Chapter Twenty;

Seohyun woke to darkness.

She lay something soft - the most comfortable thing she had ever lay upon. It was like a cloud. Seohyun groaned and rubbed her eyes, squinting through the darkness.

Where was she?

It definitely wasn't Hogwarts, or her home. It was too luxurious, for one thing. Her family definitely could not have afforded to cover the room in such lavish wallpaper, or carpet the floor in such a plush and rich material. Her heart skidded a beat.

She was trapped, for sure.

The events of the last night rushed to her: Draco had Stunned her. She'd been with the Death Eaters.

Could this be their headquarters?

Seohyun groaned and closed her eyes, as though by not seeing her surrounds she could spirit herself away. She opened them shortly after to try and locate her wand, but it was nowhere to be found. She was powerless.

Seohyun had to admit it: she was terrified. Nothing scared her more than the unknown, and right now, she had no clue what awaited her.

Please, someone, explain this all to me.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the door opened a crack, and a figure slipped inside. Seohyun glanced across, her fists clenched in case she needed to fight. She relaxed when she recognised the crop of pale blonde hair.

"Draco?" she breathed. Her voice was raspy. Obviously she'd been out for quite some time.

"Ssh!" Draco placed a finger to his lips and glanced t each corner of the room, as though expecting eavesdroppers. "I'm not supposed to be here."

The action made Seohyun's blood turn to ice. "Draco? W - what s going on? Where am I?"

Draco closed his eyes and drew in a breath. "Seohyun, please try to remain calm -"

"Draco, you need to tell me everything now or I swear to Merlin -"

"You're at my house. Malfoy Manor."

Seohyun froze.

"What?" she choked. She was as empty as a starless night sky. "How?"

Draco was paler than she had ever seen him. His skin may as well have been coated in a thick layer of snow: there was no colour in his skin. His eyes were as empty as black holes.

"It was all I could do to save you," he whispered. "Bellatrix was about to kill you. I heard the beginning of Avada Kedavra on her lips."

Seohyun's stomach knotted. "But I'm not in prison... You need to tell me everything. I - I'm so confused."

"Right."

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose. "So... you got my letter."

He looked so small that despite the terror in her veins, Seohyun had to reach out and take his hand. "I did," she said softly. "I know you had no choice."

He smiled sadly. "That's more than I deserve." He sighed. "Snape did the job. There - there was no way I could do it. Just thinking about it makes me feel sick. We escaped, the Order of the Phoenix was there. We were in the grounds, then Potter showed up, then you... Bellatrix was about to kill you, but I managed to convince her not to."

Seohyun's mouth turned dry. "How?"

She was dreading the answer.

Draco bit his lip. "I - I told her you were on their side."

"What?"

Seohyun had intended to shriek, but her voice caught in her throat and she only managed to croak. She flew into sitting position, her heart in her throat, breath caught in her chest.

"Ssh!" Draco clapped a hand over her mouth. He shot a look over his shoulder to the door. "They can't know I'm here."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Draco took his hand away. Seohyun was motionless, as though her body was frozen in time so she didn't have to live past this moment or process the consequences of Draco's words.

Oh Merlin. No. No! They can't - they'll find out - I'll be killed -

Then Seohyun was shaking and she groaned, burying her head in her hands and bringing her knees to her chest. Her body was running at the speed of light: everything was working over time, heating her body and flooding her in a cascade of panic.

"Seohyun!" Draco cried. Seohyun was vaguely aware of his hands closing around her own. "Seohyun, I'm here, calm down. I thought this over, I have a plan, I'm not going to let you get hurt, trust me..."

He continued to murmur to her, and rubbed her back with one hand, the other remaining latched on to her left hand. Seohyun breathed and made herself listen to the soft lullaby of Draco's words.

"What's the plan?" she asked. Her voice was flat.

"You said you're a good Occlumens. How good are you?"

Seohyun shrugged. "Pretty good. I could keep out our Headmistress, who was pretty talented."

"Good. Okay. So, when they learn you're conscious, You-Know-Who is going to perform Legilimency. Don't worry!" he exclaimed, when Seohyun paled. "I'll be in the room, just me as an audience, I won't let you be alone. You've helped me so much. Now let me help you. If things become overwhelming, look for me, okay?"

Seohyun swallowed past her thick throat and nodded.

"So... I use Occlumency. Against him. No problem." She laughed without humour. 

Draco's face softened, and he did something that surprised her: he kissed her on the forehead. "You'll be fine. You're second to only Granger and myself in class. You're talented. You can do this - I believe in you."

Seohyun nodded. It felt like she was moving through water.

Draco glanced at the door again. "I'd better go before I'm found. You have the advantage of surprise and time. Practice now, and select all the memories you need to hide."

"Okay," she agreed. Draco squeezed her hand and left the room, leaving Seohyun in darkness once again.

The solitude threatened to give rise to her panic. Normally Seohyun welcome being alone, but now the walls pressed in on her and the darkness thickened, making it near impossible to breathe. It was like a prison. She couldn't escape. Her one chance of salvation, just to remain alive, was to convince the most powerful Dark wizard of all time that she sympathised with him. If she couldn't... Seohyun gulped. 

Best case scenario, she'd rot in prison. 

Worst case? She'd be dead.

Seohyun clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. The physical pain brought her back, gave her something else to focus on. She focused on her forehead, which still tingled with Draco's kiss. 

