Disclaimer: I don't think I really need this, because it's pretty much stating the obvious, but all characters (except my original ones) belong to J.K. Rowling and whoever else is on the HP payroll. Thank you. =)
One
It was a declaration made because The Dark Lord was getting worried. Even with Dumbledore gone, there was still a worry settling in him. And so he called a meeting. Two would be missing, he was sure. Severus Snape, although held in great esteem for killing the old man, knew that this was young Malfoy's task to fulfill. As for young Malfoy… he was an enigma indeed.
The Dark Lord had known since his return and laying eyes on the boy he had not seen since his Commencement Ceremony as an infant, that if anything had happened to him again, he would be the one to lead. His father was a good candidate too, but Lucius' age-old pride and manners that the boy hadn't yet grown into would stifle him. The boy was the same age Voldemort was himself when he became the Dark Lord, he saw a lot of himself in Draco. He had ordered him to kill Dumbledore as a test. The results were what he had expected, what he had hoped for. A failure.
When he himself was in school and hated the old man just as well as Draco had, he could never bring himself to vanquish Dumbledore either. There was too much respect, too much knowledge of what a great man he was, and despite the way Voldemort did loathe him then. The Dark Lord could see into Draco's thoughts, the same could be said for him. And that is what would make him the next great Dark Lord. As for Snape, Voldemort had long known of the traitor he was, but he still had a great role to fill before he should be done away with. Time, he told himself, time will do away with Snape just as it had been doing away with him for many, many years now.
They were appearing now, one after another in their cloaks and masks, in a circle around his great throne room. As he had predicted, two spots were left empty. Silence filled the room and after a long time of it the men began turning to look at each other questionably, wondering why their Lord was not speaking.
"Hoods down and masks off, Death Eaters." They did so, still looking confused. "Tonight, we talk as men. As equals." The Dark Lord stepped off his throne and down to the circle, Lucius on his right and Nott on his left. "And that includes me."
Chairs appeared behind each of them. "Sit," but Bellatrix remained.
"I don't under---"
"I said sit, Bellatrix." She narrowed her eyes and sat down as well.
"Death is not a pretty thing, and yet we hand it out like flyers promoting the work we do," he began. "Avery," he said.
"Yes, master?"
"Do you fear death?"
"I--- yes, master, of course."
"Why? Why do you fear something you give so easily to others? Is it because you see the fear in their own eyes, when you are about to take everything away from them?"
"I suppose, my lord."
"Lilly and James Potter died, protecting their child, trying to salvage their future. And it was not fear I saw in their eyes for themselves, but for that. The future." He paused and stood up, walking around the back of the chair, and placing his hand on the back of the chair. "When I made those Horcruxes so many years ago, I will not deny that there still was an unease in me. No one can ever be completely assured for his or her future. I had built a group of men and women I could not be more proud of, who have always been at my side and heeding to my command when they should be. I worried for what would happen would they not have a leader though. At first, I thought about just picking one of you to take over for me, in the case that something would happen. But then this was still a fairly young organization, I was afraid there would be an upset or power struggle of some sort and that the unity we had found here would disappear. Well, I decided that I surely wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and so another idea came to me, an idea Odessa gave to me."
Everyone looked to Bourne Avery now, out of concern. Odessa Avery was his older sister, and once upon a time, was the Dark Lord's mistress. Bourne just looked to the ground, everyone else was shocked. The Dark Lord had not said her name since after he killed her. She and the Dark Lord had left on a several month trip together to see the world some year before the murder of the Potters. When they were due to return, the Dark Lord returned alone. He said he was betrayed, and he produced the killing curse upon her. And that was all anyone ever knew. It was then the Prophecy came out and both that and his anger sent him into his whirlwind of murdering the newborn children.
"A son,' she said," he continued. "I'll give you a son, Tom, and then you will have an heir, someone to take over the family business', she had said. It seemed such a perfect idea, that I agreed. And Odessa and I began trying for a child."
The room stayed quiet, all eyes locked on him with mixed emotions, as he spoke of the woman they all once knew and most loved. Odessa was the sweetheart of the group, much like Narcissa was now. She believed in the pureblood lineage too, but it was known, just as Narcissa and Lucius did today, that Odessa and the Dark Lord had fought about the right and wrong of what he was doing. Odessa didn't always approve, which is why everyone believed him when he said she had betrayed him.
"When we left for our trip, Odessa was four months along with a child. We wanted to away together, to have our son and spend some time as a… as a family, before announcing the birth of your future Lord to all of you. But one cold night in Greece, Odessa went into labor and I delivered to her, not a son, but a daughter."
