Author's Note: The main character of this story is Lucia Malfoy, the 3 year younger sister of Draco. The fic is slightly AU, for the final battle has not yet taken place while Harry and the rest are about 20 now, but don't worry, that doesn't mean I've forgotten all about our darling Voldie! Read and find out, and oh, I'd very much appreciate it if you would like to leave me a review, for that encourages me to write more as soon as possible! Enjoy!
Heart's Betrayal
1. Growing Up
My heart pounded audibly in my ears when I descended the stairs to the pitch dark dungeons. He had summoned me, only me, and that filled me with a pride so much stronger than the fear of the reason why I felt in combination.
"My Lord?" At the bottom of the stairs, I stood still hesitantly. My eyes were still used to the bright light from upstairs; down here I couldn't even see my own hands. Without a sound, suddenly a bright circle of light appeared from the middle of the room, and he was there with his snake-like eyes and an appearance no one sane would be able to describe as attractive, but radiating with power. Power I so craved. "You summoned me?" Despite nerves and the eagerness to please him I managed to keep my voice from shaking and my hands from trembling.
"Yes, Lucia, come closer", Lord Voldemort finally spoke. I gladly obliged and knelt down before him, pressing a kiss to his ring as I always did.
"I know you carry the Dark Mark proudly", he continued when I did not speak and merely held my head bowed in respect. "More so than your brother Draco, and your father". These words caused me to look up. I was very much aware how scared Draco and father were, how they served the Dark Lord only in order to not get killed. My case was very different. I had wanted to join the Dark Lord, even though it was not expected of me because I was a girl. Not once had the thought occurred to me, though, that he would have noticed a difference between me, my father, and my brother.
Lord Voldemort chuckled lightly. "Don't look so surprised, Lucia. The Dark Lord always knows everything."
"Of course my Lord", I hastily replied. There was a silence in which neither of us spoke; but I could feel his eyes penetrating my soul. Somehow I did not seem to mind.
"You are not afraid of me", he continued eventually. His words brought confusion upon me. Should I be afraid? Did he expect me to be? It was true that all the other Death Eaters were, besides aunt Bella perhaps.
"Do I have a reason to be afraid, my Lord? You know I have never failed you", I dared to say.
"Indeed you have not", Lord Voldemort said. He got up from his throne-like chair and started to pace the dungeon. "You are the youngest Death Eater to ever join my ranks, but also one of the best. You kill mercilessly, I have seen so myself".
His praising words took my confusion away and replaced it, yet again, with gleaming pride. I wanted to be the best. Better than father, better than uncle Rodolphus and Draco, and especially better than aunt Bella.
"Within a month you will come of age; an important day, no doubt. You will no longer be a child".
I nodded; I couldn't wait till I was seventeen. Hopefully then finally the other Death Eaters would stop seeing me as 'Little Lucy'.
"Therefore, I believe now the time is right to appoint you a real mission".
My heart skipped a beat. I had wanted a special mission to show the Dark Lord my abilities for so long. Finally he believed me to be ready. "What do you wish me to do, my Lord?"
"Surely you understand, Lucia, how important it is for me to know the details of the where and what-about's of my enemies?" Voldemort started. I felt his red, snake-like eyes wander over my appearance as if trying to see whether he had not made a mistake in thinking of a mission only for me. I would prove him he was not wrong, whatever it was. I nodded my head; of course I understood. "Certainly, my Lord. Do you wish me to spy on the Order of the Phoenix?"
Voldemort chuckled, I presumed at my eagerness, again before continuing: "You're very clever, I noticed. But to answer your question: no, I do not wish you to spy upon the Order of the Phoenix. They are not my main concern for the moment, and some of my other Death Eaters are watching them. I wish you, and you alone, to get information from Harry Potter".
For a moment I was at a loss for words. I must say I never expected something big like that; I wasn't stupid, I knew how skilled and trained Harry Potter was. How would he ever interact with me? Unable to hide my concerns I decided to express them to my master. "But, my Lord, Harry Potter is not stupid! He knows who I am and will definitely not trust important information upon me!"
"You dare to question my orders Lucia??" He didn't yell, but there was a very dangerous undertone in his voice that told me not to press any further. Fortunately I have never had to endure the Cruciatus Curse myself, but I had witnessed the other Death Eaters, and of course my victims, get tortured, and that was quite enough already. Quickly I shook my head, my eyes, a mix of my father's gray ones and my mother's blue ones, were widened in fear. Perhaps I had crossed a line by openly expressing my doubt. "Never your orders, my Lord, simply my abilities", I said, desperately trying to cover up the mistake I'd made.
"I would never have appointed you such an important mission if I had not had faith in you, Lucia. Your aunt Bellatrix has been notified of your task, I assume she will have some useful…advice, for you. Now, I expect frequent reports, and of course you are aware that failure will not be permitted."
I nodded hastily, not intending to say anything else in case I brought myself in danger again. Fortunately no more speaking was necessary.
"You may go now", Voldemort said. Before I could speak even another syllable he had already disapparated from the dungeons.
