Alize was in the library again when Severus found her. She'd checked out several books and was now returning them, struggling to reach a shelf just out of reach in order to put back one of the volumes she'd read. He strode behind her. "Need a little help?"

"I…I've got it," she bit out, rising as far onto her toes as she could, straining, stretching and still unable to slide the book onto its shelf. He chuckled, placing his hands on her waist to lift her just enough to reach the shelf.

"I guess you did get it…"

She beamed as he lowered her back to the floor. "Told you I could," she joked, winking.

"I knew you would." He smiled. "It seems a lot of people have taken an interest in you."

"That so?" she asked, surprised. She really hadn't noticed all the people who had grown to want her.

"Black, the other Black, Pettigrew, the Dark Lord, Potter , Lupin…"

"Well that is quite a…Wait, back up…Dark Lord…?" she frowned up at him, her head cocked, clearly puzzled.

"Nothing… really…don't worry about it…oh…I forgot one…me…" He smiled, blushing slightly.

"You? Oh…But…Dark Lord?"

He smiled. "I don't know…it's a rumor in the Slytherin dorms…I wouldn't know…"

"That's a strange one just to throw in there," she said, walking away as she pondered what Severus had said. She paused to bend over and slide another book onto one of the lower shelves.

"It is…yes…interesting though, isn't it?"

"I'm sure it would be…if I knew what the hell you were talking about." She looked up at him from where she was bent, then straightened slowly, holding the last two of her books against her chest.

"Don't worry about it."

She chucked one of her books at him, laughing. "You're infuriating, you vague bastard."

"My apologies." He caught the book. "How can I make it up to you?"

"I don't know. What do you have in mind?" she turned to walk off down another stack.

"My guilt is quite great…I'd be willing to do anything you ask."

She looked back at him over her shoulder, biting her lip. Then she smiled. "Will you go with me to the lake today?"

"Of course."

"Then consider your apology accepted." She turned on her heel and quickly disappeared.

He followed after her, smirking to himself on his discovery.

She was adorable. He knew he shouldn't be thinking along those lines but she was. She sat down on her bottom in the middle of the lake, cupping water in her hands and studying the tiny life forms within. The light shone in her red hair, which she'd pinned to the back of her head, and made her green eyes light up.

He walked out, sitting beside her. "And what is the princess up to today?"

"Princess?" she asked, looking up at him through her lashes. The water spilled from her hands.

"You seem the type." He shrugged. Within a moment, Regulus sat down on her other side.

"Mind if I join the party?"

"Not at all." She scooped up another handful of water, promptly ignoring them.

"What're you doing out here?" He glanced at Severus, who could just barely detect a hint of nervousness about him.

"Playing." She raised the water up closer to the light.

"Playing?"

She turned to look at him, blowing on the water in her cupped hands. Wherever her breath touched, the water turned into bubbles and lifted into the air to caress his cheeks.

He smiled. "Beautiful. You…um…any luck with…your problem?"

"He hasn't cornered me in the common room yet. But that doesn't mean he isn't up to something."

"Well…we wouldn't treat you like that…sometimes Slytherins get a bad reputation…but we're a hell of a lot better than him…"

"I don't really listen to what people say about Slytherins."

"That's good. So…you wouldn't mind walking with me back to the common room for a bit…?"

"Regulus, are you sure that's a good idea?" Severus murmured, one brow raised. "The others might not take too kindly…"
"The others will have to deal with it." Regulus smiled, a glimmer in his eye.

She lowered her hands, dropping the water again. Her own eyes were sparkling with curiosity and interest. "I've never been in any of the other common rooms…"

"I'll be glad to show you when you are done…playing…"

"I'm done." She stood up, splashing water onto both Severus and Regulus. It ran down from her hips to her toes, molding her tiny skirt to her thighs. They both watched her, mesmerized, before standing. Regulus walked just slightly behind her so he could watch her, while Severus walked beside her. She pulled herself onto dry land, pausing long enough to pull on her socks and shoes, fastening her robe closed around her soaked body.

The two boys led her to Slytherin House, and into the common room. Looking around, she didn't seem apprehensive as they expected. In fact, she seemed to relax a bit in the darkly decorated room as if it brought her comfort.

Severus tensed a bit as Amycus and Alecto Carrow approached her. He knew they'd heard what the Dark Lord had said and hoped they were smart enough to heed it and not as stupid as they normally were.

