Tomita woke up in her bed. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up. As the sleep slowly vanished from her mind she felt an itching pain coming from her left arm. She raised it in front of her eyes and observed it with a little smile on her lips. There was the Dark Mark, newly burned onto her skin with the help of dark magic. She closed her eyes and recalled the look of the Dark Lord as he gave it to her, his eyes were penetrating her soul, yet she hadn't turned her gaze away. She had stared at him intensively and he had stared at her, and then smiled. He had still held her wrist firmly when he bowed down and kissed her.
She was still smiling when she put on her clothes and went out of the dorm. She greeted her Slytherin friends and went straight for the Great Hall to eat. "Tomita!" a voice called as she entered. Albus Dumbledore came walking toward her. "Where were you yesterday?" he asked. Tomita looked at him defiantly. "At a graveyard", she answered cockily, "Lucius was so kind as to ask me to come with him. He said the Dark Lord was waiting, and Merlin, was that true!" she smiled at the headmaster who slowly shook his head. Then he reached for the girl's arm and carefully exposed her skin. He examined it for a while, and then looked up at her terrified. "It's as I thought, then. But why, Tomita?" She stared at him. "Why I'd join my Father? You must be joking!" He let go of her arm. "I'm not joking", he said seriously, "You don't have to follow him, your sister is..." "She's not my sister! Just because we have the same mother doesn't mean.... doesn't make her-"
She was interrupted by an owl which circled only one foot above her head. "We shall speak again" Dumbledore said and disappeared through the door. Tomita irritatedly glared at her owl and released the paper it had brought. "There you are" she muttered as she sat down at the Slytherin table, giving the owl a piece of bread. She stretched her arms up in the air and took a deep breath. "How rude of him calling that disgusting traitor my sister" she spat out to the table. "I suppose that's what happens when you mix up your genes like that."
After finishing her breakfast Tomita headed out for some sunlight, but was distracted just as she exited through the huge door by a well-known voice asking for her attention. She sighed and turned around, but instead of returning inside, she lingered in the doorway for the person to catch up with her. She wouldn't miss the first sunny day in weeks for anything less than him.
"Tomita, I'm glad we get to speak so soon again." Dumbledore nodded affirmatively. "I wish I could say the same to you, Sir." She looked coldly at him and started walking toward the lake. To her surprise, she could hear laughter beside her. Puzzled, she turned to face him. "What's so funny?" Dumbledore smiled at her. "It's so sweet how you always offend me with such courtesy." He winked at her, and she felt her insides trying to get out. "I... I do not... not... m-mean to..." The shocked girl paused and took a few hard breaths. "I do not mean to be sweet!" she said fiercely. "Of course you don't" the old man said with a friendly smile.
The young witch sat down just by the lake and took off her shoes. She closed her eyes and breathed in the sweet scent of spring. "What a sight" she heard the headmaster say. "Anyway, Tomita, I'm curious. Is your hatred toward me real or are you just trying to please your family?" She lay down and opened her eyes, allowing the question to slowly sink in. "Why would my family have anything to do with it, professor? I'm fully capable of getting my own impressions without having anyone telling me what to think." He sat beside her, thoughtfully twirling his beard. "Of course you are. Now, could you tell me what happened last night?"
