This chapter contains violent actions. Please read with caution.

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'' I know we will.''

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Amelie Avery.

Day 12.

Twelve days I've been here now.

Twelve days of Teddy and me.

Twelve days of learning about myself in ways I didn't think would be possible.

Twelve days of a mixture of constant heartbreak and a glint of hope.

Twelve days of long walks in the forest, watching the sun from the kitchen window as it rose in between the mountains, over laughter and a cup of tea with my best friend.

Twelve days of thinking. Thinking about everything and nothing. Thinking about my mother, my father, Adrian, Pansy, Hermione...

And Draco.

Twelve days of thinking about Draco.

I miss him, even if I do everything possible not to miss him,

I do.

I don't think I miss him as the person he lived to be. I miss the promises, the closeness of another person who would never bring violence upon me, the constant reassurance that I would be safe with him, and I was.

I was safe with him. No place had ever felt safer than being close to him, even if he lied. I was safe.

But that is not the thing that hurts about missing him, missing the feeling he brought me. The feeling that makes me want to cry every time my mind circles it.

The thing that makes my heart split in two is that he was safe with me, and he knew that.

He had never felt much affection. He even said so himself.

'' I don't get those types of feelings.''

But he did. I think we both know he did, and I think that's why he told me to leave, because at the end of the day,

He cared. He cared enough not to bring me into the darkness he mastered. He cared enough to let me go.

But how am I supposed to let that go?

How am I supposed to let the person who carried out such a selfless act go?

Teddy asked me the other night if I fell in love with him. If I had grown to care for Draco in ways I never saw coming,

And I don't think I did. I don't think I fell in love with him, and I don't think he fell in love with me.

I think we needed each other. I think the both of us are broken in ways we could never explain to each other, and I think that was what we needed.

Someone who understood the pain and the torture without ever having to explain it.

But I don't know. I don't know anything anymore.

All I know is that he smelled like love, and it consumed me.

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'' What are you doing?'' Theodore placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, smiling at her as he did, '' Are you writing on those napkins again? You know I can give you a real note pad—''

'' No.'' Amelie cut him off, her head tilting to rest against the hand on her shoulder, '' I had a notepad, but...'' She held.

The memory of the little pad resting underneath her mattress at the Malfoy Manor made her veins ache. Her heart felt heavy as she once again thought about the blonde boy.

'' I lost it, and I don't want a new one.''

Theodore nodded slowly as he watched the white napkin in front of her, '' When you write on those, do you save them after, or do you throw them away?''

Amelie sighed, her eyes shut as she felt the evening sun slipping through the cracks of the window warm her skin. '' I throw them away.'' She lied, knowing that she didn't.

She saved them.

She saved every single one in that red little jewelry box underneath the bed, with the hope that she one day can look back on them and remember how far she'd come.

How much she had accomplished.

'' I throw them in the fireplace and let all my feelings burn along with them,'' Amelie said, smiling shyly for herself as her cheek stroked against his hand, feeling the warmth he always brought her.

Theodore nodded again as he placed another hand around her, pulling himself closer to her from behind. He leaned down, holding his best friend gently as she looked out of the window in front of her.

'' Do you remember when you asked me if we would make it?'' Amelie smiled, her eyes glinted as she folded the napkin, '' If we would be okay?''

Theo nodded, his head on top of hers, '' Of course, I do.'' He said, holding her tighter, her hair felt soft against his skin, '' How could I ever forget?''

Amelie smiled again. The corner of her mouth twitched as she scrunched the material of what he had written in between her fingers,

'' I think we will.'' She whispered, peering up to look at her best friend, '' I think we will be alright, Teddy.''

He hummed at her, his arms around her entirely as he hugged her, '' I know we will.''

Amelie hadn't felt at peace in a long time, but she did now.

Right here.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, looking out over the sunset as Theodore held her close. That was all she needed right now. That was all she wished for.

She knew that everything around her would come to change. That everything she believed she knew would not be known again,

That her mother was alive and that Amelie herself was the one carrying that burden of a secret hidden within.

A secret that many souls were longing to get a hold of.

That her father had escaped in order to save himself from the punishment that would come along with the secret of her mother's wellness.

She was exposed, threatened, and even if she was expected to be scared, to fear the darkness she knew was coming,

She didn't.

She wasn't scared anymore because they couldn't possibly do anything to break her more than she had already been broken before.

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Draco Malfoy.

'' Where is she, you ask?'' Adrian spat, his hands tied together in a visionless spell, '' You took her from me, remember? You tell me where she is."

Draco chuckled, his expression amused as he dragged the wooden chair over the floor, making a horrifying sound as he did.

'' She's not your property, Pucey.'' Draco hissed, his hands clenched around the timber as he stopped, right in front of the boy. '' She can't be taken, from anybody, because she belongs to no one but herself.''

'' Is that so?'' Adrian smiled devilishly, '' Did she tell you about the vow?''

