Dark Purposes
By E. J. Malfoy
~ Chapter 1 ~
His quiet dream of seeing himself hold up the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor had been very frequent ever since he had seen it himself in the Mirror of Erised. He could see himself floating down on his Firebolt that was given to him by the school. He could see himself going over the crowd and being cheered at by many of his friends. He could hear Professor Lupin, or Remus for that matter, saying how he miraculously made the winning goal through the post right before his friend, Harry Potter, had clamped the snitch in his hands. All of his classmates, well, most of his classmates were chanting "Ron and Harry! Ron and Harry! Ron and Harry!" over and over again. It just made him smile so brightly. Just as Dumbledore was about to congratulate him personally, he was awakened by the loud flutter of his pet owl Pigwidgeon's wings.
"Oh, Pig," Ron called out from his warm bed. He sleepily blinked opened his eyes and wiped his hands down his face. The sounds of the blissful crowd and scenes of the whole area of the Quidditch Field quickly faded from memory. In place of this were loud bangs of thunder and a flash of lightning; this was followed by another loud flutter of wings. The large storm had started last night and didn't seem to want to let up. The same was for Pigwidgeon.
"Why can't you just let me sleep?" Ron bellowed. He then tossed one of his pillows at him, but missed. Ron gave a big sigh as he heard the pillow hit the floor. He had such bad aim when he was sleepy, so he didn't blame himself. Pigwidgeon kept on fluttering away, even as Ron went sleepily to retrieve his thrown pillow.
Ron couldn't stand Pigwidgeon waking him up in the middle of the night, yet the owl seemed to always do so without any penalty or infliction. I wish Pig were more like Hedwig, Ron thought. His bedroom door opened as he thought it.
"Could you shut that bloody bird up!" Fred whispered. His half-wet clothes dripped as he came in. He was fully dressed like a businessman with a color-changing tie, one that had gone through a waterfall. Ron gave a small chuckle when he saw it. Fred glared at him and Ron immediately stopped.
"George and I are trying to get to sleep."
"What do you mean trying? You just got home."
"It doesn't matter, so shut up that bird's outbursts!"
"Well, you wouldn't have heard Pig's sudden outburst if you were already in bed because it wouldn't have happened," Ron whispered back to him. Fred and George had found a comedy club nearby, but Mrs. Weasley wouldn't have them in such nonsense. So, they went by night every Saturday and came back at 3:30 in the morning every Sunday.
"You don't want mum to wake up do you? She'll blow her top at the three of us."
"Three? Do you mean I would be in trouble with you?"
"Of course."
"Why would I be in trouble?"
"Because you knew that we were out and never told her." Ron glared at him.
"Why don't I just go tell her!" Ron said going towards the door.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Fred said and pushed Ron back to his bed, getting his foot tangled in his sheets. Ron's ruffled hair had got messier than it was. Ron got up and brushed himself off. As he tried to go back to Fred to give him a nice blow to the gut, his tangled foot tripped him up to fall on the floor. A loud grunt came from downstairs by Mr. Weasley, which was followed by a loud "Shh".
"Just go to bed and I'll try to calm down Pig," Ron said, still glaring at Fred.
"Okay." And Fred crept back down the stairs to his room. Ron closed his door, and went back over to Pigwidgeon, who hadn't stopped fluttering about. He then noticed that an owl had been tapping at his window the whole time. Ron went over to his window and just as he opened it, the owl knocked him over in a louder flutter of feathers than Pigwidgeon had been doing. Another "Shh", only louder, came from downstairs that Ron rolled his eyes to. He then got up, brushed himself off, and closed the window.
The small, tan-colored bird shook debris off of her wings. She then flew over to Ron's shoulder and nipped at his ear. She had grown very fond of flying to the Burrow carrying letters from Andrea Ramsey, a fellow classmate of Ron's.
"Okay, Tesera. I missed you, too," Ron said to the bird. Ron released the note from the nipping bird's claw and put it into his pocket. He then went over to Pigwidgeon's cage, opened it, and put Tesera in. Tesera and Pigwidgeon then cuddled up with each other and took a rest. It surprised Ron that Tesera made Pigwidgeon sleep when he couldn't do it himself. Ron then passed it from his mind and pulled out the letter from his pocket. He opened it and read:
Dear Ron,
I hope I'm not being a pest by writing these letters to you, this being the 6th this month and all. I'm just glad that I've been accepted as your friend. I hear that Harry's birthday is in 2 weeks. I'm going to try to get him a little trophy with a Firebolt, that is his broom right, on it. What are you going to get him? Whatever you get I know will come straight from your heart.
I also wanted to thank you for inviting me with your friends over to your house until we go back to Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall says that they might make me a prefect.
