Hey! Yes, I, Nymphicus, am writing again. I thought I would try my hand at a more serious plot and this time, I actually have a lot of the plot figured out! Yay for me! Haha, but seriously, I am serious when I say you should seriously try reading this. Serious. Haha, anyway, I tried writing a longer chapter, but it turned out just a bit longer than Lullaby which I guess is ok. I hope I wasn't too slow in some parts of it and too quick in others! If I am, tell me!! Write a review! Otherwise, if you think it's crappy and read it anyway but you don't review, it's going to stay that way! So... review? Please? I love you all!
Disclaimer: The characters and some places belong to J.K. Rowling. The secret societies are almost all real and therefore don't belong to me as the Illuminati doesn't belong to Dan Brown. The plot, however, was all of my thinking.
I hope y'all enjoy!
1/24/10- sorry to all, this is not a real update! I just had to fix a few things to make the reading smoother (ie- I had to cut up some paragraphs so the words did not run together). I also edited some very minor details that were messing with my OCDness. Haha, the next chapter should be up soon. Hopefully. Thanks to my reviewers and whoever added this on their favorite/alert list! hugs and kisses! -nymphicus
Footsteps sounded across the cold stone floor. Long dusky shadows drew across the blood red walls, illuminated by a dim lantern light, flickering across the luxurious wallpaper.
Whispers were exchanged within the small group of people every so often, but otherwise, all was quiet. The Order had found a lead to the murders of the Craigs.
Silvius Craig and his wife, Aemilia were found dead in each other's arms in their small manor in Norfolk.
Their deaths would have perplexed even the best of the muggle investigators because the only signs of trauma anywhere on their bodies were their fixed expressions of horror and the bruises from where they fell to the ground from where they had once stood.
All of this was not, however, seen by the muggle police as the two wealthy aristocrats lived in a remote little wizarding village away from any curious non-magic eyes.
The area was warded off and though little was investigated due to the looming shadow of the dark mark suspended in the sky.
A little piece of evidence was rather curious though and drew the attention of the more elite and knowledgeable members of their secret society.
An ornate gold threaded M was woven on a swathe of fine black satin about the size of a watch face.
This mysterious bit of cloth was pinned on the inside of Silvius Craig's lapel of his silk fitted suit as it had been in the past six pureblood attacks.
Each piece of satin was swiftly bagged and tagged by a member of the Order and hidden from all of the government investigators so as to prevent a leak of this seemingly important information.
The little bit of cloth had marked out their deaths along with five other couples from the hundreds of disappearances and deaths that marked the rise of the world's greatest fear among wizards and muggles alike, though the latter did not know him by name.
Voldemort.
With a noncommittal flick of her fingers, the black material was promptly tucked deep into Hermione Granger's robes.
She was unsettled by another appearance of the peculiar fabric and automatically recalled an unprompted and spontaneous Order meeting she was present at just a few weeks ago.
"Well," stated Ron Weasley rather matter-of-factly, "we all know what the 'M' stands for."
"And that would be…," Hermione replied scathingly at her bigoted yet likable friend.
"Of course the 'M' would stand for 'Malfoy'! Who else do we know is rich and evil and insane!" exclaimed an exasperated Harry Potter as his friends fought it out with a glaring contest.
"Ron, Harry, we have no proof that the letter stands for the Malfoys. It could be Les Français Société du Magique or any other 'secret society'." Remus Lupin said, blocking any argument that might have occurred had he have waited long enough.
"Well, do we know any secret societies that leave dead bodies in their wake? Hmm?" Ron asked the entire table of members sardonically.
No one in the room answered and he took this as an assent before Hermione spoke up again.
"Well, Ronald, I'll tell you that there are plenty of secret societies who would have killed to keep their group unknown. The Masons for one are a highly secretive organization as well as the Knights of Malta, the Arman Society, and the Monist League." Hermione replied smugly.
"But those are all muggle societies! The people who were murdered were obviously killed by wizards or witches and besides, the Arman Society doesn't even begin with 'M'!," said Harry, confused as to how any of the groups mentioned could have done such an act with Ron nodding fervently in agreement.
Their former professor, Headmistress McGonagall intervened on behalf of Hermione saying, "Ms. Granger is absolutely correct Mr. Potter. The Masons like the other tight circles were founded in the wizarding world and often hid under a muggle disguise. During World War II as it is known as in the muggle world, or the First Wizarding War to us, Masons across the globe were mercilessly slaughtered for their radical beliefs.
"The assassins were normally hired by pureblooded families who thought the group was the scum and dirt of the wizarding world and nearly below muggle-borns. As for the Knights of Malta, they were a society of increasingly poor wizards who thought it was their duty to protect the Holy Land.
"This was impossible once Voldemort's circles invaded and took over that part of the world so they turned to protecting the waters but were soon tempted into pirating. Many of the ships they plundered belonged to purebloods and as retribution for the loses of their fortunes, the Knights of Malta were nearly exterminated. Between these two groups, the deaths of the unfortunate people might have been retaliation for long past sufferings.