Draco swallowed quietly, not letting on any emotion as he slipped down onto the chair, eyeing Adrian down.

'' She did.'' Draco lied, knowing that she didn't, but he knew.

He knew that something was keeping her from leaving Adrian. The bruises on her body. The constant flinching in her muscles when someone caught her off guard,

Amelie was always scared, and this made the last piece of his puzzle fit together.

Adrian scoffed as he leaned back against the stone-covered wall in the basement. His head dropped to it as he breathed heavily.

'' Then you do know that she does belong to me,'' Adrian heaved, still catching his breath from the torture Draco had put him through moments earlier,

'' There is no way out of a vow, Malfoy. Sure, you can fuck her, but you can never—''

The shoe colliding with Adrian's ribs as Draco shot up from his seated position made the boy fall to his side; a trail of coughs escaped his lips as he spat out blood,

Draco took a boot back, hunching down on his seat again as he placed both of his elbows on his knees,

'' That should teach you, never to talk about her in that way, ever again.'' Draco endangered, the tone in his voice was dangerously cold,

'' I won't hesitate to kill you, Adrian.''

Adrian's hands pushed against the floor, allowing his aching body to lean against the wall again, '' Yes, it will—''

Another cough left Adrian's throat as he sought to collect himself, '' If you take my life, you take hers too.''

Draco's arms felt heavy on his knees as he thought about it, how true this must be. She would die if he did, and he would die if she did.

This made Amelie, in his mind — even more exposed. That she one day could take her own life knowing that she'll take the person haunting her with her.

She could end her own suffering, along with everyone else's, but what Amelie didn't know was that she was his salvation.

Draco needed Amelie, and the thought of her being in harm's way made his veins ice. The numbness found within sparked.

'' And that's not what you want, right, Malfoy?'' Adrian choked out, making the blonde one face his provoking stare.

Draco sucked in a harsh breath as he forced the chair back, with one hand — he slammed it into the wall next to Adrian, causing pieces of wood to spill everywhere,

'' There you go,'' Adrian smiled, blood slipping the corner of his mouth, '' That's the spirit, isn't it? Protecting someone who could never be yours.''

'' I don't need her, and I don't want her, Pucey.'' Draco lied, making his own stomach twist in disgust at his words, ''This is about my family. I need her to save them. So—''

Draco strode closer, kneeling down beside Adrian's weak body, '' I have kept you here for weeks, and I will continue doing just that until you tell me where Nott took her.''

Adrian looked straight through him, attempting to breathe through the pain of the endless torture the blonde one had him go through, day in and day out,

'' I still don't understand why you want to—'' Adrian quieted down, looking curiously at Draco as his mind caught being, '' You told her to leave, didn't you?''

His words made Draco visibly uncomfortable as he rose a dangerous brow, swallowing the temper he was about to miss, '' I asked you a question, Pucey, and I recommend that you answer it.''

Adrian let out a weak chuckle, almost an airy huff as he licked up the blood flooding from the cut in his lip, '' How did you do that, Draco? Did you tell her to leave? Did you lie to her? Oh—''

Adrian laughed again as he noticed the guilty look climbing onto Draco's face, '' You lied to her, didn't you?''

'' That's none of your—'' Draco seethed, his teeth gritted as his fingers clenched around the wand placed in his pocket,

'' But it is my business, when will you understand that? Here—'' Adrian propped himself up, his hands still tied together as he swung his head to the side, making the brown strands of sweaty hair off his forehead,

'' Let me tell you a little secret about Amelie. There is nothing you can say or do to ever make her stop caring. She is loyal, more loyal than a person should have the power to be.''

'' She doesn't care about herself, and that's why I chose her. Because she will do whatever I want her to do, and she will be whomever I want her to be. That's the beauty of manipulation mixed with magic, Malfoy—''

Draco swallowed as he felt his blood rising to boil,

'' Even if she cares for you, she will never be free of me, and you know what? I hope you kill me. That way, she'll die too, and I don't ever have to see her again.''

Adrian's head struck against the wall as Draco's hand flew to his throat, his fingers squeezing into this skin,

'' Tell me where Theodore took her, you filthy disgrace.'' Draco shouted, his voice echoed hoarsely throughout the basement, '' Tell me where he took her right now, or I swear to god that I'll—''

'' Kill me?'' Adrian repeated himself, '' Please do.''

Draco's head shook, his lower lip sucked in between his teeth as he shot up again, standing tall on his feet with Adrian still in a firm grip his hand,

The blonde one threw Adrian over the stone floor, making him whine out as he slowly walked towards his struggling body,

'' I won't kill you, Adrian.'' Draco smirked, hauling his wand out of his pocket,

'' That would be too kind to someone like you.''

Adrian's eyes grew in fear even if he sought to hide it. His tied-up hands tried to push him off the floor as he watched the light in Draco's eyes darken,

'' Now, where were we?'' Draco spat, raising his wand, '' Oh, right, Sectumsempra.''

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