A/N: I was in a writing mood today, so BAM! Got the second chapter up. Everyone, meet the Dawes family! There isn't a whole lot of elaboration on their personalities here, just their appearances and Draco's speculations. But, of course, this is where they are introduced, so I could only do so much, you see. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoy (and R&R!)

lalaxfresh: Thank you! I hope I can manage to make this good, but we'll just have to see. x3

I'm trying very hard to keep him in character with the sneering and the sarcasm and everything. xD Thank you for reviewing! 3

There was a silence in the room that Draco felt like he could cut with a knife. The Dark Lord seemed content to sit in the silence, staring at no one and most likely thinking. Draco decided that whatever was going on his mind, he didn't want to know. He would be lying if he said he liked to be in the Dark Lord's presence all the time. At first, he had found it thrilling and quite the honor to be able to be in the same room with him. If it were at all possible, he would have gloated to the whole school about how his family was trusted by the Dark Lord and how loyal his family was.

His feelings were the complete opposite now. He felt pathetic for trembling at the mere thought of having to be in the same vicinity as the Dark Lord. He didn't like how he and his family had the spotlight shining on them all the time. His family had never really been close to each other before, but since the Dark Lord came back... Whatever closeness was there shattered. The bond with his mother had weakened considerably, which was saying a lot. She had always been one of his favorite people. He knew she still loved him, and he adored her, but with the constant strain on them all, well... It just wasn't the same.

Draco looked around at all the Death Eaters present. Each had his or her gaze fixated on the Dark Lord, never wavering, hardly even blinking. They worshiped him. And even though Draco knew he was no exception, they looked pathetic. Each groveling at his feet without once spec of self preservation. He could barely understand why they would do such a thing, but he supposed that some types of humans gravitate towards power and will do anything to have or be near the source. He didn't grovel because he believed he already had power that others moved towards.

That was true, too. At Hogwarts, he had no real friends. He had people that hovered around him because of his family name, his wealth and influence. Well, okay, his father had the influence, but he was directly related to him, wasn't he? What was more, Draco liked having the feeling that people admired his power, and it made him realize that he and the Dark Lord were alike in that manner.

Before Draco could think on that connection more, suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed. He looked around, now aware that he had completely gone into his own world for a time. He spared a glance to his father who was staring at the oak doors that opened to the room. He hadn't heard the knock on the door, for when he was immersed in his thoughts, he hadn't heard anything. Bellatrix had gotten up and was moving to the door after the Dark Lord had ordered her to open it and bring his guests through. Draco braced himself for what was to come through the door, fully aware that it could be an innocent muggle, ready to be tortured because of their blood. It had happened before.

However, he needn't have worried. The people who walked through the door were walking on their own accord. There were three people. A woman with short dark hair and clear blue eyes led the way, striding confidently up the length of the table to immediately get to her knees before the Dark Lord. Following closely behind her was a man who Draco could only assume was either a brother or a husband. He had dark brown eyes and dirty blonde hair and was quite tall. Following them was a considerably shorter and younger girl, looking to be around Draco's own age. She had waist length brown hair and dark eyes, like the man. They had to be a family, because she looked like both the woman and the man mixed together.

The woman was the most confident, that was for sure. She had her eyes fixed on the Dark Lord the entire time and had that look in her eyes that the others had. She is just like the rest of them, Draco scoffed inwardly and rolled his man was looking around warily. He looked like he knew the risks. Smart man... The girl was trembling the slightest bit and stumbled when she got to the Dark Lord. Maybe no one else noticed it, but Draco had always been observant and was able to catch the smallest of things. She was afraid, he could tell, but who wouldn't be? She looked familiar, oddly...

"My lord," the older woman said with a note of adoration in her voice, "it is truly an honor to be in your presence." Draco wanted to gag. Did she know how pathetic she sounded? He shook his head in disbelief as the man uttered something along the same lines, but without the undying fervor that the woman had in her voice. The girl didn't speak at all, just kept her head bowed as she stayed kneeling on the ground.

Draco had heard his father saying something about how an old pureblood family had done something to gain the Dark Lord's attention, and his father hadn't seemed very happy about it. He hadn't heard exactly what they had done, but by the look on the Dark Lord's face, it must have been good for him. Quiet words were passed between the three of them, until Voldemort said, "Take a seat." All three of the kneeling strangers got up and moved to the empty seats across from Draco and his family. He scanned their faces with an expressionless face, and decided he already didn't like the look of them.