"Now the Arman Society, who supposedly believed in 'Magik,' and the Monist League were both born near London from prejudiced wizards and witches seeking to rid the world of any dirty blooded 'animals'. There are rumors telling of how the two rival societies with similar beliefs are rising again and are on the move to punish any enemies they once had."
Hermione wondered now if that was the case. Harry and Ron were still unconvinced despite the long and austere lecture on secret wizarding societies given by their equally austere ex-professor. The three had rarely spoken to each other since and though they were placed in the same investigation group for the latest murders.
Hermione, the group's best healer, was sent on the special mission along with Ron and a few of his auror colleagues once they managed to pick up a trail that might lead them to the purebloods' killers.
All five of the people now stealthily made their way through the Crowford castle, wands drawn. Two people whispered furiously below, unbeknown to the group above them.
Two men stood facing each other with drawn faces and identical stiff postures.
Both had blonde hair so light it could nearly have been mistaken for silver or white though one of the two's shoulders was a bit broader than the other and his hair a few inches longer.
This was the elder of the two and he spoke quickly whilst pinning something on the inside of his cloak's collar.
"Draco," he said fervently, "I have placed hints to lead the Order to here tonight where we are. The Dark Lord is weakening slowly and we can no longer place our loyalty and trust within his hands.
"If I switch sides now though, there is no chance of redeeming my own name in the eyes of all our blood and flesh and I shall certainly perish with dishonor in the grasp of that wretched Order. You on the other hand, Draco, you can survive this. You will survive this."
"Father, are you alright?" the young man asked his father who was becoming paler as each second passed. "What is this nonsense about betraying our Dark Lord?"
"Not nonsense, son. Honor. Survival. That is what you must strive for. They are coming perhaps this very second. And you shall take my place as the head of our noble family. You shall redeem our family to its rightful place amongst the elite once again. We are not murderers son. Never have I taken a human life no matter how deserving and you should do the same."
"But they don't know this. You said they think we murdered those families. Our own family our own friends!" Draco was becoming hysterical and his face showed it in the dim light of the magically lit torches. "They will kill us without a second glance. We are known as death eaters to them. Their bloody Order will be wiping our blood off these walls if they come here!"
His father lost some of his stoic prestige and uncharacteristically, pulled his only son into a tight albeit brief embrace. Lucius then thrust a clear crystal bottle into Draco's upturned palm. It was filled with a clear turquoise substance that swirled around in the bottle with tiny foggy white wisps spiraling around in it.
Draco, his eyes suspiciously red and blotchy looked towards Lucius with question and fear.
"No, son, this is not a poison. Rather, it is a memory erasing elixir brewed for six years in the Himalayans and extremely rare. When drunk, it shall not completely erase all of the drinker's memories, but rather repress much of it in a tight, shall we say protection bubble of some kind. It has been proved nearly unbreakable and is the key to saving your life."
"And you?" Draco said, the sounds barely leaving his lips.
"I shall be freed of this worldly burden and shall give my life up for yours and your mother's sake," Lucius stated almost sorrowfully.
Footsteps were heard rounding a corner nearby.
"They are almost here," Draco whispered.
"Hurry now!" Lucius cried, "un-cork the elixir!"
The younger pulled the crystal stopper out and held the bottle to his lips but he hesitated.
"I…I care about you. Very much."
Lucius looked dejected now and for the second time that evening, fully embraced his son, seeing the little boy he used to be and the grown man he was becoming.
"And I, Draco, love you. Remember that."
Draco's eyes widened because his father had said those words only sparingly in the past and almost always without feeling. He felt his eyes watering and pulled back as the wooden door burst open in front of them. Draco gulped down the potion and did not notice when the bottle disappeared afterwards.
Lucius' eyes snapped up towards their attackers and put his hand in his robes, drawing his arm back out quickly but with no wand. Instead a scroll.
It was too late though. The man at the front shot a killing curse defensively towards Malfoy senior and it hit the blonde directly in the chest. As he fell, his cloak whipping through the air and his hair flying out before him, he thought he heard his son murmur, "I love you too… dad."
Muttering filled the room before the five pointed their wands at Draco, nearly hidden in one of the shadows cast by the firelight. He was staggering, the potion finally taking effect. He fell forward onto a female before the lights began dimming in his eyes. And then, all was black.
A/N: There you have it! the first chapter! Review and tell me if I should continue with the story or if it is a total dud. Besides, your reviews make me happy and you want to make me happy right? I can tell you want to be lazy and just put this on alert but really, 2 minutes. That is all I need. Just tell me your thoughts and in turn, I'll try to tell you mine as I update. I might be slow on that part though with a new semester and all that. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! Thanks to you all, every reviewer gets brownie points! Ciao, Nymphicus