"Well, Draco, it seems that you have failed me. Failed me with your very first mission, in fact."
Draco tried to avoid the gaze of those glaring red eyes . "Please, sir. I would have done it, even if Snape had never come."
"Liar." Draco flinched. How had he been able to break his shields without him noticing? "I can tell just by the sound of your voice that you are a spineless fool. Know this; I do not have room for weaklings in my organization. I already have enough.
"However, the fact remains; Dumbledore is dead." The Dark Lord continued. "One of the greatest obstacles in my quest for total power is finally gone. I am willing to give you another chance."
"Thank you sir." Draco murmured, bowing.
"When the time is right, I will call you. You will accompany me to our destination. You will not attempt to run; otherwise, you will be dead before you know it. When we reach our destination, you are to obey my every command, regardless of your personal feelings. If you do not, I will dispose of you on the spot. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir," Draco responded, wondering just what it was the Dark Lord wanted him to do…
B
A week later, Draco felt his Mark burn, and went to the Dark Lord's side. They apparated onto a hillside, with nothing of interest for miles around.
"Are you ready?" The older wizard quietly asked.
"Yes." He replied.
He looked around their surroundings."Where are we?" he asked, confused. The Dark Lord ignored him, and set off at a fast pace. Draco quickly followed.
They did not talk for a long time during the journey, so Draco was surprised when the Dark Lord suddenly asked, "I have heard that you can cast the Imperius Curse effectively. Is this true?"
"Yes." Draco said sourly; after all, he had managed to keep up a year-long one on Madam Rosmerta, and felt insulted at his abilities being doubted.
"Good. You will need it."
Draco lost track of the time, but soon, they had reached a small village. He didn't have time to say anything before the Dark Lord turned and cast Disillusionment Charms on both of them. He looked around confusedly for a while, then he felt a strong arm grip his own, and Draco practically had to run to keep up with the red eyed wizard.
It didn't take long for them to reach a little house in the village. Draco looked in and saw a man, a woman, and a little boy. The boy was playing with bubbles coming out of the man's wand, while the man and the woman laughed. It was a scene of pure familial bliss. Draco couldn't help but be reminded of happier times with his own parents, which now seemed a thousand lifetimes ago.
Draco was shocked out of his reverie when the Dark Lord blasted the door off its hinges, removing the Disillusionment Charms as well. The man and woman had no chance; even though they had managed to pull out their wands, the Dark Lord disarmed them within seconds. The woman and child were soon bound in strong ropes, while the man lay on the floor, Petrified.
"Now, Draco, cast the Imperius on him." Draco obediently cast the Unforgivable on the man, not understanding why the Dark Lord had not just killed the family outright.
The Dark Lord lifted the body-bind. Then, he pulled out a strange object from his cloak; it was made of metal, had a handle, some kind of switch, and a tube.
"Make him take the pistol." Now Draco knew; a pistol was some kind of gun, apparently some kind of metal wand Muggles used to kill each other. But he was still confused on how this all supposed to play out.
The man obediently took the pistol, even though his hands were shaking. Draco knew that he was losing some control, and out of fear, willed the curse stronger.
"Point it at the child." The Dark Lord said impassionedly, ignoring the screams and pleas from the woman and the sobbing of the boy.
The boy whimpered, "Daddy?" Draco was torn, but he could not just stop. Not with the Dark Lord right there.
"Now, make him pull the trigger." At that moment, the woman screamed, "NO! I BEG YOU, PLEASE STOP, PLEASE JUST STOP! LET US GO, WE'LL DO ANYTHING FOR YOU!"
Draco would have lifted the curse right there, but some part of him, deep, deep down, was morbidly fascinated with what would actually happen if he followed through with the Dark Lord's command.
The man's hand shook heavily as he followed Draco's order.
There was a bang, and a hole appeared on the child's forehead, and, with sick realization, Draco saw that it went through his head like someone had drilled it there. Blood and brains splashed out of the other end.
The woman was sobbing and screaming even more now. "Quiet her too." the Dark Lord said, annoyed. Getting sicker by the second, Draco watched the blood on the floor spread before obeying.
After only a small moment, blood poured from a near-identical hole in the woman's head, mingling with her child's own. Draco saw that while the man was still under his control, some small part must have been aware, as tears were flowing from his eyes. Draco felt his eyes start to burn with tears of his own.
"Now, dispose of him." Draco wanted so badly to disobey the cruel order, just run out of the house, consequences be damned… But he saw the faces of his parents in his mind, and he couldn't bear to leave them, and be devastated by the loss of their only child.
The tears on the man's face were flowing more freely now, and Draco felt little resistance as the man's arm moved smoothly towards his head.
The Dark Lord went over to the three bodies on the ground, examining each one carefully. When he was done, he simply said, "Well done."
Never before had Draco wanted this badly to vomit.