Chapter 1
She was running down that long hallway with only one thing on her mind. Where was Heather? She was her usual dumb, cheerful self last night. If that even was last night. What time of the day was it? Forget that, it was finally the day for the other students and I to prove ourselves. The students had been told from the very beginning of this final task. Fatin was so excited to just be out of that place that it didn't much matter to her what she had to do, but she couldn't help wondering why Heather was missing. She snapped out of her reflections when something caught her ankle and pulled hard. Tumbling to the ground she saw a glimpse of the hundreds of plant tendrils slithering towards her. Bloody hell, she thought as she crashed onto the hard stone floor.
She reached down and ripped a tendril from her ankle, getting up just in time to avoid a couple more as she lifted her wand and yelled, "Reducto!" The plants exploded at several points and then slowly retreated into the shadows to wait for their next victim. She began to run again towards the green light at the end of the tunnel. It seemed much farther than usual and the cold air made it that much more difficult to breath.
Fatin was just wondering where the other students were when she heard a commotion behind her and then a person scream, "RELASHIO!" She didn't turn around to look, but kept on running. That voice undoubtedly belonged to Draco Malfoy, but it didn't much matter to Fatin if he got ensnared by the green tendrils. At least Fatin knew that this was the set time for the final task. She wasn't the only one missing her parental figure, either, since she could only hear one pair of feet beating against the floor behind her. Fatin's breathing was getting very shallow and pained by now so she slowed down about ten yards away from the door to a slow walk.
I have to get myself under control. This is my final test at D.E.A.T.H. I bet that Heather is just meeting me there instead of at the cell. Besides, it's not like I even care for Heather anyways, she's just the stupid woman appointed to be my 'mother figure'. Fatin thought this vehemently, getting closer and closer to that bright green light, but deep down she knew that she had become attached to the useless woman. Heather practiced such acts as "love" and "kindness", weaknesses that Fatin could not afford. The Dark Lord was the only one that could lead her to a power so great that wouldn't ever have to be afraid again.
With this in mind, Fatin steeled herself against any feelings of doubt that she had about the task she had to face and walked into the bright green light. Squinting, Fatin waited for her eyes to adjust and held her wand securely in front of herself. As Fatin's vision slowly came back she glanced around the room slowly, noticing the line of her fellow students sitting across from their parental figures. Fatin turned her head slowly, taking noted that Dolohov, their Professor, was standing at the back of the room behind the 'parents' with his arms crossed. As her eyes reached his face, she felt a flicker of fear pass through her. Dolohov never smiled unless someone was about to undergo a great amount of suffering.
"You're late, Fatin, and I'm afraid you've already missed half of the party by now. But I'm sure Heather can catch you up on the festivities. Take your seat." Dolohov seemed to say this with extra relish, no doubt because Fatin was the best student at D.E.A.T.H. and he hadn't yet been able to punish her as thoroughly as the others.
"Yes, Professor," Fatin replied and turned back to take a closer look at the line of parental figures in order to find Heather. What she saw deeply disturbed Fatin, and her stomach churned at the thought that Heather was somewhere in that group.
All of the parents had their hands and feet chained together, bruises covering those areas as well as others. Some even had cuts on them and their clothes were torn as if they had been dragged there through the hallway unwillingly. The worst part, however, was their eyes. They were no longer a human's eyes, but looked as if their soul had been taken by a dementor's kiss. The tears had stopped streaming from them, but Fatin could see the trails left behind on their dirty faces.
Heather was the third to last person in the row, Fatin recognized her by the usually brilliant red hair that was now frazzled and layered with dirt. Fatin went to take her place in front of her, staring a couple of inches above her head resolutely so that she did not have to see what Heather looked like.
"How nice of you to join us, Draco, take your seat and remember to meet me after in the hallway. You are the last to arrive." As Dolohov finished speaking, Fatin turned her head just in time to see Draco's pale face contort with horror when he saw the scene before him. He couldn't even muster a reply as he went to sit in front of Edgar, his father figure. It appeared that it was all he could manage to keep from whimpering like a wounded animal. He would do right to remember where he was, Fatin thought, unyielding to her inclination to sympathize with the boy. As they were all there to be ruthless death eaters any sign of compassion would ruin them. Even though everyone else there appeared mildly well, it was profoundly obvious that all of them had become attached in some way or another to their parental figures.
Dolohov started to pace the room, taking his time to pause at each student and examine their reactions. They're so weak and nubile. Dolohov thought, relishing the very idea of crushing their little hearts into thousands of pieces when he told them what, exactly, was their final test. Death Eaters, they called themselves. The Lord's Servants, they wanted to be. How ridiculous.
All of them are useless. Those children willingly fell right into the trap that the Lord had planned for them since the beginning. The only one who seems unfazed is Fatin but even she won't look at her mother figure! Such a disappointment. It was now clear to Dolohov that she, too, had grown soft. He would happily solve that problem for her, for all of them, so that they too would be ready to join the fight when the Dark Lord returned. Their final lesson begins now.
