What Lies Within

Sophie had felt this same type of fear enveloping her entire body twice. Once was when she stood atop the astronomy tower, fearing she was going to see her husband become a murderer and then the moment her body was tortured and mutilated in an attempt to punish and rid her of the child conceived in her marriage.

She watched the older woman, who had an evil smirk spread wide across her face, as she all but stalked across the entry foyer towards her. Sophie stood her ground, keeping her eyes focused on her, afraid to look away for even a second. She could see Draco out of the corner of her eye but she dared not look at him as she wasn't sure would be able to handle the heartbreak and pain rippled across his own face.

Draco hated himself. His aunt had walked in his bedroom right as he sent off the owl to 'Mrs. Weasley' and demanded to see the note she had sent him first. Draco tried to stuff it in his pocket but his aunt beat him to it and ripped it from his hand. He thought he was still going to be alright but it turns out the item Molly said she had of Sophie's that Draco may want was the Slytherin necklace he had given her a few years back.

It was with an unfortunate coincidence that it had actually fallen off during the attack on Sophie and Bellatrix had it in her own possession so she knew the letter was a fake and she all but tortured her nephew for the information. He didn't crack though, Narcissa did. Once again his own mother sold out his wife, her god-daughter and daughter-in-law, to those who were out to kill her. He was forced to write a new note to Sophie to get her here but now he regretted it with every bit of his soul. He should have faught harder to not write that note.

"Well, look who is back from the dead!" Bellatrix gave her high pitched sadistic laugh. "Should have known Sissy and Draco would have found a way to save your perfect little self,"

"Please, you can't-" Draco was cut off with one angry glare from his aunt cast his way. Bellatrix turned back to Sophie, her face turned into a scowl.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt precious little Sophie," But in the next second a shooting white hot pain rippled through Sophie's entire body. "..much."

"No!" Draco yelled out and even though he had been told beforehand to stay away from Sophie while Bellatrix 'talked' with her, he ran over to his wife anyway. Sophie was on her knees, her entire body slumped forward onto the hardwood floor. Her screams were quieting into soft sobs. Bellatrix was no longer aiming the curse at her but at this point the sobs were more from the memory of the last time this had happened to her and it possibly hurt worse than the actual curse did.

"Come, it's time to return home." Bellatrix held her hand out towards the two then. Draco glared up at her, his arm tight around his wife as she continued to cry.

"Can you give us a moment to at least let her calm down?" He questioned between clenched teeth. Bellatrix gave a dramatic sigh, rolled her eyes and turned on her heel to disappear back into the sitting room. "Love," Draco turned back to Sophie, brushing his hand through her hair.

"I want to die," He heard her sob out and the words sprang tears of his own to his eyes. "I don't want to live like this anymore," She looks up at him then, lifting herself a little from the floor. He had never seen her so broken. His strong girl was but a shell of herself now and he wasn't sure if he was ever going to get her back but at this rate, with all she had been through, he didn't blame her.

"I'm so sorry that I've failed you. I should be protecting you, I should be able to keep you out of all of this and I just keep letting you down." Sophie shook her head, wiping at her cheeks but the attempt was useless, more followed in their place.

"It's not your job to keep me alive, Draco. I'm the one who has defyed Him at every turn, I'm the one who is friends with Harry. You can't keep blaming yourself for every thing that goes wrong in my life." Draco wanted to argue, no matter what she said he felt responsible for her well being and safety, it was all he wanted and he had failed.

"Enough chat, let's go," Bellatrix had returned. "Time to keep you where we know where you are. No more of this hiding like children." She reached out and dug her fingers into Sophie's arm, pulling her up. As soon as she was standing she disapparated, taking the teens with her as Draco's grip remained firm around Sophie. He would never let her go again, no matter the cost, he vowed.

Sophie prepared herself for Voldemort to be standing and waiting for them but the foyer was empty when they entered moments later. They did hear footsteps but it was Narcissa and Lucius who emerged from the sitting room.

"I brought our guests!" Bellatrix exclaimed gleefully and bounced her way towards the sitting room, grinning at her sister as she passed. Narcissa then moved forward to sweep Sophie into a hug but Sophie brushed past her, dodging the hug from the woman who has now betrayed her multiple times. Yes, she had also saved her life but now it was back in danger yet again. It felt like a never ending cycle. Narcissa had to admit the rejection stung but she understood. She gave Draco a small smile before she turned and headed for the hall and into her bedroom, Lucius following her without a word to his son.

"Sophie," Draco called when he noticed his wife had begun climbing the stairs towards the bedroom. He hustled after her, catching up to her at the top of the stairs. "Talk to me, love."

"What is there to talk about anymore? I might be alive, but what kind of life am I truly living?" She entered their bedroom and went to sit on the edge of the bed, giving him a blank stare as she shrugged. "I'm done fighting."

"Oh, love," Draco sighed, heading over to sit beside her. "You're my fighter though, you've always been the one to fight for what you believe in. You can't give up." Sophie smiled at her husband, but he noted that it didn't reach her eyes at all.

"I've lost every thing except for you. And I'm grateful for you of course but... It's just all too much. I can't anymore." She gave another shrug and stood up. "Gonna go shower." With that she disappeared into the bathroom without another word.

Draco stayed in his spot on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do or where to go from here. As he feared his wife was well and truly broken and that terrified him. He didn't know how to help her any more.

As the next few days passed, Sophie and Draco joined the other Death Eaters in their daily meetings with the Dark Lord. They feared Voldemort would come after them for Sophie being alive but he brushed over her return with a sadistic smirk in her direction and mentioned it no more. And truthfully that scared the couple more than if he had attacked her again. He clearly hadn't forgotten it but what he had planned for them they were unsure. They could only guess it wasn't good.

The couple were lounging in the library one evening when the door opened and in walked Wormtail who gave them a sickening smile.

"You are needed in the lounge," he spoke. The couple exchange frowns but stand, leaving the books they had been engrossed in behind. "We have guests that we need your help with identifying." His smile grew. Cold dread ran through the both of them. What waited for them this time?