SquidgeWorld Archive

She had been sulking by the U-Bend when he came in. She only heard him, initially, soft sobs and whispers.

"I can't do this. I can't do this. Oh God someone help me."

Myrtle surfaced, careful not to splash and peeked her head out of the door. It was a boy. Of course, it's a boy, she scolded herself. You're in a boy's toilet. However, she had never seen one like this before. He was bent over the sink, body shivering. Myrtle moved closer. He wore the traditional dark robes, the flesh of the back of his neck as white as snow. His silver blonde hair stuck out at angles, as though he hadn't combed it in days.

"A- are you ok?"

He spun around, his wand out.

"Who are you?" He ordered. Myrtle could not speak a moment, taken in by his the fineness of his features and icy grey eyes. One pale hand came up to wipe the tears off his face, as he lowered the wand. "Moaning Myrtle."

"You know me."

"Everyone knows you."

He leant back against the sink, breathing harshly. He ran a hand through his hair.

"What can't you do?" She was careful to keep some distance from him.

A slight flush crept into his cheeks. "Nothing." He looked up, brows knitted together. "It's nothing. I'm certainly not going to tell you, mudblood."

Moaning Myrtle burst into tears. "Oh no, not another. They're all the same." She swooped back to the U-Bend to sob loudly, mumbling about the meanness of others.

"Wait, don't go!" She could hear the boy running after her. "Please don't go. I- I'm sorry, alright? Please, please talk to me."

Myrtle's head reappeared at the rim of the toilet. "Why should I? You just called me a-a." She sobbed loudly once more. "It doesn't matter. I've been called it before. And worse."

The boy's _expression softened. He looked positively miserable.

"They say things to me, too." He slid down to the floor. Myrtle hiccuped sobs, wiping at her eyes to wipe ghostly tears.

"What do they say?" She said, quietly. The boy was silent a long moment.

"Lots of things. They say I'm bad, that all my family's bad. My dad's in jail and they say he deserves it. They say he's the... the whore of the other inmates. And.. and..." He took a shuddering breath. "Some of them say my family inbreeds. Just the other day, one of the boys in my dorm asked me if I missed Daddy coming into my room every night."

Myrtle shuddered. "That's horrible."

The boy looked at her, seeming to gain strength from her compassion. "I'm in the Quidditch team for Slytherin. And some of the other boys on the team rough me up if we lose. They told me all I had was my name, and my money." He put his head in his hands. "They said I couldn't buy talent."

Myrtle rose completely out of the toilet and allowed herself to sink up to the waist in the floor next to him. Both were silent a moment.

The boy lifted his head up. "What was it like?" He asked curiously. "Dying?"

She thought about it. "It was nice, to begin with. I saw this bright tunnel and I started to go to it, but then I came back, because there was one person I remembered I had promised to haunt for the rest of her life."

"I think I've got one person like that too." The boy's eyes suddenly turned cold.

Myrtle looked at him a long moment. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

He laughed. "Actually, I do."
"Oh, shame. I bet she's really pretty."

The boy shrugged.

"Have you...?"

"No. She says she's not ready. That's ok. I can wait." He turned his head to the side slightly and really looked at her. "Did you ever-?"

Myrtle nodded then instantly burst into tears. The boy was suddenly standing over her, attempting to pat her head but his hand went straight through. "I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"

"Brad Phillips." She choked out. "He was head of the Quidditch team. He asked me out. I was amazed that he wanted to go out with spotty Myrtle. We went to the middle of the field at night and drank and then he... he took it out and told me to suck it."

The boy winced.

"I was drunk so I did it. Then he pulled up my robes and pulled down my pants and... it hurt. I screamed. And he put a hand over my mouth. After, he just left me lying there. He just ignored me in the halls after that."

The boy looked sickeningly pale. "Did you ever tell anyone?"

She shook her head.

The boy said the next part so quietly the girl could barely hear him. "You know how I said the a couple of the older boys rough me up if we lose at Quidditch? Well, recently, one of them has been doing... other things. Like touching me on... my private parts when he thinks no one's looking. One time the other boy left and he cornered me and... started kissing me. I told him to stop, that I didn't like it, so he punched me. Told me Malfoys were fit for nothing else. Another time he waited until we were alone and he... he took it out and asked me if I've ever... had a man. I should have said something, like told him where he could put it in himself... but I felt paralyzed."

"So was I."

The boy reached out and touched her hand, his hand going through. Myrtle shuddered.

"He didn't do anything did he?"

The boy shook his head. "My head of house came in and he stopped. I don't think that he saw anything but I must have been shaking because Snape kept asking me what he did. I couldn't tell him."

"Is that why you were so upset, when you came in?"

The boy shook his head. "No. They're making me do things. They've threatened to hurt my family if I don't."

"Who?"

The boy shook his head. "I can't... I can't say..."

"What do they want you to do?"

The boy put his head in his hands and sobbed. "They want me to.. to...kill Dumbledore."

Myrtle gasped.

"But I can't myrtle. I can't do it. Please don't tell anyone. Please."

Myrtle processed this a long moment.

"I won't tell, I promise. I'll take my secret to the grave."

The boy laughed.

"You know what I mean." Myrtle sounded a little abashed.

The boy smiled through watery eyes. "You're ok. It's funny, I always-" He abruptly stopped himself. He wiped his face. "I must look a mess."