(I wonder if Hermione will mind, Ron thought.) I don't think Hermione will mind so stop thinking that. (I hate when she does that.) I can't wait to get to your house. We are supposed to come over in a week right? Well, I must be off. I think I'm starting to sound more British, don't you think so?- Andrea
Ron sighed as he finished reading the letter. He was happy to have Andrea as a friend, yet he wished they could be more than friends. The idea floated from his head and he placed the letter in his side-table drawer, where he had put the others. One thing that Andrea mentioned put Ron's brain to work automatically. What will I get Harry for his birthday? Ron thought. He then gave a big yawn and got into his cozy, warm bed. I'll think of something, Ron thought and went to sleep almost instantly.
*****
A hooded figure came upon the door, only to meet two other hooded people.
"Who are you and what brings you here?" asked the first.
"I was sent here to see the Dark Lord," the person said. "He is awaiting my arrival."
"Are you the American? You sound like a girl," said the second.
"Yes. And I am a girl. Is there a problem with that? I wouldn't like to tell the Dark Lord that you two have been holding me up from him." She raised an eyebrow. They then came closer to each other and whispered. After a moment, the second came up to her.
"Very well then." The first then turned to open the door. It creaked as it did, showing a long, dim hallway. She nodded to them and entered. The door was then shut behind her. The darkened hallway became more opaque than it had been. She started down the hallway, leaving all of the fear she had gotten before behind her.
Her past was now a mere memory that meant nothing to her. Her future was looking bad, too, but she didn't care. With the Dark Lord, her life would actually mean something to her.
She now entered the dark room in silence. She went up to the occupied alter, knelt to the person on it, and bowed her head. After a minute of kneeling, she stood.
"I hear that you have been sent to me," said the cold voice of Voldemort. His face had no expression. His long, slender fingers clasp together. "I hear of how you can help me. Is this true?"
"Yes, my Lord," she said. Voldemort scanned the person, his eyes not escaping it.
"You are from America, are you not?"
"Yes, my Lord," again she stated.
"How can you prove that you will not fail me like many, pathetic others? How can I know that you are worthy of being a Death Eater?"
"The time will come," she stated. Voldemort glared at the figure, his red eyes narrowing.
"What kind of answer is that?" She gave no reply.
"I asked you a question."
"I don't know, my Lord." Voldemort thought for a moment.
"I shall test your skills at the morning's dawn. If you pass, then I will tell you of Potter. If you don't…" Voldemort said.
"I will pass," she stated. The figure then removed its hood to show a beautiful black girl of about 16. Her shimmering black hair was barely seen in the unlit chamber. "I can assure you that I will pass." Voldemort curled his lips into a small smile as he looked at the face of, as he could tell, was his newest Death Eater.
*****
Harry's eyes popped open. He had been tossing and turning in his bed, seeing the curling smile of Voldemort fade away. He bolted upright and was breathing fast. He didn't under stand the dream he had had, and the memory of it was slowly fading away. As he caught his breath he could hear the snores of his Uncle Vernon from the other room. Harry wiped down his face and stretched out his arms. He turned his clock, but it wasn't there.
"Oh, no," Harry whispered. He then got out of his bed and searched his floor for his clock. As his green eyes adjusted to the dark room he finally saw it. He picked it up and placed it back on his bedside table. It was 2:30 AM. He couldn't believe he was up at this hour. He got back into his bed and just as he rested his head on his pillow, he remembered why he had gotten up in the first place.
He wiped his hands down his face to see if he was all right and when everything was, he couldn't remember a thing of what he had just dreamed. All he could remember was Voldemort, which was all he had to know to know that something was going to happen and he would be right in the middle of it.
*****
Ron bolted upright in his bed, as he had had the weirdest dream. He thought he would go back to his dream about his winning the Quidditch Cup, but the dream he had was completely different. There was a girl, and an awfully pretty one, with Voldemort. Who am I now, Harry, Ron asked himself, I shouldn't be having dreams with Vol-, I mean, You- Know-Who, oh, who cares, Voldemort in them. He gave a quick shudder.
Ron then slowly moved from his position to the side of his bed to think. He looked at his clock. It was 2:30. He had never had dreams about Voldemort before, that had usually been Harry. He looked over to see Pigwidgeon and Tesera still sleeping. He went over to the cage and silently opened it. He picked up Tesera as stealthily as he could. Once she was out of the cage, Pigwidgeon gave a shudder and then wrapped his wings around himself. Ron went over to his window, opened it, and felt the cool night air brush against his face. This was where Tesera awakened. She playfully nipped at his nose.
