╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
❝ i've made my decision ❞
╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

𝓔𝓿𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮'𝓼 𝓟𝓞𝓥
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29th 1977

With a little skip in my step, I make my way up to my mother's room to sit with her and talk, something we've being doing a lot the past few days.

I knock her door and she doesn't reply, causing me to furrow my brows in confusion. I push the door open and find that her room is empty, but I can hear water running. Hesitantly, I pad over to the en suite bathroom and push the door open.

A bloodcurdling scream escapes my lips in horror as I stare down at my mother who is ghostly pale as she lays lifeless in the bathtub, the water blood red from the deep gashes on her wrists.

Regulus is the first to rush into the room and he immediately pulls me into his arms as I sob hysterically.

"I've got you" He assures me as others come darting in.

Father stands with a stoney expression at the sight of his dead wife while I cry out in Regulus' arms and even Lucius sheds tears in his own wife's arms.

I slip out of my best friend's hold and stumble over to the corpse of my mother, grabbing onto her hand and pushing the wet hair away from her face. My knees collapse onto the flooded floor and tears stream down my face.

"Please don't leave us" I beg although I know she's already gone "You aren't supposed to go just yet"

"It's too soon, Mum" I sob.

"Come back" I plead, my head falling onto her cold shoulder.

"Eva, you gotta let go" Regulus tells me, trying to pull me away from the body "C'mere"

"She's gone, Reg" I cry out, letting him lift me to my feet.

"I know. I'm sorry" He breathes out, wrapping me up in a hug.

"My mum's dead" I choke out.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

I sit in my room in dead silence with a letter in my hand, a numb feeling in my heart and an ache in my head.

No matter how many times I read the letter, nothing feels right about it. It doesn't make sense in my mind and I can't piece it all together.

The words clearly state that my mother killed herself because she felt guilty for telling me to run away and she was a coward who couldn't bare to watch both her children take the mark because she herself was a traitor to the Dark Lord.

The letter says that my mother was working with the order of the phoenix, an organisation that is plotting to kill Voldemort and rid the world of death eaters.

I read and reread the words, going over it in my head again and again until the words all jumble up and don't look like real words anymore.

The sun sets on this day that I'm sure will start a very dark road for me and as I sit in the same place I have been since this morning, I make a decision for myself. I decide that I will in fact use my Slytherin like self preservation just like my mother advised me to, but to stay alive here rather than run away like a coward.

"Angel, you have to start getting ready" Narcissa's voice breaks me out of my thoughts "The ceremony is soon"

After all that has happened in the past twenty four hours, I completely forgot that tonight is the night that I receive the dark mark. Tonight is the night that my mother was going to sneak me out and help me to freedom, or realistically a life time of running.

"Is she out of her coma yet?" Bellatrix asks, entering the room and she smiles widely when she sees me looking at her "You're okay!"

"I'm okay" I nod.

"It's okay to not be" Narcissa assures me.

"What's there to be sad about? Her mother was a traitor" Bellatrix scoffs.

"It's still her mother, Bella!" Narcissa scolds her sister in anger.

"Can we just not talk about it, please?" I plead.

"Of course" Narcissa assures me.

"What are you going to wear?" Bellatrix asks me.

"I don't know. I haven't even looked" I admit.

"Oh, Linnie" The eldest Black sister tuts.

The curly haired woman flings open my wardrobe and begins searching through my clothes as the blonde pads over to my side, sitting down on my bed with me.

"Are you nervous?" She asks me.

"Yeah" I answer truthfully "Extremely"

"You'll be okay. I'll be there and so will Bella" The blonde smiles at me reassuringly "Regulus will be right by your side throughout the whole thing"

"I know" I smile weakly.

"You're both going to get through this" She tells me firmly.

"Does it hurt, Trixie?" I ask curiously.

"Only a pinch" Bellatrix answers with a grin.

"Lucius says he barely felt it" Narcissa adds.

"Barty looked like he was dying" I counter in worry.

