Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'
Edgar Allan Poe-The Raven
They had reached the same room they had been in before and it seemed quieter than it had been. The lights were dim, the noise of the music was softened. Adeline could feel and hear her heart beating in her chest. Apparently Snape could too, as he spoke softly to her, loud enough so only she could hear.
"Calm Down, Berube. He'll sense you are afraid and it will anger him." he paused. "Usually, it only excites him more. Like a hunter searching for the doe. When he sees the fear in her eyes, that is when he knows he has prevailed, and the doe can no longer turn back. She is forever lost. Do not lose yourself, or you will lose your life tonight."
He turned to walk away, leaving her alone once again. "Do not fret. It will all be over soon. Then you can go home safety as you were before."
That only worried her more. "What does he want with me, really?"
"I have no idea. And if I had, I wouldn't spoil the surprise. For one, I'd probably be severely punished. Two, where would the fun be if I had told you?" His face had hardened more so, there was no hint of sarcasm this time.
He looked sad.
"Well, thanks a lot Snape. You've been so helpful tonight on my behalf. Don't strain yourself too much though, I wouldn't want you to be punished." Adeline snapped.
At that moment the sound of doors crashing open erupted throughout the merry hall. It went quiet instantly and everyone, except Adeline, bowed slightly to the newcomer. Stubborn to a fault, she did not budge. Not until she was spoken to. A soft voice echoed towards her, and she had no choice but to turn to the one whom had called.
The red eyes, the sunken in cheekbones. The man who closely resembled a snake. Tom Riddle. Voldemort. This Dark Lord. He didn't look like much to Adeline. He looked like a fragment of what was once a man. Now what is an empty shell of something that isn't even human anymore. Just..just a thing.
"Come here, my child." the soft voice of Voldemort cooed.
She listened. Walking over to him hesitantly, she placed her hand in his beckoning one, shivered at the contact. "My child, you have nothing to fear. We have been expecting you for some time now." he said softly to her, as if she were a child.
He had a strangely soft voice.
"My lady, you are needed in....not a ritual exactly..." he waited a few moments, searching for the words. "We were in need of a witch who was of "pure or innocent blood", one who had been in the process of defying what I stand for."
"Which is?" she thought to herself.
"Which is a world free of these half-bloods; blood traitors. Any imperfections that could taint the name of those more deserving of the powers we were gifted. You shall be the start of that, dear. Adeline Berube. You shall be the first step into creating our perfect world."
Adeline gave out a cry as the others swooped down over her, disappearing from sight. Severus Snape, not surprisingly, stayed behind. The Dark Lord smiled strangely at him. He walked..no....glided past his companion over to a table where wines had been throughout the night.
"Severus, Why are you not with the others? You had seemed so keep that it would be Adeline here tonight rather than sweet Lily Potter. Is there a problem?"
"My Lord, please forgive me. I thought we had agreed that I would not take part in such things when I joined you. I must have been mistaken."
Voldemort only smiled. "And if you ere to refuse now?"
"I'd have to humbly decline your offer, sir. I chose not to partake in whatever is going on down there."
The Dark Lord continued to smile as he pulled his wand out on the young man, and whispered "Crucio".
Adeline had never felt so much...pain, sadness, anger...all of these emotions at the same time, in her entire life. She was frightened, yes, but also confused. Why her, of all people? And why a "Pure or innocent" blood? Someone who had been up against him? She had joined because she thought it a worthy cause, fighting against the man..or his followers, who had killed her cousin. She had no idea just how deep she had gotten herself into until this night.
Those people; The feel of dirty hands and the smell of alcohol on the breath of her attackers. The harsh touch on her body, burning where ever their flesh grazed hers. The pain shooting through her body as a result of curses...and...Adeline didn't want to think about it. She was thinking, hoping, someone would stop this. Moments later, she had lost consciousness.
A bright and blinding light burst into the room where she was held, and a man swooped down from the perch he had sat. While his fellow comrades were incapacitated, the had escaped into the dark of the night into safety.
Into the sky they flew.
Hey, thank you for reading! I am sorry it is so short, I wanted to get this part out. I do not know when next I will be updating, as I go to college. And I do not know when I will be updating "Sounds of Silence" either as I am having a lot of trouble with it.
This one is going to be darker than my other stories. (Or I will attempt to do so, anyway.) I am not really one for smut, so please don't be expecting any.