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The room was a black void. The only sound that could be heard was the distant sound of water dripping in some unknown place.
Suddenly a groan erupted from the darkness, followed several moments later by a murmured "Lumos!" A pin point of pale white light appeared. It illuminated the fearful face of a teenage boy. His usually sleek blond hair was a mess, and his face was streaked with dirt. He looked about worriedly, his anxiousity obvious on his face.
"Oh hell," Draco Malfoy said as he realized where he was. What little color that remained in his face drained away. He nearly fainted, but caught himself against the wall. He sank to the floor with a groan.
The events of the previous night flashed through his mind. The Room of equirement...the cabinet...the appearance of the Deatheaters...He, standing alone with Dumbledore, preparing to carry out his mission. Up to that point, everything had gone according to plan. Dumbledore was running his mouth about how he, Draco, was not a killer. Malfoy was just about to shut the old fool up for good when Snape appeared and did his job for him. Then the greasy haired glory grabber grabbed him and dragged him off. The last thing he remembered seeing was Potter appearing from no where, face contorted with rage. There had been something awful in those green eyes, something that made him shudder just thinking about it. It reminded him of someone else...
A sliver of light appeared not far away. A whiny voice reached Draco's ear. "Come on, Malfoy, The Dark Lord will see you now."Pettigrew. Draco scowled. He hated the sniveling little rat. A few seconds later, Pettigrew's words registered. The scowl vanished from Draco's face. He swallowed hard and somehow managed to walk forward, despite the fact it felt like someone had put a Jellylags curse on him. He walked out of the dark room,and blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. He seemed to be in a long corridor.
"Come on, Malfoy, you must not keep The Dark Lord waiting," Pettigrew whined. He started off down the hall, leaving Draco no choice but to follow behind, the ball of fear growing deep in his gut with every step.
After what seemed like an eternity, Draco and Pettigrew reached a massive door, steel-like in appearance. "This is where he awaits you. Only you are to enter,"Pettigrew said. With trembling hands, Draco reached out and touched the door. It seemed to melt away. Draco took a deep breath and entered the room.
The room was small and blindingly white. He looked about. No one was visible. "My Lord?" Draco said questioningly.
A hole appeared in the floor. He looked into it. He thought he could hear the scraping of scales emitting from in that deep darkness. He shuddered and stepped back, clinging to the wall.
"Draco Malfoy. You didn't succeed in your mission." The voice seemed to freeze Draco's very blood.
"But, my Lord," Draco began to say, "if Snape hjadn't butted in I..."
"Snape is being dealt with." Lord Voldemort's voice was filled with quiet, deadly amusement. "You were going to give in to Dumbledore's reasoning, Draco. No, don't protest." Here came a chuckle. "You didn't succeed, Draco. You know the cost of failure among my Deatheaters. Your father was lucky the Ministry got to him first." A long moment of silence. Draco could feel the sweat running down his face. The disembodied voice of Lord Voldemort spoke again, only three syllables.
"Negini."
From the pit emerged the head of a huge snake. The fires of Hell itself seemed to burn in the monster's eyes. It opened its mouth, revealing long white fangs. Draco Malfoy stared into the drak void of its throat and knew no more.