Still rather shaky, I rose to my feet and straightened the white dress I was wearing. It didn't surprise me at all that when I climbed the stairs out of the dungeons aunt Bella was already waiting for me. On moments like these I understood everyone's fear for her, and my own I couldn't deny I had, for she looked rather intimidating with her dark hair and eyes and sharp features that so obviously indicated she was no sweetheart.
"Aunt Bella". I stood still in front of her. "I was unaware we still had a lesson this late?" Ever since I had received my dark mark a year ago I had not been permitted to return to Hogwarts. Instead, I was home school taught by both my father and aunt Bella. After all, they possessed all the knowledge of the Dark Arts I was supposed to know.
"Lucia. I take it the Dark Lord has inquired you of his mission for you?" She apparently decided to ignore my earlier question.
I nodded, wondering what she had in store for me this time. Knowing her it probably wouldn't be a tea party. "Yes, the Dark Lord was rather clear with his instructions".
"Then I also take it you're aware of how you're going to perform the task?"
This silenced me. Was I aware? In truth, I had no idea how I was going to extract information from the famous Harry Potter. I'd be lucky if I could spend 5 minutes in his presence without getting hexed or at least disarmed. "No… I've not quite figured that out yet, aunt Bella". I was aware my tone had dropped from a tad superior to more than a tad insecure in no more than a minute.
"Exactly what I was afraid of. Follow me".
Without a clue of what was awaiting me I followed aunt Bella upstairs, finding myself even more surprised when we entered the room she and uncle Rodolphus shared ever since they had broke out of Azkaban.
"Let me take a look at you". She pushed me over to the window where I stood in the light of the full moon. Seconds ticked by slowly and I watched my aunt's face curiously. Just when I started to wonder whether this was a test I was pushed down on a chair and she started to rummage through her large oak wooden closet. Minutes later she presented me a pair of dresses.
"It's not that bad. Your hair could be worse, and thank Merlin you've inherited your mother's good figure", aunt Bella started. I looked surprised; in her words this was almost a compliment, but I had cheered too soon. "However, your complexion is as pale as a vampire and you have the cup size of a twelve year old", she continued.
I frowned and studied myself in the mirror hanging opposite me. I was really starting to wonder what this could possibly have to do with my task. "Ehm, aunt Bellatrix?" I addressed her hesitantly. "I thought… you were supposed to help me with my task."
"Yes, do you think I'm doing this for fun?" she snapped. "How do you think you're going to extract that information from the Potter boy? Smile at him?" There was mockery in her dark eyes and I was beginning to realise what she was hinting at. A rather unpleasant feeling crept over me.
"You're not a woman for nothing, Lucia. It's time you learn to use your feminine charms. Now, where were we? Ah yes, your clothes. They're expensive, of course, made of the finest material and fashionable, yet they do not make you very remarkable. Rather plain. The same goes for your make-up. It's all good for a girl, but not for the woman you're supposed to be now. Fortunately, I found some dresses that should fit you." She held a long, black dress in front of me. "Go try it on", she ordered. I could tell she was getting impatient. Rather confusedly I accepted the dress and waited for her to turn around or leave the room so I could change.
"What? Are we prim too now?"
With a sigh I shook my head and quickly changed into the dress. I must say I was not at all so pleased with how tight it seemed to hug my figure, and even less with how it was a lot more revealing than I was used to. I tried to get a glimpse of myself in the mirror, but aunt Bella was blocking my view. "What do you think?" I asked hesitantly.
She said nothing for a while, appeared to be thinking deeply. "Turn around", she eventually said. I did as asked and slowly turned my back to her. "And back again." When we faced each other again I saw a look upon my aunt's face that might very well resemble approval. "It will do", was her final judgement. She walked up to me and pulled my hair from its casual bun. I hardly ever wore it down; I preferred a ponytail or a bun so it wouldn't hang in my face.
"You will spoil your curls if you put your hair up all the time. Wear it down". I nodded; what else was I supposed to do? Duel my aunt for a hair-issue?
"And now the make-up." Once again she pushed me down in a chair. Before I could do anything to stop her aunt Bella had started to apply all sorts of make-up to my natural-looking face. I couldn't exactly see what she was doing and wasn't sure if I really wanted to, either. After a while she was done and stepped away from me. "Go and take a look now".
I rose from the chair and walked over to the mirror at last. What I saw made me turn around again almost immediately from shock. I hardly recognised the girl, no, woman, in the mirror. It appeared to be a younger, blonde version of aunt Bellatrix. A notorious difference, so to say, but I had to admit it wasn't such a bad difference. I'd lost the angelic little girl-look, and that wasn't so awful.
"Before you get all too vain; save this look till you come of age. Your mother would have a right fit if you showed up at dinner like this, let alone your father. Remember, Lucia, for the rest of this month you're still a girl".
"Yes aunt Bella", I replied, tearing my eyes away from my new self in the mirror. "But what do I do about Harry Potter?"
"I can't tell you everything you need to do, it's your task not mine, but let's just say that if he's only the slightest bit of the man I expect him to be by now, he'll be more than ready to ditch the ginger weasel-girl and go for a real woman".
-Merlin, I hope she's right-, I thought worriedly. I could already sense that this task was not going to be easy. Far from it.