"This is the new little birdie everyone's talking about? She's not that pretty…" Alecto cackled to her brother.

Amycus shoved his sister roughly. "We hafta respect her," he hissed. "The Dark Lord…"

"Um…thanks…" Alize said with raised brows.

"Welcome to our home. Bitch," she added in a mutter, turning away. "Don't expect me to play nice with a Red."

"Nice to meet you, too," Alize called after her. A grin slowly spread across her lips.

"Sorry," Severus muttered, glaring after Alecto.

"It's alright. So, are you going to tell me about this Dark Lord, yet? Because that's the second time I've heard that title today and I still have no clue whom it refers to."

"Perhaps if we were in a bit more…private place…perhaps down in the dorm…"

"Lead the way."

He smiled, taking her hand and leading her through the crowd of people, most of them trying to watch her. Severus shut the door behind him as they stepped through into the dorm. "The Dark Lord is…well he's…a very powerful wizard…known throughout Europe for his power…" he said cautiously.

"Alright," she said, sitting down on the edge of his bed, still curious.

"He came into power first…starting about twenty years ago…and has remained undefeated since…" He bit his lip, pacing as he spoke, idly waving his wand behind his back.

"Undefeated?" she asked. Her brows furrowed. "That implies that people have tried to stop him from doing something."

"Yes…many have been…a little nervous of his position…he has a lot of power; people always fear power…"

"Yes…I know that…" the spell he was weaving was slowly slipping through her defenses and overtaking her.

"He has a lot of loyal followers…including…me…"

"You?" The knowledge seemed to relax her a bit more. She trusted him.

"Yes… the…the Death Eaters…He wishes for you to join them…us…"

"Me?" she asked, incredulous but not rejecting. "Why? What could I possibly have to offer?"

"You're highly skilled, Alize…the tales of your bravery and achievements have reached the Dark Lord…"

"And he is impressed enough to extend an invitation?" she asked, once again curious, a bit confused, but not dismissing.

"Yes…if you would like to accept, I can take you to him…"

"I…don't know. I still know very little about the whole situation…" The spell wasn't working as well as he'd hoped. Her guards, even relaxed, were strong enough to keep the spell working at full force on her.

"What more must you know? You trust me, don't you?"

"Yes." That wasn't the spell talking. She really did trust him. But the more he worked her, the more the spell sank into her and soon he'd have her right where he needed her.

"He does not yet know what job would be suited to you…but perhaps just one meeting with Him…"

"One meeting." Her own natural curiosity was her downfall in this situation. Her desire to learn more of this Dark Lord combined with the spell, allowing it to sink fully into her. "Yes, I'd like that."

"Tomorrow night, then…? Or tonight?" he breathed, hoping, with a half of a smile. He would be rewarded for completing the task so early…

"Tonight."

He took her hand, pulling his sleeve up and pressing his other hand into his dark mark. I've got her… Almost immediately the mark began to burn, tugging them away. It was a long moment before he realized he was the only one the Dark Lord had called so that the only ones in the room were the Master, himself, and Alize. "I have brought you the girl, my Lord…"

Alize blinked, disoriented. She'd lost her hair pins during the Disapparation and her hair fell down around her as she steadied herself.

The young man stepped closer, appraising her as His snake wove around his body. "She has promise," he murmured in his deceivingly quiet and calm voice, his lips lifting in a ghost of a smile. Alize's eyes followed him as he moved around her. The compulsion spell was still within her and Severus was grateful for that. It would make her more apt to accept everything the Dark Lord had to say and prevent her from speaking out in a dangerous way.

"I will personally watch over her. She may return to her place at school but first I will give her my mark." He stopped in front of her. "Look me in the eyes, child."

Alize's pale eyes lifted to meet his Master's black ones.

He seized control of her mind, delving into her most private memories, before pulling away, content. "Pull off your shirt, so that I may mark you." He pulled out his wand.

Alize immediately shrugged out of her robe, revealing her wet skirt still clinging to her thighs. She undid her shirt with quick, nimble fingers before dropping it to the floor with her robe, leaving her standing there in her soaked skirt and a black bra.

"Is…is that necessary, my Lord?" Severus asked, unable to look away from Alize's figure.

"Are you questioning me, Severus?" His eyes rose to Severus's.

"No sir, of course not."

