*Disclaimer: I don't own any Harry Potter characters, J.K. Rowling does. She also owns the plot and anything else connected with Harry Potter. This is just a story based on her books, and I am not gaining any money or other rewards for writing this . . . except the pleasure of writing.
*Summary: Book 2 of my Children of Slytherin stories.
"Amarana's fate seems certain. Now she is a Death Eater, betrothed to Snape, favored of the Dark Lord. Still, she knows her future depends on the fate of the Dark Order. It seems that they will triumph. But will the sacrifices be worth it in the end?"
PREVIOUSLY TITLED "THE UNFATHOMABLE PASSION: BOOK 2"
*Rating: MATURE for sexual situations, violence, self-harm, CHARACTER DEATHS and other possible adult themes.
Children of Slytherin
Book 2: Serpents of Darkness
By
Princess Angelita
Chapter 1: Lessons
"Destructivus Maximus!" "Destructivus Maximus!" "DESTRUCTIVUS MAXIMUS!"
Draco Malfoy turned to the two women standing behind him with a frustrated glare. He ran a pale hand through his platinum hair and grimaced. "I can't do it!" he said irritably, shaking his head.
The tallest woman, black-haired, black-eyed Bellatrix Lestrange, stepped forward with her face screwed up as she tried not to laugh. Behind her, the other woman couldn't restrain a giggle.
"Aaargh!" Draco exclaimed, kicking a rock towards a tree.
"Draco!" Bellatrix chastised. "Grow up, for Merlin's sake. If the Dark Lord ever caught you acting like this . . ."
Draco glared at her. "I know that! It's just that this is so bloody frustrating, Aunt Bella!"
Bellatrix rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You're paying more attention to Miss Lovely back there than you are your lessons, Draco. You know I have to report to the Dark Lord on your progress every month. You have to focus."
He mumbled something unintelligible.
"What?"
"I said, I don't know what I'm doing wrong!"
"It is because you are thrusting your wand instead of swooping it," Bella explained calmly. "Here, let me show you."
She turned gracefully, raising her arm in a semicircle with wand extended at the ten-foot-high ancient granite bit of wall Draco had been practicing on.
"Destructivus Maximus!"
The wall exploded into a million bits of broken rubble.
"You see, Draco, what you were doing wrong?" Bella asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes.
"Yes," Draco sighed.
"Good," Bella said patiently. "Reparo!" She waved her wand at the pieces of granite, fixing the wall as if it had never been broken. "Try again, Draco." Bella took her place beside the other girl and watched Draco intently.
"Do you think he'll do it this time, Bella?" the girl asked.
"I hope so, Rana," Bella said, then lowered her voice. "After fifty tries, I really hope he does."
"Destructivus Maximus!" Draco shouted.
The wall exploded . . . not as magnificently as Bella's . . . but was destroyed nevertheless. Bella and seventeen-year-old Amarana Ravinike, began to clap.
"Good work, Draco!" Bella said happily, clapping her nephew on the shoulder.
He grinned and turned to Amarana, who was smiling at him.
"Great job, Draco!" she cried happily, her blue eyes sparkling.
She and Draco had been living with the Death Eaters ever since their escape from Hogwarts. After spending a month in the same home as Lord Voldemort himself, the Dark Lord had sent Draco, Amarana, Bella, and Draco's mother Narcissa to a secluded manor house in Wales, where the four had been living the past five months. It had been a happy time for Amarana; the only thing missing was her lover, Severus Snape.
Voldemort had chosen to keep Snape with him, telling Amarana that she needed time to adjust to her new life, become more accomplished in the Dark Arts, and for her own safety, be far away from the Death Eater's headquarters. Snape had agreed wholeheartedly about the safety issues, but was unhappy that she would be living with Draco and Bellatrix. Snape himself remained with the Dark Lord, as his intelligence and talents were needed by what was now known as the Dark Order.
After many tears and pleading to Snape, Amarana had settled into a full-on sulk. It was only after Voldemort himself explained to Amarana why he wished her to leave, that she agreed to go. The Death Eaters were shocked with his patient reasoning with the girl. Most wondered why the Dark Lord hadn't just ordered her to go, but then, Voldemort's attitude towards her had always been lenient as well as . . . for lack of better word . . . kind. The Death Eaters resented her for this, especially since she always took advantage of the Dark Lords favor . . . but without seeming to actually be taking advantage. Most assumed it was because of her impeccable bloodline, and since the Dark Lord did nothing to discourage the rumor, most assumed it to be true.
The Dark Order, for the first few weeks of Amarana's stay with them, had nothing to do but sit around and lie low. Being that they were a proud, jealous, and quarrelsome lot, Amarana was the subject of many derisive comments for a while, and even with the Dark Lord's protection, her life there had been made both wonderful and horrible. But she was far away from the now, and life at the Meadow, the name she and Draco had given their new home, was pleasant and enjoyable. Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother, was so happy to have her beloved son home and alive; that she ran the few house-elves ragged making the place comfortable for him. She was equally attentive to Amarana, who enjoyed the attention and had come to love Narcissa as if she were her own mother. Narcissa made sure her two charges were always clean, comfortable, well-fed, and well-rested, at the same time making sure they stayed out of trouble.