He scanned the room for reaction, everyone starred wide-eyed. Narcissa gasped, and the anguish in Avery's eyes was obvious to everyone. "I was so angry. 'This is not the future Dark Lord!' I thought. 'This is a little girl. A female who could never continue my work.' At this time, I thought females weak. As you can all recall, the woman who sit in this room now as equals, were not even permitted at meetings during this time." He breathed in heavily. "I was so distraught that Odessa had not given me the son she promised to me, something that I know now was not her fault, that I strangled her… Odessa's life was taken, literally, at my hands. I thought I should tell you all this now, for there is much---"
A loud roar came from Bourne Avery and with a bound he leapt across at the Dark Lord. Quickly other Death Eaters moved to restrain him. "You bastard! You son of a bitch! You took away my best friend!" Bourne cried out in pain, tears flowing down his cheeks. He had long held it in, but this was too much for him.
"Hold him there, gentlemen." Lucius, and Marcus and Vincent Crabbe had his arms and wand. "I will continue,"
He looked around the room again and sat back down. "When I saw her lying there in a clump, I looked to the child wrapped in its swaddler, tossed to the side of the bedroom. She wasn't crying, I thought perhaps I had… But I went to her and pulled her out of her blankets, and she was beautiful." Narcissa smiled slightly and covered her mouth. She had been telling Lucius for years since Odessa had gone that what the Dark Lord needed was a child. This news, despite the death of Odessa, was bringing her relief. The Dark Lord noticed her smile and she quickly regained a blank expression.
He went on, "I held her and I kneeled beside Odessa and bellowed for what I had done to her. I knew the instant I looked into the child's blue eyes that I had made a terrible mistake. But I knew I could not raise her as my own. Before I returned to all of you, I made a decision to find a home for our daughter, another family to take her. But my predicament was large. I did not want to give her to any of you to raise, it would be too hard to watch my daughter grow up so near to me and never have her know. I couldn't give her to another family to raise, wizard blood or otherwise because I was terrified that with everyone else against us, that in all of our raids on families, that one day one of you, or even I, would murder my own daughter and not even know it. I didn't know what else to do, I was an orphan too when I was young, so I took her one night to the orphanage that I knew my whole youth, and was about to set her down at the front gate, when I heard someone coming up behind me." He paused a long while and his eyes darted away as he recalled the story he was about to tell for the first time.
"Tom,' he said. 'You hated this place, why would you bring your own daughter to live here?' I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. I couldn't bear to look at him anyways. 'I didn't know where else to take her,' I said. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned around and collapsed at his feet. You must understand, Death Eaters, I was a wreck. This man was the very man who came for me when I was eleven and took me away from my hellhole. He did the only good thing anyone has ever done for me, brought me to this world. That man was Albus Dumbledore."
Gasps and whispers erupted from the whole circle. He let them quiet themselves before continuing. "And there I found myself, groveling helplessly at the feet of a man I could not stand, and yet a man who gave me the tools to become what I am today. 'I came for you, Tom. Do you think I won't come for her in eleven years, as well?' he had said to me. I knew what he was getting at, my friends. So I gave my child to him to raise."
Now there was uproar amongst all the Death Eaters, some were standing up, some were outraged, and Avery was crying even harder muttering 'Thank the Gods,' under his breath.
"I know you may think now that it was not a wise choice to have made. Why would I hand my child over to my greatest enemy? Because I knew that Dumbledore would be the one person whose home I would never invade, who try as I may, would never die at my hands, or even when ordered to, at the hands of my followers. We may all hate him, but we cannot deny that he is a great wizard. Who better to raise my child than the only other wizard than myself who I deemed even half worthy?"
They all quieted and thought this over, when a voice rang out. "Now that Dumbledore is gone, who is looking after the child?"
"Good question, McNair. You see, when Snape began working for me as a double agent, he informed me a while after that Dumbledore had a grand-daughter who lived with him in his home away from Hogwarts, but even the Hogwarts' staff does not know where it is that Dumbledore resides when school is not in session. Snape says that the Floo line in the Headmaster's room goes directly to his office, and to this other home, where he teaches the child on his own. Now that Snape has been made Headmaster, he will have direct access to Dumbledore's home. He asked me what should be done with the child, I told him to check-in on the girl from time to time. I did not ask about the whereabouts of the place and I do not intend to, you see, Death Eaters, I have something very important to tell you." Everyone looked to him, waiting for what other stories the Dark Lord may have to confide in him. "Severus Snape is a traitor. And I have known this for well over three years now."
Eyes widened but no one said anything. Everyone felt afraid to. Some had long suspected, others were shocked, but all remained silent.
Finally, Lucius spoke up. "Then why did you let him live all this time?"
"Because, my dearest friend, I knew that his two-sided ways would soon come of great benefit to me somehow. And now it has. Your son, Lucius, is afraid to come back to me because he is afraid I will have him murdered for failing to kill Albus Dumbledore himself. Severus is acting as if he had nothing to do with the runaway and disappearance of your son, but I know exactly where he is. And I have no intention of harming him when I find him. Severus sent him through the Floo, to Dumbledore's home. Even Severus, while Dumbledore did confide much in him, does not know that the girl is my daughter, and he believes it is of no interest to me, so he has sent Draco there, to hide."
