The Death Eaters stood nearly shoulder to shoulder in their typical ring. Severus Snape, behind his mask, scowled. The Dark Lord had called them just moments ago. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on your view, he was in the Forbidden Forest gathering tanacetum for a brew. It was best picked under the light of a half moon in the winter months. If he didn't get back soon, he'd have to wait a full other month or order some. He didn't like ordering his ingredients; you could never know whether it had been harvested properly. What ever this meeting had been called for, he hoped he could at least gather some valuable information. Then the night wouldn't be completely wasted. A pop indicated the arrival of Voldemort, and Snape schooled his features behind the mask.
"My followers." Voldemort hissed quietly. "You are here to witness the joining of another to our ranks on this night." The group stirred slightly. The Marking ceremonies were usually held in private, with just the Dark Lord, the recipient, and the person who recruited the new member. Not even the members of the inner circle knew the names of all the Death Eaters. That was the reason for the masks. When they were all joined, nobody could tell who was who.
"Come forward."
Severus broke away from his musings to look up interestedly. Who could this person be that was so important all of them had to be there? The figure was small, already garbed in the black robe and white mask. It was hard to tell, but Snape thought it was female.
"Take off your mask."
The figure did as told. Long hair tumbled down her back, and petite hands and a delicate looking face came into view. Snape squinted hard. In the half moon, with no fire to see by, it was hard to make out the girl's features. A pixie nose, high cheekbones, and full lips. He thought he knew the girl, but he couldn't quite remember from where... She was familiar... The girl turned, and Snape barely restrained a gasp as he finally recognized his student.
Virginia Weasly.