Except Him

A/N: This is the first and only story by my unofficial beta. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This is not owned by me. It is owned by my beta. And they do not own Harry Potter (TM).

She was invisible. No one ever saw her.

That was why she was such a good spy for Him. She could just stand in front of That Boy, and he would continue talking to his two friends, The Redhead and The Mudblood. They never saw her. No one did. Except Him.

She had offered sweets to Him and His friends, as usual, and they, like most Purebloods, refused politely. Except Him.

"I'll have a chocolate frog, please," He had said, his voice smooth and controlled.

His gaze had locked with hers, and He had smiled. She had vowed, right then, to stay by His side for as long as she lived. She had kept her promise, and had been one of the first to receive His Mark.

Of course, there were times when she wondered if He really was good. These times happened often, in the split seconds between His shout of 'Crucio!' and the pain that followed. However, it was very hard to concentrate with that red light speeding towards her. Such thoughts were soon dismissed in favour of pain-pain-pain. Once it was over, she quashed the treacherous thoughts to the back her mind, where not even she could remember them. After all, she had made a vow, and even if it wasn't Unbreakable, these things were still important.

Through the years, she had reported many things to Him. She was, she thought proudly, probably His best informant. Always He was sure to reward her, unless she had missed something important. She seemed to do that a lot. After all, it was very hard to concentrate on conversation with candy orders that needed filling. But she did her best, even if sometimes she resented His high standards. She had given her word, and she was going to keep it, whatever the consequences.

And there were consequences. Her employer had fired her because of Him. Tipped off by The Mudblood when her sleeves had ridden up while reaching for a chocolate frog, That Old Man had wasted no time in kicking her off the train. At first she worried He would not accept her back, as she had lost her valuable position, but then denied that that would happen. He would never betray her like that.

She was invisible. She was always invisible in His meetings. Initially she had fretted that He was embarrassed by her, but when pressed, He only replied that she was his most prized follower, and of course He was not embarrassed by her – why, she was hidden because she was so valuable. In her hiding spot, she could watch the other followers and tell Him if any were spying for That Old Man.

At the moment, He was punishing His followers for a failed plot. They had forgotten to put up anti-apparation wards. She scoffed inwardly. If it was her, she would never fail her Lord like that.

'Crucio!' He cried angrily at yet another follower. He held the curse for five seconds, and then lifted it. His follower was lying on the floor, screaming and writhing in pain, but as soon as He lifted the curse, His follower quickly kneeled, kissing the hem of His robes.

'I am sorry I failed you, Master,' he whispered hoarsely. 'It won't happen again.'

'It had better not, or there'll be worse than this,' her Master hissed. His follower took this as a sign to stand and hastily did so, shaking, hurrying back to the larger group.

'Now,' her Master murmured, and beckoned to her. 'I believe you had something to tell us?'

Rushing forwards, she bowed to Him. She could feel His eyes in her, looking at her, just as strongly as they had the first time.

'Yes . . . Yes, my Lord,' she spoke softly. It was very hard to concentrate on following proper conventions with those blazing eyes on her. Every person she knew would forgive this mistake. Except Him.

'Crucio.' He intoned carelessly. 'Do not forget your place, woman.'

'Yes, my Lord.'

A pause.

Then, 'Well? I thought you had some news to share with us,' He snapped, clearly annoyed.

'I . . . That Old Man . . . he is – that is to say, he has . . . erm,' she stuttered. Suddenly the doubts she had about His acceptance and continued faith flooded back. What was she doing? Working for Him? What was wrong with her?

'Has what?' He asked unexpectedly. 'What were you trying to say?'

His rich tones soothed her again, and her doubts vanished like snow in His warm embrace.

'That Old Man has fired me, Master,' she said confidently. He would never betray her. 'The Mudblood tipped him off. I – I'm sorry I have failed you, Master.'

'And so you should be,' He spat, His voice cold once more. 'Crucio. How did The Mudblood find out, hmm?'

It was very hard to concentrate with pain still shooting through her body, but she managed. 'I was – careless, Master. My sleeve rode up. I am sorry, Master.'

'Sorry isn't good enough. Crucio. What use are you to me now?'

'I – I can find another job, Master. I can join the raids.'

'Find another job?' He snarled. 'Join the raids? No one will hire you now they know you have my Mark. And none of the raids will succeed with you in the ranks.'

He hadn't cast Crucio on her. That was a good sign. 'I will do anything for You, Master. Just say the word and I will obey.'

This show of obedience would calm anyone. Except Him.

'OBEY?' He roared. 'Your orders were to not get caught! How has this shown me your obedience? Crucio.'

'I am s – sorry, my Lord. It won't happen again . . .'

'Of course it won't happen again. You'll never get a position like that for the rest of your life,' He snorted derisively. 'So tell me, what use are you? You cannot spy, you cannot get a job to at least earn us money, and you cannot fight.'

'I . . .' This was hard. What could she do to aid Him? There was only one thing she really excelled at. 'I can cook for you, Master.' As soon as the words were out of her mouth she regretted them. Cook? For Him? What an idiot.

As expected, he let out a short bark of laughter. 'Fool! That's why we have house elves, woman.'

She had no reply.

His mouth twisted into a cruel smirk. 'It is obvious that you are completely useless.' He paused to let His words sink in. 'There is only one thing we do with useless people.'

Her thoughts ran wild, His words not sinking in at all. She could be a house elf for Him. She would work hard; she would do whatever she asked. And she had initiative. She would be the best house elf ever!

'Master, I –' she stopped, startled.

He had flicked His wand, and muttered a curse. Green light sped towards her.

What was He–?

It was very hard to concentrate with that green light speeding towards her.

Wait. Green light?

They found her draped across the front of the Hogwarts Express in a crude parody of the crucifix. She had a puzzled expression on her face, and the Dark Mark on her left forearm was clearly displayed. The teachers, when they found her, had varying reactions. Severus Snape did not bat an eyelash as he contemplated the obviously dead woman. Minerva McGonagall paled considerably and motioned Pomona Sprout away to 'fetch the Headmaster, if you will'. Filius Flitwick held his hand to his heart and froze. Sybill Trelawney adjusted her glasses and whispered ominously about the pending doom awaiting them all.

When Dumbledore arrived, he just looked sad. He said they would have to bury her, and asked Snape to do the 'honours'.

The funeral was not very big. In fact, there was none. The Tea Lady had had no family, and no friends. The staff of Hogwarts simply attended the burial for propriety's sake. No one would miss her.

Not one person in Britain would have killed such a meaningless person – there was no point. She wasn't even a mudblood. No one would have bothered. Except Him.

THE END