of us apparate to the Malfoy Manor. We land on the front door step and Blaise moves to the side so he's out of sight when we open the door.

"Be careful you three." He whispers before we open the door.

The house pretty much looks the same as it did the last time I was here... but there's something different. It's scarier than I remember it being. Something about this house has changed. At least before, even though it wasn't filled with all happy memories, we knew the only monsters around were our parents. Who knows what kind of monsters are in this house now.

I didn't realize but I'm squeezing Draco's hand a little tighter and he's watching me, worried about me.

"Fuck Malfoy, you guys need to invest in some colourful furniture or at least curtains that bloody open." Theo says and for a moment, a smile tugs at my lips. Leave it to Theo to make a joke to brighten the mood.

"I'll keep that in mind when the house is mine." Draco responds to him and he smirks.

"Good, because if you think I'll bloody visit you in a house that looks like a dungeon, think again."

"Of course not." Draco replies, a smile tugging at his lips.

All smiles quickly disappeared when we hear footsteps coming closer. I tighten my grip on Draco again and I notice how stiff he's become, standing tall with his head up. I glance over to Theo to see him shuffling closer to us, he looks viably uncomfortable.

"We have less than two minutes before one of them comes in here and see's that we're here so I'll say this quickly. Don't argue with him or give him any attitude. Either call him the dark lord or sir. Nothing else. Please don't use any sarcasm Nott and don't let him see how scared you are." Draco explains to us.

"Me? Sarcastic? You're thinking of Zabini." Theo jokes and although I find it funny, Draco looks unimpressed. "I got it, okay? No jokes."

"This is serious Nott. Please, no messing around." Draco begs, gently placing an arm on his shoulder.

"I get it."

"Okay, take care of each other... you know, in case they don't let me in the room with you."

"You be careful too." I tell him.

He leans down and kisses me, it was quick but it has to be... we have probably less than a minute now.

"Excuse me, where's my kiss?" Theo jokingly asks Draco who smirks. He walks over to Nott and kisses his cheek.

"I-" I let out a laugh. Draco and Theo were both laughing too.

"Now was that so hard?" Theo asks jokingly.

"Oh shut it Nott." Draco mumbles, still laughing at his friend.

The laughing and joking around reminds me of how we were when this house was basically our entire world. When we were kids, there were only a few rooms we weren't allowed in, but other than that we had the entire house to ourselves to run around and play. Narcissa and Lucius were always busy with work and keeping up appearances so they were hardly ever around. When they were out, the halls would echo with our laughter, we would run freely around the house and we were happy. It's a comforting feeling, being back here and laughing. Comforting for only a moment until reality hits.

This is no longer a house to run freely through, laughing and joking around with each other. This house is no longer our entire world. We aren't the same carefree, happy, innocent children we were when this place was our entire world. Now we're sad, broken and confused. We're stuck in the middle of our parents war, being forced into it and on the side that our parents chose for us.

The door swings open into the room we're in and our laughter dies, a lump forms in my throat and my heart rate picks up. Draco goes stiff beside me again and Theo stands still.

"Ah, I thought I heard you guys." Narcissa says to us, moving into the room and coming closer to us. Draco dropped his arm so it's beside mine but doesn't reach for my hand.

"Mother." Draco says, his voice sounds emotionless. He nod his head at his mother.

"What are you doing here, Draco? This ceremony is for Theo and Avery." Narcissa asks her son.

"I have to speak to the dark lord." Draco replies dryly. Narcissa doesn't respond. Instead she turns to Theo.

"Your parents will be in there, along with a few of the older death eaters and some of his most trusted." Narcissa explains to Theo.

"Will you and Lucius be in there too?" Theo asks her.

"Yes."

Draco moves his hand closer to mine until the back of his hand is touching the back of mine. Narcissa turns her attention to me and a smile forms on her lips.

"It's nice to see you Avery, it's been a long time."

I nod.

"Your parents will be in there too." She explains. "Your mother tried to buy you some more time but the dark lord wants to do this now."

"I'm ready now." I lie. Don't let them see how scared you are.

Narcissa smiles. "I remember you always being so brave. Jumping in front of the boys when Lucius would get mad, taking the blame for them, talking back. I'm glad to see that is a trait you still have."

"I wouldn't say it's bravery." I say to her. Suddenly I'm filled with all of this rage as she tells me how brave I was when I was younger.

I shouldn't have had to be brave when I was a kid because it was her job to keep us safe. It was all of their jobs, not mine.

"What would you call it then?" Narcissa asks me. It's always been easy to take my anger out on her because she has never raised her hand at me. At any of us. That was always Lucius. Narcissa let us yell and then she would speak.

"Loyalty."

She looks at me as if she's waiting for me to explain, as if she doesn't understand what I'm saying.

"The boys may be a pain in the ass but they're my family and I would do anything to make sure they don't get hurt. It shouldn't have been, but it was always my job to protect them. I'm loyal to them and to the promises I made to myself."

Draco grabs my hand and wraps his around mine. Narcissa's eyes wander to our hands and another smile appears on her face.

"I thought you two might admit how you felt about each other one day." Narcissa says, and then she takes one last look at the three of us before turning around. "Follow me."

Theo and I both look at Draco to see what he's thinking but he's just staring at his mother. There's something strange about her. She's not the same as I remember her. Draco looks at Theo first. Theo's soft eyes staring at him, hoping for him to tell him something to ease his nerves. Draco smiles at his friend and nods his head before turning to me. His eyes met mine and I could see right through the mask he's putting up. He's trying to pretend as if he's not scared. He's been through this once already.

"You two will be fine, I promise." He whispers, then the three of us follow Narcissa through the house. She takes us to the dining room.