"The Crouch boy?" Narcissa questions and I nod.

"Crouch is a weakling. You have nothing to worry about, Linnie" Bellatrix tells me, placing a dress down on the bed "You're much stronger than he is"

"Thank you" I tell them both and they smile at me warmly.

Without another word, the Black sisters begins helping me get ready for the big ceremony and I pretend that I'm not completely dreading every second that gets closer to that time.

Once I am ready, the girls give me praises of approval and the door opens to reveal Regulus.

"Can I talk to my fiancé in private?" He questions, staring at his older cousins bluntly.

"She's all yours" Bellatrix winks at me.

The boy ushers them out and locks the door behind them, waiting until their footsteps are far enough away that they can't eavesdrop before he turns back to me.

"We can't go through with this, Eva" Regulus declares, sitting down on my bed while I admire my elegant green dress in the mirror.

"We have no other choice" I state numbly.

"We can run away. I know your mother told you to run" He suggests.

"My mother was a traitor to our kind. Now she's dead" I say emotionlessly.

"Run away with me, Evangeline" Regulus pleads.

"We can't out run the Dark Lord, Reggie. He'll find us and kill us" I argue.

"What about Remus?" Regulus snaps in frustration, jumping to his feet.

"What about him?" I frown.

"If we receive the mark and get married, you won't ever be able to be with him" Regulus tells me "You'll have to say goodbye to him and all the non pureblood friends you've made"

My eyes well up with unshed tears and I turn to my best friend, grabbing his hands in my smaller pair.

"I've made my decision, Regulus. I refuse to run and allow others to be killed in my place because I'm a coward" I tell the boy firmly "I understand if you still want to leave, but I can't come with you"

"I won't leave you behind" He counters.

"Then don't let go of my hand" I beg.

"Never" He assures me.

I tug him towards the door and he follows without a fight, holding my hand tightly as I unlock the door. We exit the room and make our way down the stairs hand in hand. As we enter the dining room, we find the long table filled with death eaters in dark robes and at the head of the table sits the Dark Lord himself, grinning maliciously at us.

"We're ready to begin" He declares.

Regulus walks slightly ahead of me, not allowing me to overtake him and we both hold our heads high, staring straight ahead at the man confidently.

"Present your arm to me" The Dark Lord demands.

My best friend lets go of my hand just long enough to roll up the sleeve of his black shirt before he takes a hold of it again, squeezing it reassuringly.

"How sweet, young love is" Voldemort chuckles, glancing at our hands.

No one says anything as he presses he tip of his wand against Regulus' arm and pushes into his skin roughly. The youngest Black clenches his jaw in pain and I squeeze his hand, watching as the black ink begins to mark his pale arm. The wand is removed and the Dark Lord turns his attention to me.

"Your turn, Evangeline" He smiles wickedly.

Without hesitation, I hold out my arm with a stone cold expression on my face and the man chuckles, taking a hold of my wrist.

"So brave" He mocks me.

I feel the pinch that Bellatrix talked about as his wand presses into my arm and I think that is all until my arm flairs up in agony, feeling as though it's on fire. I shut my eyes and grit my teeth, breathing deeply through the pain.

A gentle squeeze from Regulus is enough to ground me from the pain, allowing me to open my eyes and watch as the darkness taints my porcelain skin.

The Dark Lord removes his wand and looks at us before pointing to two empty chairs between Barty Crouch and a broken looking Evan Rosier.

My heart drops at the sight, sinking further when I notice Mallory by his side. They both look at me with weak smiles and I return the gesture.

"Take a seat" Voldemort orders.

Regulus and I do as we're told, rounding the table and sitting down in the empty chairs. Evan gives my leg a small pinch and I look at him to see him nodding to across the table so I turn to see what he's trying to show me.

Peter Pettigrew stares back at me and shock freezes my whole body as his lips twitch up into a small smile.

"Before leaving this room tonight, you will both be made to make an unbreakable vow" The Dark Lord announces "You will never tell anyone about the identities of the people in this room"