The woman looked like the obsessive type, a neat freak, maybe. Her robes had not a spec of dust on them, and were arranged perfectly. Not a hair was out of place on her head and her makeup was obviously carefully done. The man was probably of the silent but strong sort, he observed with a scoff. There was no use being like that if you wanted anything done. Draco knew from experience that if one wanted to get something done, you had to hit someone where it hurt and not feel any pity or remorse. That man looked like he would apologize for smashing a fly, and Draco could only wonder at what he had done to get the Dark Lord's attention. The girl was unimportant and he didn't waste time thinking about how she acted. He was more focused on the fact that he felt like he should know who she was. Her face looked familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"Your actions have proved you loyal to me, to my cause." The Dark Lord's voice pierced the icy silence that made the girl in front of Draco have the smallest of tremors. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. She definitely didn't know what her family was getting into. She wouldn't be prepared for it, of course. She looked like she was someone who scared easily.

A conversation was being carried by the other Death Eaters, the Dark Lord, and the strangers, except for the girl. She stared at the tabletop, hiding her face from any view as dark hair veiled her face.

By the sound of things over the period of time that Voldemort was obviously considering letting the Dawes family (which was apparently was their last name) into his circle of Death Eaters. Bellatrix and his father didn't look to happy at the thought of perhaps being outshone, but the Dark Lord seemed almost eager to bring the family in. Draco didn't pay much attention to the conversation until the Dark Lord suddenly addressed the girl who had not said a word upon entering the room.

"And who are you?" He asked with narrowed eyes and a skeptical tone to his voice. The girl's head snapped up and she looked the Dark Lord in the eye. She opened her mouth to speak, but her mother cut her off abruptly.

"She is our daughter, my lord," she said in a rushed breath, sending a glare to her daughter. By the look of it, she had been afraid that the girl would have said something that could have been disastrous.

"I realized that, Elise. I was talking to her, and I would like an answer from her, and not you." Draco knew that tone of voice. He had heard it when he was getting annoyed enough to start throwing hexes and go into one of his rages. Draco snorted. The woman really didn't know who she was dealing with, did she?

The girl looked almost glad she had a reason to speak up. "I'm Cecilia, my lord." Cecilia Dawes? No, the name still wasn't ringing any bells...

"Do you go to Hogwarts?" He asked, staring straight at her. She stared back, now unafraid and unwavering.

"Yes, my lord," she answered, and Draco frowned. She was tensing up, and he was sure her hands were balled into fists under the table.

"And what house are you in?" Draco's brow arched slightly as he watched her mother tense up as well, and her father throw a despairing look at his daughter.

"I'm a Hufflepuff, my lord." A confused silence enveloped the room until Bellatrix broke it with shrill, almost hysterical laughter. That was normal, however, Draco knew, so only the strangers looked worried. Draco felt like laughing at the girl too, though. A Hufflepuff? A Hufflepuff in a room of Death Eaters and a Dark Lord who had killed one of her housemates? Oh, oh, this was rich. But the Dark Lord didn't look fazed in the least. He quieted Bellatrix with the raising of his pale hand.

"Hufflepuff can be a noble house. They value loyalty above all else. Am I wrong?" Draco immediately looked to Cecilia who had been looking like she was about to go off.

"You are correct," she answered, her voice steely as she glared at his aunt. Her mother and father beside her seemed to relax a bit as the questions kept being directed towards their daughter and who exactly she was. Draco knew he was testing the girl, to see what he could do with her. He had done it before, and Draco had been a witness to that. He knew what happened to those who failed the test.

"I'm a sixth year, my lord," Cecilia was answering the latest question and had finally taken her gaze from the Dark Lord. Yeah, I'd get tired of looking at that face, too, thought Draco with a smirk. Instead, her gaze went to the others around her and landed on Draco himself. He sneered at her, as per usual. He had no affection for the trustworthy badgers. They were slow and they were not useful at all, as far as he was concerned. Serpents were the elite group, they would always be winning. She looked at him not with dislike or admiration but with confusion. Yeah, I don't know who you are either, Draco thought silently, still keeping that arrogant sneer on his face.

The Dark Lord must have noticed the two staring at each other, for he then spoke to the both of them. "Do you two know each other, Draco?" Grey eyes moved smoothly to the Dark Lord, and blinked. Draco shook his head, the sneer gone.

"Why would we?" That was a good question. They had never met before, never had had to come face to face with the other before. Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were on the opposite ends of the world, as far as he was concerned. If anyone was opposites, it was the two houses currently glaring at each other again.

"Well, we'll have to see to it that you get acquainted. Children of Death Eaters must stay close to each other." This time, when he heard the Dark Lord's voice, he didn't turn to him. He ignored the mutterings around him and movement and wondering at the Dark Lord's wish to make the Dawes into Death Eaters so soon.

"Draco, take Cecilia and show her around. You don't need to be here right now." Draco turned to see his mother close to him as the others gathered around the Dark Lord. He bit back a tart response, for he could never bring himself to snap at his mother, and nodded teresly. Since when did he have to become a babysitter for the Hufflepuff girl? With a exasperated sigh, he shot up from his chair, made a sharp hand movement to get the girl to follow him out, and stalked through the door without a glance behind.