"How did you come about this information, my Lord?" Narcissa asked.
"On occasion I receive visions at night, of my daughter. And what she sees, and sometimes I am able to get inside her head and see all that she can, it is my way of checking-in I suppose you could say. But I never let her know I am there. Recently, Narcissa, I have seen your son in these visions. He is staying in one of Dumbledore's many guest rooms. They have become friends. He is the only other wizard her own age she has ever met. She seems to think… very highly of him. You see, she believes that his parents are Death Eaters and that as part of his 'initiation' he was being made to kill Dumbledore. She believes that he didn't want to, that he thought Dumbledore was a good person, and didn't want to be a Death Eater. Details based only somewhat on fact, for I can see in Draco's head, and believe me, I let him know I am there, and I know that he feels he has let us down. He wants to be a part of this with us, and he is angry with Snape for killing Dumbledore because he really did want to, he was just 'hesitating'. At least, that is what he is trying to convince himself went wrong. He doesn't realize yet that he has the same issues that I had about killing Albus Dumbledore, good person or not, he is a great wizard."
"It is this that I came to tell you. That I have found the boy, and my daughter, and that they are being kept together. I cannot yet make out where, try as I might, it is much too far away. But if I tell Severus that I wish to know the whereabouts of Dumbledore's home, then he may send Draco somewhere else. And I want him to stay right where he is. You see, my Death Eaters, many years ago when I gave my daughter away I never thought about the possibility of keeping her to raise and giving her away in another sense… Why would she herself have to be the Dark Lord? Couldn't she just be the spouse of the next Dark Lord, and their children, and so on? Could that be another way perhaps to ensure that we are keeping it in the family? And bless all you one day, that your sons or daughters and grandsons and daughters may get to rule or be his next Ladyship one day?" Excited voices and animate tones sprung up amongst the Death Eaters as they all discussed this possibility. "Quiet!" He said.
"I must preserve my future, our future, our LEGACY." He said the last word with a thunderous boom. He gestured to the throne behind him. "I may not always have a place there." He paused, approached the throne, and swept his hand over the arm and another just like it appeared to the right of it. The tension in the air was thick.
He waved his hand in the air once more. And a bottle of champagne appeared in his arm, and full glasses in front of all the persons in the room but four, Bourne Avery, The Malfoy's and himself. He waved his hand again and four flute glasses appeared. He took only one, though, drew his wand and went to Avery, who was still being restrained. And poured him a glass. "Drink, Avery."
Avery's arm was released and he drank the champagne, staring up at the Dark Lord over his glass all the while. When he finished with a gulp, Voldemort pressed his wand against Avery's temple and leaned in towards him as all the others watched and listened closely. "Now, Bourne Avery, I am going to ask you one more time. Do you fear death?" Avery cringed and closed his eyes.
"Yes, My Lord. Yes." Avery opened his eyes. "Please---"
"Good," the Dark Lord said, stepping back. "You should." He turned away from Avery, who sighed in relief, and then wheeled around on him. "AVADA KEDAVRA"
And Bourne Avery slumped to the chair; the glass flute hitting the cold floor below him had shattered. It was all that could be heard.
"Pity," Voldemort said. "It was such a nice set." He looked up to Lucius. "Take your places, men." They all returned to their seats, but before Lucius sat, "Not you, Lucius. You can stay standing." He looked to Narcissa, who looked worried. "You as well, Narcissa." She stood beside her husband, gripping his arm in fear.
"Lucius, you know you are my most faithful, my dearest friend." He grabbed the other three flutes, and handed one each to them. "Narcissa, you are a good woman. Who else could raise a son better suited for my daughter, or better prepare a son for the ways of the Death Eaters? You are of the thickest lineage here, and one of the proudest families. And you should be." He filled both their flutes and his own.
"Everyone, please, a toast---" Speechless, everyone raised their glasses. Lucius had the biggest smile in the room, and was absolutely aglow. Narcissa still looked worried, but raised her glass. "To the next generation of Death Eaters, to our legacy, to The Malfoy's." And he drank, and so did all the followers.
"TOMORROW WE STORM HOGWARTS!" He proclaimed. And the lights came on and cheers rang out and dancing and celebration ensued throughout the night.
Lucius approached Voldemort and nodded a bow, "My Lord, we are so grateful. Thank you, My Lord. Thank you."
The Dark Lord put his hand on Lucius' shoulder. "I have foreseen things Lucius, the inevitable. You will need to be strong tomorrow, Lucius. And you will need to be strong for your son, after The Final Battle, and explain to him."
"But, My Lord," Lucius began, "Will you not---"
"I have foreseen my end, Lucius." Voldemort said. "But not the end of the Death Eaters. Your son will be the light that will guide them after my demise." He looked Lucius firmly in the eyes. "Tell no one, Lucius, what I have just told you. Even Narcissa, I know she is not truly happy about this decision, it is natural, a mother's worry... We will fight tomorrow, aside each other, for the last time, my friend."