This chapter contains scenes of death, abuse, and violent actions. Please read with caution.

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'' Where is she?''

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Amelie Avery.

'' You ungrateful fucking witch, how long have you had this for?''

He was flipping through the pages — seeing everything that Draco had been writing her, and just as her lips parted to speak, Adrian slapped her with it.

Her cheek sored red, and the corner of her eyes shredded in tears.

'' I asked you a question,'' He stated again, chuckling darkly to himself as he read what Draco had written, '' This is just—''

He burst out laughing at her, smirking devilishly as she felt the humiliation waver within. He even tried to take the safety of that diary away from her.

'' Is this what you have been doing? Reading this?'' Adrian kept on pushing her, continually threatening to hit her with it again, '' Is it those twin-diaries parents buy for their kids?'' He mumbled while studying it, thoughtfully, '' Looks like it.''

'' You can't even respond, so what? He just writes you over and over?'' He mocked, shaking his head at how desperate Draco seemed to be, '' God, I wish I could see the look on his face when he wrote this.''

Amelie's jaws clenched, and she looked away from him. Her cheeks burnt by the slap she just received, and her pulse stressed throughout her.

It stung in her chest by that image. How heartbroken Draco had to be to actually admit to loving her. He'd lived with her for weeks and not said anything — but now he did.

'' It's pathetic. That's what it is. Malfoy will never find you here,'' He growled before he threw the diary across the room, making it hit the wall with a loud slam, '' Don't you think I know that he was here once? That he came here looking for you?''

Her eyes prickled in tears.

Amelie did know. She did, but she also did everything manageable to shut it out, to not think about it.

'' But he couldn't see you, could he?'' He laughed at her again. He was dangerously close to her, '' It's so fucking tragic, isn't it?''

Adrian's hand moved to her hair, and he dragged her by it to the end of her bed. Towering her as his tongue rolled over his bottom lip, '' Answer me.''

Amelie's head shook, trying to save herself from the coarse hold he had of her, '' He loves me,'' She breathed, '' It's not tragic. He loves me, and I love—''

Adrian's hold of her throat hardened intensely. Squeezing her skin so tight that he took every chance of breathing away from her.

'' Love...'' He scoffed, '' What the hell is love anyway? A good story in a book perhaps, but let me fill you in on a little secret, Amelie...'' Her fingers scraped at his hands. Her whole body was overwhelmed by the dread, '' Love doesn't exist.''

'' Are you sure he didn't just say that because he wanted to fuck you?'' Adrian slammed her spine down to the mattress, and he climbed on top of her, nailing her into the sheets, '' He got what he wanted, Amelie. How do you even know that he's actually looking for you?''

She swallowed as the weight of Adrian straddling her felt more than heavy upon her fragile body.

'' He got you into bed, and he doesn't want you anymore. Why do you think I started to treat you like the waste of space you are after we first slept together?'' His hands closed around her neck, squeezing tightly.

'' Why do you think I fucked Pansy? Because I loved you so much? Because you were—''

'' You killed her,'' Amelie gasped as her body wrenched under his. She did everything she could to try and snake her way out of his grip, '' You killed her. You have no right to talk—''

Adrian slapped her again, causing her head to fall to the side, and the wind within the cage of her chest heaved for a slight moment.

'' Yes, I killed her, and you know what, Amelie?'' He shouted, his hand gripped her chin, making her look at him, '' I would do it again, and I would've killed you too if it didn't bring me so much pleasure to see you hurt—''

Amelie's hands grasped at his. Her nails scratched his skin, but he didn't budge.

'' Stop it, Adrian—'' She panicked.

She couldn't breathe.

'' Or what?'' He seethed, his eyes drilled through hers, and the devilish mantle coating his features flickered in pure evil. A monster without disguise, '' What are you going to do?''

'' Please—'' Amelie's eyes slowly sealed, the strength she believed to have — wasn't there anymore.

She was too weak, too frail to stand against him.

The tips of her fingers clawed at his face, his neck, his arms, but he was too strong.

'' You know what?'' Adrian snapped, roughly letting go of her as he crawled back over the mattress, and Amelie gulped at the air filling her lungs again, '' I think I know what to do...''

His hands hurt upon her skin as he tugged her shirt up, revealing the large scar coating her stomach.

The scar Draco wouldn't stop kissing.

The pain Draco took away.