Days at the Meadow had fallen into a routine. They woke up early, had breakfast, and then lounged about the manor for a couple of hours until Bella called them out for lessons. Bella made sure the two teenagers kept up with the lessons they would have had if they had continued at Hogwarts, but also set them to learning actual Dark Arts as well as Defensive and Healing magic. The lessons were hard and extremely complicated, even for Amarana, who had been advanced with her schoolwork before. However, with extra tutoring from his Aunt Bella, Draco had soon caught up to Amarana and they were now as equals in their magical skills, even if both had entirely different weaknesses. Draco's was a lack of focus and being easily frustrated. Amarana thought too hard about each spell and took her time to perform them, substituting perfection for the speed that, in a real battle or duel, could cost her precious seconds.
As hard as lessons were, Narcissa made sure the two young people had free time, insisting to her sister that two children such as they couldn't learn well if they were overworked or underfed. She made sure they lunched at noon, ensured their lessons were over an hour before their six o'clock dinnertime, and sent them outdoors for a few hours after dinner to get some exercise. She always made sure they were in bed by ten, checked them during the night to see if they were sleeping all right, feeling their foreheads to see if they were cold or hot and adjusting the temperature in the manor accordingly.
Amarana enjoyed the pampering, as did Draco. Narcissa's attentions also included her sister Bella, and the once-gaunt figure was now plump and beautiful once more. Only three incidents had marred their peaceful life. The Death Eaters attempted to rescue the ones in Azkaban, including Lucius, Draco's father, but had failed. Draco and Narcissa, who had been looking forward to Lucius' homecoming, were devastated. Two weeks later, during a skirmish with the Order of the Phoenix, Snape had been seriously injured in the shoulder. He had been sent to the Meadows to recover, with Amarana acting as nurse, but his left arm would never be the same . . . would always be stiff and slightly painful. And a month after that, the worst news of all.
Rodolphus Lestrange, Bella's husband, had died in Azkaban. He had been beaten to death by one of his guards. And although they learned that the Ministry had incarcerated the guard, the knowledge did not pacify Bella, who alternated between sobbing hysterically and vowing revenge. Draco, Amarana, and Narcissa had to take turns watching over her for the first week after his death, making sure Bella didn't Apparate away on a suicidal quest to Azkaban to kill the guard.
Soon, though, Bella calmed down, having been given instructions by Voldemort to stay where she was, as well as a promise that she would be allowed to take revenge very soon. Life returned to the routine they had begun, and the four were as happy as they could be without their loved ones close by. Amarana knew that these hardships were as much a part of what they all had to learn as the actual lessons themselves. They were learning patience, fortitude, how to control their emotions, how to obey orders even when their hearts screamed the opposite.
All valuable qualities in a Death Eater.
Amarana's attention turned back to the lesson at hand, as it was now her turn to destroy the wall. Bella and Draco watched as she took a few steps forward.
"Destructivus Maximus!" she cried.
Nothing.
"Destructivus Maximus!"
Still nothing.
"Destructivus Maximus!"
The wall burst apart with not a brick left standing. While Draco and Bella were congratulating her, Amarana shook her head.
"It's very difficult to get the exact wand movement down, Bella."
Bella nodded. "It is. But with practice, the movement will become easier. I had problems with this spell too, but it soon became second nature."
"Hark who's talking!" Draco laughed at her. "Didn't the Dark Lord teach you himself? Who couldn't learn perfectly at his elbow?"
A fanatical gleam momentarily spread throughout Bellatrix's gaze. "Yes . . . he was the best teacher . . ." Her pupils dilated as she focused on the horizon, remembering the long-ago lessons. "They were the best days of my life."
Amarana looked down at the grass. She had grown to love and idolize the older woman, but Bella's short periods of seeming insanity and fanatical obsession with the Dark Lord sometimes made Amarana uncomfortable and more than a little afraid.
Moments later, Bella's eyes came back into focus and she smiled. "The two of you have done well today. The Dark Lord will be pleased that you have been able to perform the Destruction spell. It is a feat that precious few of your age could accomplish, and one many witches and wizards find very difficult. You will have to practice the spell until you can manage to perform it several times in a row before we can move on to another, and I will still require you to practice it daily for at least half an hour until I think you are proficient."
Draco and Amarana nodded in agreement. "Yes, Bella," they answered simultaneously.
"Now . . ." Bella began.
She was interrupted by the loud pop of a house-elf Apparating next to her. The elf bowed clumsily, clearly terrified.
"Yes, Libby?" Bella asked haughtily.
"Miss Bellatrix, Miss Narcissa sent me to tell you that . . . that the D . . . Dark Lord and . . . and Master Snape is here t . . . t . . . to see you, Miss Amarana, and Master Draco."
Draco and Amarana exchanged glances. Both had immediately had the same thought . . . who on our side has been killed?
Amarana laid a hand on Draco's arm as his face turned pale. She knew he was thinking of his Uncle Rodolphus, wondering if the same fate would soon be his fathers. She looked at Bellatrix to see the woman's lips pressed tightly together.
"Come along, you two," Bella said quietly as she lead the way back towards the manor.
They all hurried through the great oak doors and into the foyer to wash their hands and faces and slip on clean robes before coming into the parlor. Mrs. Malfoy met them in the corridor as she gave instructions to another house-elf that was supposed to be preparing tea for their guests. Draco and Amarana followed Bella into the parlor and dropped to their knees.