"No, you're very.. very pretty, I think." Myrtle followed the boy to the mirror, were he messed with his hair.

"I really should go." He looked back to her. "Thank you for..."

"Will you be back?"

The boy smiled. "Definitely. I'll come back and see you."

But then he didn't.

Months went past.

She saw other boys come and go, including Harry Potter. But no sign of her pale pretty companion.

And then she heard him, once more. Only this was different. These were loud, agonized sobs. She moved to the boy to comfort him but was stopped by another, silkier voice.

"Sh... it's ok, Draco. It will be ok."

"No! Don't touch me!" The sound of retching.

Myrtle risked looking out. She recognized the dark head of the old Potions Master, standing beside the boy's trembling body. The boy stopped.

"Are they-?"

"They won't touch you again, Draco. I can assure you of that."

The boy sobbed. "Please don't tell my Father."

Snape nodded. "If that is your wish."

"I'm sorry, if I hadn't-"

The profile of Snape's face twisted in apparent disgust. "Don't apologize! These men obviously had this planned."

"But he... he'd done things before."

"What did he do, Draco?"

"He... one time he kissed me. And another, he took it out... exposed himself to me."

"When was this?"

The boy was still gripping the sink, as though it was the only thing holding him up. "A few months ago, both after Quidditch matches."

Myrtle noted the shudder run through Snape's body. She waited for the obvious question; 'Why didn't you tell me?' but the former Potion's Master surprized her.

"This puts us in a predicament. Obviously to tell Dumbledore would risk exposure. But this boy will have to leave the school. Leave that to me. I'll put a nonenter spell on the door, give you a few minutes to compose yourself" He paused. "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to save you."

He took a few steps towards the door before turning back.

"And I do know, Draco. More than you could possibly comprehend."

The man disappeared out of the room in a swirl of black cloth.

Myrtle moved out of the door, standing unsurely behind the boy.

"I can't leave this room." The boy slid to the floor. "They can't see me. I'm marked." He laughed sourly. "I must look terrible. Every time I see you I look like shit."

"What happened?"

The boy shook his head.

"Come on, Draco. You can tell me."

"He got to me."

"Who?"

"The one who's been harassing me. He.. hurt me. I'm sorry, Myrtle. I can't talk about this."

"It's ok. You don't need to talk."

He placed his head in his hand and began to sob, a high, keening sound, like an animal caught in a trap, begging for release. Myrtle hovered near, unsure of what to do.

"I'm here for you, Draco." She said quietly.

Draco rocked back and forth. "He'll tell Dumbledore. He'll have to. It's all my fault. I just let them. It was that task. You know the one...? Well I was working on it and they came from out of nowhere." He gave a startled sob. "They started to rip my clothes. The one... he said he was going to have me. That all of them were going to have a piece. Two held me down while the other..."
Myrtle gasped. "Like what happened to me."

Draco nodded. "It hurt, so much. I was screaming but they didn't seem to care. They just kept saying I wanted it. Called me a... a... slut.'' He took a deep breath. "Then Snape came in. One of them was still... I've never seen Snape so furious. He took out his wand and blasted all three of them across the room. Then he... he helped me put my robes back on. He kept telling me it wasn't my fault." Draco was silent a moment, as though in contemplation. "I told him not to dare say anything. He didn't know. He just didn't know. Snape, he said nothing. Just walked over and bound the three together."

Myrtle frowned. "Is that what he meant when he left? He said he knew more than you could comprehend."

Draco shook his head. "I don't know."

The door opened once more. This time Dumbledore entered, followed by Snape and Pomfrey. Draco rose shakily to his feet.

"My dear child." Dumbledore walked over to him, astonishment in his wizened face. Myrtle disappeared behind the door.

"Pomfrey, apparate him to the infirmary. And keep this quiet. I will send an owl to Lucius."

"As you wish, Head Master.''

There was silence a few more moments.

''The plan is still in effect, Head Master-"

"Severus-''

"But Draco still will tell me nothing about the specifics. That's how I found him. I followed him-"

"Severus, I-"

"I will not fail you. I am... I will not abide the consequences."

"Severus! I have no need for your guilt, not now. Should Draco's plan come to fruition-" Myrtle covered her mouth with her hand. "Then you will do what you must.'' The next part was said so quietly that Myrtle barely heard it. "I would rather you than any other. I have no fear of death."

Silence reigned a long moment.

"You should send the owl to Lucius.''

Footsteps sounded towards the door. "Severus!"

The footsteps ceased. "This will not break him. I won't allow it."

"Yes it will, Headmaster."

The next line was again spoken softly. ''You are proof that such... violation does not necessarily mean one will remain a broken soul. But that one can rize above, become like Fawkes."

When Snape spoke next it was with an unusual tremor in his voice. "Such colourful euphemisms doesn't change the fact that I will forever be a 'broken soul' as you call it. And now so will Draco."

The door slammed shut. Dumbledore appeared to linger.

"You may come out, Myrtle. It's alright."

Myrtle moved out of the door. Dumbledore smiled. "You have been good to Draco. I am grateful. I would ask you not to repeat what you've heard today with anyone."

Myrtle nodded, feeling dazed. The Head Master nodded, suddenly looking tired. "Thank you."

He disappeared out of the bathroom, leaving Myrtle to her thoughts.