Many years ago, Adrian had stabbed her with a knife when he believed her to be pregnant, and he left her with it until Theodore found her in a pool of her own blood on the bathroom floor.

Theodore healed her, and he tried to fade the mark Adrian's cruel actions left, but he couldn't — so she had to live with it.

Amelie learned not to despise that scar because of Draco, and now — now Adrian's fingers grasped upon her skin again.

She couldn't look at what he was doing. She couldn't bear herself to spare him as much as a glare.

'' Let's recreate some old memories, shall we?'' He smirked, biting his lower lip as his hand clenched around his wand, and the instant the tip of it scratched against her scar — Amelie screamed.

She screamed so loudly out of the tops of her lungs. It hurt as he forced his wand deeper. It felt worse than any type of torture had ever done before.

Her body yanked back and forth, trying to escape the unbearable pain, but she couldn't. She clawed, she scratched, she tossed and turned, but he was too powerful. She didn't stand a chance.

Amelie was once again trapped, and all she did was cry.

Adrian ripped the whole mark open again before he pushed himself off her. He looked at her with solid disgust as he bent down, gripping the diary of the floor. He seemed to be thinking for a brief moment.

'' You know what?'' He said, flipping the pages of it open, and with the blood covering the edge of his wand — her blood, he wrote something in it.

Adrian wrote one single letter in it with Amelie's blood before he smiled, evilly, '' Let's see how long it takes for Malfoy to figure it out.'' He stated, turning around to slam her door shut on his way out.

Amelie fell apart. Her skin layered by a fusion of her own blood and sweat as her body shook violently. It was hard to breathe because of the aching pain, and the thought of Adrian doing something to Draco made her nauseous.

Her elbows scored against the covers as she propped herself up, peering down at the reddened wound. Blood slipped out of it, constantly by the mere minute, and she needed to stop it — not to bleed out.

Amelie grabbed a pillow, tugging the pillowcase off it before she pressed it as hard as she could against the cut.

Tears kept on falling. Small hurtful groans left her throat as her head fell back to the mattress. She was exhausted, and the pain shifted overwhelmingly as her eyes rolled back.

Amelie just needed a minute. She just needed to breathe before she could think about Adrian and what he did with her diary.

The second she sought to faint again — the very instant her body meant to give her some sort of peace, she heard the screaming from downstairs.

Her body jolted, and everything turned dark around her.

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Draco Malfoy.

The wind scored around him as the darkness had clouded.

He stood tall in front of the Pucey residence with his wand more than ready in his hand. He feared that this place would be crowded in Death Eaters, and the blond wasn't wrong.

It was.

The Dark Lord had sent dozens of Death Eaters to Adrian and Amelie's protection. Especially after the realization that Draco slaughtered every single one he could get his hands on.

Malfoy killed them mercilessly.

It frightened Voldemort — that Draco was so careless and had no respect for his own life. That he went against the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters with no second thought. That he, for something so meaningless as love, would break Voldemort's trust.

Malfoy's jaws gritted, and his shoulders tensed underneath the black suit jacket — a flick of fear flashed in his mind, not for himself but for Amelie. He understood that he was capable of fighting every man standing in his way.

He just wasn't sure he'd be able to do so once she stood beside him. Was he ready to reveal that side of himself — the deepest of darkness resting within his soul?

He didn't know if she'd be able to love him once she saw that, but he was willing to risk it.

Malfoy would risk it all just for her to be safe.

Hell, he'd even lose her again. He'd give the time with her up, all for her to be protected. He'd give his own heart for hers to beat.

He'd tear them all apart to keep her solid.

He knew that she was here now, and he wasn't going to waste another second. His steps echoed severely over the yard as he marched his way over to the door, and with a twitch of his wrist, feeding his wand with power — the door flung open.

He looked inside, hesitatingly before he took a step back, raising his arms against the building, '' Finite,''

Draco's magic set alight on the house for a second, and it sparked in azure colors before it went deadly quiet again. He cleansed Adrian's house of spells. He took away all the magic protecting it so that he could — if Amelie still rested behind it, see her either way.

Draco stepped inside, immediately facing two masked men that drew their wands against him — but he'd done this for months now, and he'd grown stronger.

The tip of Malfoy's wand cut through one of the Death Eater's throat as he, in a sudden move, tore it into the other one's chest after.

Draco didn't even need magic anymore. He could rob them of their lives with simple movements.

