Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling, except for my own OCs.
"You're late."
The heavily cloaked young man stood in front of her, his wand gripped tightly in his left hand as he stared at her from beneath his dark hood. She could not make out any of his features but she did not care; he was neither important nor worthy of wasting her time. She was only here on orders from her Master, who believed this man had the answers to something he held valuable to him.
"I apologize Madame Vance-"
She cut him off with a sharp glance, before turning around on her heel and marching down the empty street. Scarcely anyone patrolled the London streets at so late an hour, and more so, it was New Year's Eve. Muggle families were shut up in their homes dancing to the wild, loud music that she heard drifting in from between the walls of the flats on either side of her. Bright, colorful posters encouraging shoppers to buy decorations and New Year's Gifts were plastered all over the windows of all the shops she passed. She moved swiftly past them without a second glance; Muggle matters weren't important to her. Tonight, she had only one thing upon her mind.
The sky was clear. Not a single cloud covered it, and only a bright, full moon shone down upon London. The air was cold and dry, accompanied by the howl of the cold January wind as it whipped across her face. She cursed herself for not waiting in the Leaky Cauldron as Emily had suggested. Now, she had to face this accursed wind. Angrily, she quickened her pace, causing the young man who had been tottering behind her to pant as he tried to keep up.
"Where are we going?"
"Silence, you impudent fool." Her snarl cut through the sharp air and instantly quieted the fool behind her. How dare he speak to her like she was some lowly mudblood? He would not speak to her in that tone ever again, nor would he address her without calling her "Madame", first- yes, she would see to that soon enough.
Rounding the corner of the cobbled street, she found herself plunged into a dark, empty alleyway. Muttering "Lumos" she continued to make her way down the alley, stopping when she got to the end of it. In front of her stood a stone wall, covered in bright red, faded graffiti and cracks. "Keep your wits about you," she reminded herself. This was no time to lose her head and unleash an Avada Kedavra on the neighborhood around her. No, tonight the Dark Lord awaited something that was of much higher importance.
She tapped her wand over the wall, murmuring words underneath her breath. As she pulled her cloak tighter around her, she watched as the wall broke down to reveal a large, handsome manor behind it. Smiling slightly to herself, she paraded through the iron gates that had magically sprouted in front of her and hurried down the garden. "Do hurry up, Knightly," she uttered to the man behind her. He was straddling along after her, his mouth open in astonishment as he gazed at the splendor of the manor in which she lived.
And why wouldn't he? She thought to herself, gazing at her magnificent home with pride and pleasure. It was truly a sight, almost four stories high, made of pure red brick and dark, glossy mahogany wood. The marble pillars that supported the large building made way for an elegant wooden door, on which was carved a silver snake. She traced the surface of the snake with her hands, smiling as she did so. The mark and emblem of Slytherin house. Of course her husband was oblivious to such a thing. He was too busy handling all the important Ministry affairs at work, and he hardly ever paid any attention to her decorations and architectural designs. Yet she didn't mind. She had a husband who, if not extremely attentive, was besotted by her and a fortune that anyone would kill to have. What more could she want? Oh, only the Dark Lord's approval of course. Then, there would be nothing else left to desire.
Her hand twisted the doorknob around and she entered the lobby of her home. She relaxed as she entered her home, her haven, her castle. A dark, small maid came hurrying up to her, clutching a wooden hanger between her slim fingers. "Evening ma'am," she murmured, bobbing a little curtsey and reaching out to take her coat from her, "I hope you had a lovely night."
"It was fair. Is Vincent home?"
"No, Madame. Master Vincent came home to have tea and then left to the Ministry again. Would you like Edie to make you some tea or coffee?"
"Yes. Bring them up to my office. And don't forget to add a bottle of Firewhisky. I have a guest tonight." She gestured over her shoulder to Knightly, who was still looking around with an expression of shock. "Take his coat and then send him up to my office."
"As you wish, Madame," the maid murmured and turned to go before she stopped her once more.
"Oh and Nastia?"
"Yes, Madame?"
"Where is Emmeline?"
"She's up in her room, ma'am. I think she's sending letters to her friends."
With a curt nod, she nodded to the maid and then turned around to head down the dimly lit corridor that made way for her study, or office as she preferred to call it. It shamed her that her pure-blood daughter bothered to waste away her precious hours sending useless letters to her mudblood best friends at school, when she could be winning the Dark Lord's praise like her own mother did. Time and time again she had warned Emmeline to stray from those who were not worthy of her high status, but her daughter had only rudely answered her back. She did not understand what had caused Emmeline to turn out so…different. She had given her everything: schooling, money, a splendiferous home and had tried to mold her into a respectable Slytherin pureblood girl. But what had happened?
Emmeline had defied everything. Rather than entering the respected and most noble house of Slytherin that she, her mother, held so high, she had entered Gryffindor. Shame had burned all over her body when she had heard of the scandal. And worse, she had refused to befriend any of her own mother's choices. Her friends were all lowly Mudbloods and Muggles that only ground the family's name into dirt. Yet she knew that in time, Emmeline would realize her mistakes and return to her mother with apologies. Yes, soon enough Emmeline would understand the true value of being born a pure-blood.
A satisfied smile crept up onto her face as she unlocked her study door and entered it, leaving it ajar for Knightly to enter through. She smoothed down her skirt and blouse, and ran a hand through her trademark brown hair. She looked around her office and smiled, before sitting down on her desk.
Vincent had let her design it herself. The walls were painted a soft cream, with an intricate red and gold pattern. She had bought several handmade rugs and filled up the wooden floor with them, and a diamond chandelier hung in the middle of the painted ceiling. Behind her mahogany desk was her wooden bookcase, filled with all her Dark Arts books and Transfiguration articles. Her desk was a mess of Daily Prophet newspapers, glossy Ministry brochures, feathered quills and discarded ink bottles. She hastily tried to tidy it up before Knightly walked through. She knew it was always better to look neat and tidy for a prey before you stalked. She managed a rueful smile as he entered the room, managed to contain his surprise, and sat down in one of the leather chairs that were in front of her desk.