The Dark Lord ran his wand down her front, slowly, looking over her body as he did. Alize shivered at the contact, soft tremors moving through her small frame. The tip came to rest just below her navel before he pressed it into her skin, the Dark Mark emerging from his wand. He knew just how painful receiving the mark was. But Alize didn't move, didn't cry out as so many others had. Her eyes never left his Lord's and her body never even tensed. The Dark Lord's lips curled in the smallest smirk. "Welcome to the Death Eaters, Alize Warren."

"Thank you," she murmured, the first words she'd said since they'd arrived.

"I shall call you back to me when I am ready for you." Nagini slithered up his body, her head lifting beside his own, hissing in his ear. He made several hissing noises back before nodding, raising his wand and dismissing both of them.

Severus sighed in relief as they were returned to his dormitory. "That went better than I could've hoped."

Alize sat down on his bed, staring down at her freshly marked skin.

"Y-you should put on your sh-shirt…" He looked around, realizing they had left it behind. "Oh…um…perhaps you could borrow mine."

"Please?" she looked up at him. "I'm freezing."

He pulled out a shirt from his drawer, handing it to her. "Are you alright? He can be a bit…intimidating and the Mark does hurt…a lot…"

"Hmm?" she asked, sliding the shirt on over her head and pulling her hair from the collar. "It's no worse than what I'm used to."

"Right…um…time to face the others…" he muttered, moving to open the door. "She's been accepted… marked," he whispered to Regulus who stood outside the door.

"You took the credit for it all, didn't you?" he hissed back.

"Don't worry about it, Black. You will get your chance." He smiled, leading Alize from the room. People tried to see her arm but were disappointed to see nothing was there.

Severus smiled, though a bit uneasy as to the meaning of what the Dark Lord had done. "You can't tell anyone about what happened tonight, Alize," he whispered as they walked from the common room out into the hall.

"Who would I have to tell?" she asked. "I don't have any friends other than you and you already know."

"Alright…I don't know when he would summon you again…but you must answer the call immediately or it will cause a lot of pain…"

"How do I do that?"

"Just…give in…let Him pull you away…"

She nodded. "Is that all then?" she asked quietly. "It's late… I'm suddenly exhausted…"

"For now. I…thank you…Be careful…and…Good night…"

"Night." She headed off toward her own common room, not looking back at him once as she walked away. He turned back into the Slytherin common room.

"I knew it," Alecto said haughtily. "He rejected the bitch."

Severus turned toward her with a knowing smile. "I'm afraid that's not so. He has marked her."

Several people drew closer. "Where? I didn't see it."

"He marked her in a different place." He pointed. "Right there. She is obviously special…" All eyes were on the spot he'd indicated on his own body, beneath his belly button, nestled at the center most point between his hips.

"Impossible. The little blood traitor can't be more important than his most faithful…" she cried, incredulous.

"You think to question the Dark Lord, Carrow?"

"No," she said, quickly, looking around fearfully. "All of you know my devotion…"

"And you have just called His chosen favorite a blood traitor in front of his followers. You should hope for our mercy and His own, Alecto."

She glared at him. "You're just a filthy Half-blood, Snape."

Severus's smirk grew wider. "I shall leave you to your fate, Alecto. Amycus…I would suggest controlling your sister." He walked back toward his dormitory. "Good night, all. Hopefully it will not be your last."

Sirius watched Alize enter the common room looking dazed and unlike herself. She glided through the room like a ghost, not looking at anyone, marching straight up the dormitory steps. She'd been wearing a men's shirt that was several sizes too large for her and when she walked it pressed against her stomach and he swore he saw the faintest glimpse of something black on her belly. Her robe was missing entirely. He sat back in his seat, confused. "Do…do you think she's seeing someone…?" he whispered, crestfallen to James.

"Of course not, mate…"

"Oh, no…she's merely wearing some man's shirt and has been in the Slytherin dormitories for the past two hours with Severus Snape," Remus looked up, with his brow raised. "Give it up."

Sirius glared at him. "Never…"

Remus rolled his eyes, returning to his book.

"Has anyone seen Wormy lately…?"

"No. He's been sick…hasn't he?" James said, uncertainly.

Suddenly, he came from upstairs, breathing heavily as if he'd been running. "I've been…getting the pictures you asked for…Sirius…"

Remus's eyes narrowed on Sirius. "Pictures, eh?"

"I…I'd been kidding, of course…leave them on my bed," he whispered to Peter.