He kept on walking, slowly through the hallways of Adrian's home, and for every corner, Draco rounded — other Death Eater showed themselves.

Malfoy's arm closed around the neck of one, and he squeezed it tightly, suffocating the man before he dropped him to the ground and moved along. He had no time to stall.

He killed them, one by one, until he reached the stairs. Draco understood that Adrian kept her in a room on the upper floor because all of the rooms on the main floor were held empty.

His back pushed against a wall, trying to hide as he heard steps stumbling down the wooden stairs and voices mumbling quietly, not to catch his attention.

'' He's here.''

'' Didn't you hear what Pucey said?''

'' Protect the girl at all costs. He's not allowed to take her out of here.''

'' I know, but he's—''

'' I don't care. If the Dark Lord finds out that we failed to protect her, he'll come for us.''

'' So it's either die because of Malfoy or die of the Dark Lord?''

'' I suppose so.''

'' That's a hell of a way to go.''

Draco licked his bottom lip before his back rolled off the wall, and he showed himself. Entirely on an exposed display for the three Death Eaters in front of him.

'' Malfoy—'' One of them sought to warn, but the moment he did, Draco chuckled.

'' Don't speak to me,'' Draco said sternly, toying with his wand in between his fingers, '' I never gave you permission to speak my name.''

'' But your father did,'' Another masked man filled in, taking a stride closer to the blond in the hall. Attempting to intimidate him, to scare Draco into obedience, '' And if you don't play your cards right, Malfoy, your father—''

'' I'd be dammed if I ever cared about my pathetic excuse of a father ever again.'' Draco snarled back. His fingers gripped around his wand firmly. His face colder than ice, '' Where is she?''

'' Who?'' One of them smirked, and Draco could feel the fuming rage as it washed over him.

His blood rose to boil at the spoken terms.

'' I'll ask you again. One more time and I suggest that you answer me—'' Malfoy endangered, his voice hoarse, serious, '' Or I will kill all three of you.''

The Death Eaters stared at each other, their necks snapping before all three of them shrugged, '' Doesn't seem like a fair fight to me, you're alone, and we're—''

'' Where is she?'' Draco threatened for the last time, his vocals demanding. He lost his patience, and time was at the limit for him.

'' We don't know—''

'' Wrong answer,'' Draco stated.

Malfoy's wand stretched in the air as he threw a spell suffocating the three. Their bodies nearly stoned before he dragged his hand back and hastily shot forward again — the Death Eater's figures exploded into pieces. The dust of it fell to the infinite ground.

Draco stepped over it as if it was nothing, marching up the stairs. He spun around.

He didn't know where to go, so his eyes sealed. He tried to listen — to hear if he could catch her voice or her movements. He wanted to feel her, to somewhat connect with her if possible.

He knew that time was a limited asset, and he couldn't spare much more of it. His sight clocked wide as his head snapped to the end of that corridor.

His heart pounded roughly within the cage of his chest as he halted, right outside a door he heard soft sobs coming from. Not the usual cries he caught back at home — this winded to be something he'd failed to hear for months.

She was crying in her sleep. Draco could gather that from miles away. He knew exactly what she sounded like when she did.

Malfoy swallowed thickly as his hand closed around the doorknob, and he, without falter, shoved it wide open.

He had been looking for her for over three months. This wasn't real to him. His skin burnt in the longing of hers as the ache in his veins flushed throughout him.

Draco had almost given up. He even thought about ending his own life in the missing of hers, but he didn't. He kept on searching, looking, hunting for her.

Malfoy had been losing himself only to find her, and here he stood — in a doorway, in a haunted house. It was surreal. Not happening. His eyes flickered, and his pulse slowed.

The beat of his heart he'd been missing for months struck him forcefully again.

Draco's breaths hitched, and his face softened. His features never soothed, but they did for her.

It was as if he'd seen a ghost, someone that he hadn't looked at for years and tears shredded in the corner of his eyes because of it. It felt like a dream, as if he was strolling on clouds, and he was simply waiting for a misstep so that he'd wake up, only to realize that he lost her all over again.

He did that quite a lot, dreamed of her.

It was the only place he could see her fully. It was the one thing that made the hours of sleeping worth it — he got to see her, feel her as she smiled at him in his imagination.

But it wasn't a fantasy anymore. It wasn't a dream. This was real because he saw her.

She was right there in front of him, lying on a worn bed.

His Amelie.

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