"Stop it…come on, stop," Ron said, trying to keep the bird from nipping his nose off. "Stay right there." Tesera did what she was told and stood on the windowsill. Ron pulled out a piece of parchment, wrote a little note on it, rolled it up and put it in Tesera's claw.
"Take this to Andrea," Ron said. Tesera gave him a nip good-bye and flew off in to the night. Ron sat down on the sill and watched Tesera fly away. The gentle breeze flying past his face while Tesera was flying off to Andrea. Then, a thought shot across his mind. What about the dream, Ron thought. He thought of why he would have such a dream, what significance, as Hermione would say, would this have upon his life.
He brushed back his ruffled red hair and let out a large sigh. He again asked himself why this would happen to him. What would his 6th year at Hogwarts bring him? He laughed at the thought of himself in the adventurous area instead of Harry. His smile faded quickly. He stared out at the vast land, wondering what Harry was doing right now. He was probably just snuggling in his bed. I hope I don't start making predictions, Ron thought.
He made a small smile as he saw the shining sun rise over the horizon, putting light upon the majority of England. "A new day, a new beginning," Ron said. He sat there seeing a sight he had not seen in a while, the dawning of day in it's own natural beauty.
*****
Minerva McGonagall walked up the spiral staircase, a paper in her hand. As she arrived in Albus Dumbledore's office, she took a breath. She then went in to see a working Albus. He and her had been working the last half of the summer, figuring the accepted and rejected applications for Hogwarts. She hastily came over to Albus's desk, which Albus acknowledged immediately.
"Yes, Minerva," he said. Minerva handed him the paper.
"It is a last minute transfer," she said, with a roll of her eyes. Albus noticed her childish eye-roll.
"Does this particular transfer bother you, Minerva?" Albus said. He then held the paper over his wastebasket. When Minerva had seen what Albus had done, she grabbed the paper from his grasp.
"No." She placed it back on his desk.
"It's just that…that snooty Gregory Banders, you know, your friend from when we were younger."
"I remember him." Dumbledore said with a sigh. "We were such good friends. I still have no idea why he went to America. He didn't really treat you too well, did he?" Minerva shot a mean glance at the ceiling.
"He put a frog down the back of my shirt, he turned my hair a bright green, he transfigured me into a frog, he…" Minerva muttered under her breath. She clenched her fist in anger.
"Minerva?"
"Yes?" she stated, trying to forget the part when he made her fall off her broom from 250 ft in the air and caught her from 2 ft, just to scare her.
"Can you get on with what you were about to say? About the transfer student?"
"Oh, yes. You know that Gregory became headmaster of the school in America, Toppinsole."
"I'm quite aware of that."
"Well, he just sent a transfer student from his school. And he even sent it with a note saying 'I hope this isn't too late to send this, Minerva.'" Albus sat there staring at Minerva confusedly.
"What's wrong with that?"
"It's just the way he said not too late. Like he just wanted to annoy me." Dumbledore sat there for a moment, just pondering on what Minerva meant. He then burst out in giggles. Minerva then looked at Dumbledore as if he were mad.
"What are you giggling for, Albus?" Albus kept giggling, not hearing a word she had said. After a minute, Minerva became enraged.
"Albus, I demand to know why you are giggling!" Minerva yelled. Albus completely stopped. He nodded his head for a minute, as if asking himself a question then answering.
"It's just ironic, Minerva."
"What is?"
"That you hated Gregory, while he had such a crush on you." Minerva then seemed to lose her voice.
"I beg your pardon. Did you just say that Gregory liked me?" Albus nodded. Minerva looked disgusted, then flattered. Her emotions were having a battle and flattery was closing in. Minerva then blushed with pride.
"Isn't this the second time I've ever seen you blush, Minerva?" Albus chuckled.
"Yes – no…no it's not. It's the third. There was the time that…hey!" Minerva had just realized she had been tricked into saying her blushes. She glared at Albus who chuckled when she did it. After a minute, Albus stopped and adjusted his half-moon spectacles on his nose.
"Back to business," he said. "Let's see who this person is.
"Name: Ms. Jaden Maxwell. Academic Status: Very good. Best Classes: Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"She doesn't sound too bad," Minerva commented.
"Something doesn't seem right about this girl." Albus stroked his silver beard over and over.
"What could be bad about her? Don't try to predict something like my good for nothing half-sister." Minerva looked stern about this. She despised her half-sister, Sibyl Trelawney. It was bad enough that she had to work with her.
"I guess that you are right," Albus said and put the tip of his wand on the paper. "Approved." The paper then was imprinted with a shimmering red star. Minerva bowed her head to Albus and slowly went down the spiral steps. What could be bad about her…her…her, Albus could hear Minerva saying, which he did have a premonition about. He thought for a moment, then returned to checking the new applicants for Hogwarts.