You can do this. I believe in you. 

Seohyun drew in a deep breath, held it, and slowly released it. She repeated the motional several times until she could once again function.

Time to plan my defence.

She was a strong Occlumens, though Seohyun wasn't sure it would be enough. She didn't just need skill. She needed cunning, too.

She filtered through her memories, selected some to focus on, and those she needed to hide. As she backtracked to Korea, Seohyun gasped, her eyes lighting with renewed hope.

If I focus my thoughts in Korean, he won't know what I'm saying! That could save my neck.

Normally, Seohyun tried to think and write in English so she could integrate easier into English society. But now her native language gave her an advantage, and damn straight she was going t use it.

Ten minutes elapsed of Seohyun lapsing back into thinking predominantly in Korean. The process of focusing on her native language also worked to calm her. It was a connection to her home.

She opened her eyes only when the door opened. Seohyun bit her lip to prevent her face scrunching up in disgust and revulsion when she saw it was Bellatrix Lestrange who opened the door.

Merlin, Seohyun hated her.

Bellatrix had tried to kill her, after all.

Bellatrix smirked and beckoned with her finger. "The Dark Lord is expecting you," she crooned.

Better start playing the part now if I want to survive.

Seohyun smiled. "Of course," she said, and followed Bellatrix from the room.

She pulled a face at Bellatrix behind her back before smoothing her expression into one of calm.

Malfoy Manor was undoubtedly impressive. Everything screamed of wealth: the size of the rooms, the quality of the furniture, the tapestries on the walls. Seohyun wanted to pause and take it all in, but made herself look only directly forward and march along briskly.

If she drew this place, she'd be sure to capture how lonely it was. It was cold, and barely felt lived in. Seohyun half expected to see cobwebs in the corners.

They came to a stop outside a decorative door of black wood. Seohyun swallowed and inhaled. I can do this, she told herself. It's like I'm drawing a self-portrait, only letting the world see specific qualities about myself.

"In you go," Bellatrix said with a nasty grin.

Seohyun squared her shoulders and walked through the door as though she owned the place.

I can do this. 

Though when she walked through, all she wanted to do was turn and run in the opposite direction.

A long table dominated the room, the kind stereotypical rich families ate at in movies. Unnecessarily long, able to sit near fifty people. The only light in the room came from a flickering fireplace, which cast long shadows over the room.

The were two people inside. Draco stood at the end of the room. He raised his head and offered Seohyun an encouraging smile.

But the person (was he even a person?) who caught all of her attention was the pale face at the end of the table. Seohyun repressed a shudder when she looked into the slitted red eyes. His face was blurred, like someone had spilt water over a painting of his face.

"So," he said, in a voice as slippery and smooth as silk. "My young friend Draco says we have a sympathiser."

His voice sent chills down Seohyun's spine. Her tongue was thick in her mouth. She could feel her legs shaking and the blood draining in her face.

"Yes, my Lord," Draco said quickly. "Though she was new to England and initially made friends with others, she supported me when she learned my allegiance to you."

"Yes, you've said. But what does she truly believe?"

You-Know-Who stood, his robes flowing like water, and glided forward like a snake. Seohyun imagined roots fastening around her feet to stop herself taking a step back. She drew in a shallow breath and stood as tall as a tree.

"Yes, my Lord," she said, her voice strong. She bowed her head for good measure. Her heart beat frantically against her ribs as though it was trying to escape. "I am ready to be of service."

"I shall be the judge of that."

Coldness attacked Seohyun's mind, but she was ready. She'd done this before. She could do it again.

Her thoughts transitioned between English and Korean, so You-Know-Who wouldn't become suspicious. Seohyun worked hard to block out what she didn't want him discovering. It wasn't physical work, but the sweat she imagined falling down her face felt so realistic she almost believed it was really there.

The process seemed to go on forever, though it couldn't have lasted more than a minute. When her mind was released, Seohyun almost sagged in relief. But she lifted her head and stood tall, trying to ignore the hammering of her heart and the cold sweat of her body.

"Well," You-Know-Who whispered. "It looks like we have an addition to our ranks. You did well, Draco."

Draco nodded. When his back was turned, Draco cast Seohyun an apologetic look. I'm so, so sorry, he mouthed. Seohyun blinked rapidly to show she understood. 

You-Know-Who cast a critical eye over her. "Yes... You will be a most useful spy to us, Seohyun Park. I have great plans for you. Give me your arm."

Seohyun's heart skipped a beat. Spy, what -

Before she could ponder his words, his thin claw-like fingers pushed back her sleeve to expose her bare forearm. He pressed his wand to her skin and seconds later, the Dark Mark was imprinted on her skin.

Seohyun screamed and clutched her arm, which burned viciously. She was as light as air: she elt light-headed, as though she'd black out from the pain.

"Escort Seohyun to her quarters, Draco. She will reside there from now on."

Black spots had appeared in Seohyun's vision, and she couldn't feel anything beyond her scorched arm and shaking limbs. That was until a hand wrapped around her waist and a voice whispered in her ear, "I've got you, Seohyun. It'll be okay."

As she was led from the room, Seohyun glanced at the mark on her arm. She cringed and averted her eyes, feeling sick to her stomach.

She'd never hated art more.

**********

brace yourselves, everyone....