"Well," she began, regarding him carefully, "Perhaps you would like a drink before we begin?"
On cue, Edie, her house-elf, entered the room carrying a steaming vat of tea, a bottle of firewhisky, several mugs and glasses and a pot of sugar. She bowed low after placing the tray on the table and then walked out, shutting the door behind her. Knightly turned his beady gaze upon her and then reached for the firewhisky. Pouring himself half a glass, he settled back into his seat and raised the glass to his lips, before smiling with satisfaction.
It took all of her courage not to kill him there and then. He was so at ease when he should have been shaking with fear. She wasn't Lord Voldemort's most loyal servant for nothing after all. She was gifted with a knowledge of the dark arts that no witch of her age could surpass. But she knew she had to act like a gracious host until she forced the information out of him. She attempted a grimace, and then wiped her mouth with a tissue. Pouring herself a cup of tea, she looked at Knightly with cool eyes.
"Now Marius, you must know why I summoned you here tonight."
He spluttered slightly. "Yes."
She raised a hand to silence him. "Do not interrupt me, Marius."
His mouth shut instantly.
"I believe and of course the Dark Lord believes, that there was a prophecy made that might…shall we say, interfere with his plans. This has come from one of our head sources, you see. And seeing as you work in the Department of Mysteries, the Dark Lord wanted me to talk to you, to see if you know anything about the prophecy. Not to mention, you once came very close to joining my Lord, didn't you?"
Marius' face twisted into an ugly grimace as he took in her words. She smirked to herself and lazily pulled out her wand. She twisted it around in her hands, all the while pinning him with her deathly stare. Marius finally broke eye contact and stared down at his hands. She could see them shaking and smiled once more. She was pleased to be the cause of all the terror in the room.
"I…know nothing-"
"Oh Marius." She waved her wand in the direction of the door, locked it and then looked at him with a knowing glance. "Don't bother. You and I both know that you know a lot more than you're letting on. Am I correct?" She smiled sweetly at him and then flicked her wand in the direction of a small, tawny owl that was perched on the top of her Sneakescope. The owl gave a small screech and then fell to the ground. It lay there limp.
Marius' face had turned pale. His lips were parched as he looked at her in terror. Licking his lips, he struggled to find words. "I do know…some things, yes…"
"Marius. I do not have all night. Do hurry up."
"I was lucky enough to be in the presence of Albus Dumbledore a few years ago when he and Zelda Juneau- you know her, the Seer? A relation of Sybill Trelawney- were making the prophecy. I happened to pass by and I heard…a few things. I don't recall them that well-"
"Crucio."
Marius fell to the ground at the sound of the curse. He began to writhe in pain, his pale face contorted in agony. He screamed loudly, as he clawed at the floor in desperation. Unimpressed, she leaned back in her chair and shook her head. "Dear, dear Marius. I shall be forced to inflict worse than the Cruciatus curse if you do not cooperate. And know this- the Dark Lord's punishments are of a far greater level than my own."
"Fine- FINE! I'll tell you the truth- STOP IT!"
She lifted the curse and waited expectantly.
"I heard Albus say that the child of two wizards would one day grow up to defeat Lord Vol-"
"Do not speak his name!"
"-He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I wasn't able to learn much more afterwards- they sensed me and immediately Disapparated afterwards-"
"Their names?"
"Excuse me?"
"Their names, Marius. The woman and the man."
"I was not able to hear-"
"-I have means of forcing the truth out of you. Do not make me do it."
"I swear-"
"Cruc-"
"Lily Evans and James Potter!"
An expression of sudden shock passed over her face at his words. Her wand dropped with a clatter onto the wood of her table and she blinked slowly. Evans and Potter? She knew all about Lily Evans of course- the mudblood Gryffindor girl who was (unfairly she knew) a brilliant student at Hogwarts. More than that, she was Emmeline's friend. Her brow furrowed as she thought of James Potter. What did she know of him? A pure-blood yes- his family were a very old one, descended from a legendary Wizarding family and exceedingly wealthy. The Dark Lord would be pleased with the information she had managed to gather, and she would assure him of the fact that she would take care of the situation.
"Yes my dear Emmeline- you shall finally learn the value of your mother," she murmured to herself. Emmeline would be an enormous addition to the plan of course. She would use her daughter well and earn more than just the Dark Lord's approval. She would be honored above all others. Emmeline would learn how to be manipulative…yes, she would learn.
"Can I- leave now?"
Marius had risen to his feet and was edging slowly towards the door. She glanced up at him, her eyes full of malice and excitement. She had all she needed. Now, what do with him? She glanced down at her dropped wand and smiled. Of course. The perfect solution.
She rose up from her chair and walked towards the cowering young man. "The Dark Lord will be most pleased, Marius. Of course, now that I have all I need, there is no reason for you to remain here any longer. Why, I don't think there's any reason for you to live anymore, do you?"
The relaxed expression that had begun to creep across his face was instantly replaced by one of sudden terror. "What- you don't mean-"
Her face did not change as she registered his pleas and moans. She turned around and began to walk out of the room. She stopped at the door to turn around and point her wand in his direction. Silently, the curse streamed out of her wand, hitting him squarely in the chest. Hearing a thump, she nodded to herself and walked out of her study, closing the door behind her soundly.
"Nastia? I have a dead corpse for you to clean up in my office."
If you like it or dislike it, or just want to give some constructive criticism, please review! :)
Alsoo, I do hope you've enjoyed it.
