Chapter III
The morning came and Chloe awoke, hardly feeling refreshed at all. There were no windows in her tiny room, so she quickly washed out her mouth and ran up the stairs. To her relief, it was no later than dawn and she let out a sigh of relief. Gideon had told her to be ready early and she was too terrified to find out what would happen if she didn't make it on time. In the kitchen, she heated up a griddle and cracked a few eggs over it, then used it to toast bread the eggs were done. Chloe had looked for a toaster, but didn't find one. With her muggle mother doing much of the cooking as she grew up, she was used to such muggle conveniences. Being in Gideon's pureblood household, she wasn't surprised that he would be too proud to own such appliances.
With the steaming breakfast placed on a tray, Chloe ascended the stairs and knocked lightly on the door. "Sir, your breakfast is ready," she called.
"Hnnuhh?" Gideon groaned sleepily.
"Am I too early, sir?" Chloe fretted. "I can come back later."
"I'm up now, so you might as well come in now," Gideon said.
Chloe opened the door and stepped in. "Where would you like me to set it, sir?" she said quietly.
"The table in front of the couch," Gideon said as he got out of bed. Chloe walked over, setting the plate and silverware on the table. She stepped back and Gideon began cutting his eggs.
After watching Gideon eat for a while, Chloe started shifting from foot to foot, feeling like she should be doing something more useful than just waiting. "What would you like me to do today sir?" she asked, hoping to be ordered to do something to keep her occupied.
"I don't know," Gideon snapped. "I just got up. You can't expect me to have planned your day out already."
Chloe's head hung lower and she tried to nod her head, but the movement came out jerky from her shaking. It took Gideon a while to eat his breakfast and he didn't eat any quicker knowing that Chloe was waiting for him. He wiped his mouth and let his utensils clatter onto his plate.
"Walk with me," Gideon ordered having finished his breakfast. He got up and left his room with Chloe following at a respective distance behind him.
Outside Gideon's mansion, he pointed out the vast gardens to her. "There is weeding and daily watering to be done," he said.
The flowers' beauty must have once been breathtaking, but the gardens looked like they had been neglected for quite some time. The dirt had dried and cracked and thorns grew between the plants, overshadowing them. Inside the mansion, the windows needed to be cleaned and each room needed to be dusted.
"Get as far as you can today," Gideon said.
Chloe nodded as he spoke. "Yes sir," she said once he had finished and she bowed slightly. "I shall get to work then, sir."
"Eat a breakfast first," Gideon added before leaving Chloe by herself.
A few hours later, the crystal clear notes of Chloe's soft singing could be heard throughout the mansion, traveling up the stairs and through each hallway. As Chloe wiped the grime off the windows, she sung the same lullaby her mother had sung to her before bed when she was a young child. Its tune was simple, but captivating.
Walking around inside the mansion, Gideon passed by the windows Chloe was watching. His footsteps alerted her of his presence and she paused in her singing.
"Don't stop; it's lovely," Gideon said.
Chloe gulped and hesitantly started singing again but the song wasn't as nearly as pretty as it had been before since she knew Gideon was listening.
"My colleagues are coming over this evening," Gideon interrupted. "When you are done with those windows, prepare food for them. Cucumber sandwiches and fruit will do fine."
Chloe nodded quickly. "Yes sir," she said and continued to clean, too nervous to sing anymore.
"Clean yourself up too. Wash your hair. It looks especially dreadful. You need to look more presentable for when the Dark Lord joins us," he added and left the room.
Chloe's heart nearly stopped. "Yes sir." She bowed and quickly finished her work. When she was done, she went to her room and turned on the faucet in her sink. The sink had both cold and hot water handles but no matter which ways she turned them, the water remained freezing cold. As quick as she could, Chloe dunked her hair under the running faucet and scrubbed at her hair. Once she was satisfied that she had gotten most of the grease and dirt out from it, Chloe tossed her hair back over her shoulders and headed to the kitchen to prepare the food for her master's guests. She couldn't have been more relieved to escape the freezing water.
The evening approached rapidly and Gideon ordered Chloe to open the front door and to take cloaks when necessary. Chloe stood by the door and when she saw approaching guests, she opened it wide for them with a "Good evening, sir" or a "Good evening, ma'am". She would then close it behind them and ask if she could please take their cloaks from them. Even though Chloe made sure she kept her eyes down when the guests entered, she still wasn't able to shelter herself from their sneering and apparent disgust.
"Why doesn't Gideon greet us himself instead of leaving us at the hands of his worthless slave?" one Death Eater complained to her companion. With each of these degrading comments, Chloe felt herself trying to sink lower and lower into the floor. She was thankful they left her alone besides those short comments. Each one of these faces Chloe had seen on 'Most Wanted' posters during the war and she had even fought against a few. It was well known that each and every one of these people here tonight was dangerous.
Just like every other Death Eater before, Chloe recognized Amycus Carrow as he stepped through the door.
"Good evening sir," Chloe said and then shut the door behind him. "Would you permit me to take your cloak for you, sir?"
Instead of getting a haughty yes-or-no reply, Amycus turned towards Chloe and whipped out his wand. He used it to tilt her chin up, forcing her to look at him. Chloe allowed for her chin to be lifted, but she still refused to look him in the eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and she looked off to the side.
"What pretty eyes," he murmured. "And a pretty face." A few fingers reached out to stroke her cheek and Chloe's breath came out in short, ragged bursts. "It's a wonder Gideon hasn't messed it up yet. Did he tell you what happened to his previous slave?"
"Leave her alone, Carrow!" Gideon ordered, having seen Carrow from his spot further back in the entrance hallway.
The wicked grin quickly vanished from Carrow's face. "My apologies," he said monotonously.
Chloe took a step back from him but continued to slip the cloak off of Carrow's shoulders and to hang it in the main hallway's closet with all the others. Even though she was shaken, Chloe continued with her job until the last of the guests entered the mansion.
Voldemort was seated at one head of the large dining room table with Gideon at the other. Nagini slithered on the floor, winding her way through the guests' feet and Chloe took extra care to not step on the highly esteemed snake. She made her way in between each seat, serving and refilling plates and cups.
The conversation in the room was not very lively. Not more than one person spoke at a time, entirely respectful in the Dark Lord's presence.
"What have you brought us together for, My Lord?" Gideon asked. While serving, Chloe silently eavesdropped into the conversation. She knew that she shouldn't be paying attention but she couldn't help her curiosity.
Voldemort paused and then started slowly. "Harry Potter. The Boy Who Did Not Live." He let out a grating laugh and the rest of the Death Eaters smirked at each other. "While on his futile quest to kill me for good, he managed to destroy quite a few of my horcruxes. It is crucial that I make more." Voldemort waited as the rest of his company nodded in agreement. "Find for me: the resurrection stone for I can conquer the effects of death, the broken remains of Potter's wand for no one can resist me, the sword of Gryffindor for I am not afraid of that which can cause me harm, and the body of a traitor for I will consume those that resist." He paused to let Nagini slither onto his shoulders and around his head. "Only I can live forever."
"Gideon," Voldemort addressed, staring him down from across the table.
"Yes, My Lord?" he replied.
"I put you in charge of bringing me what I require," Voldemort said.
"Understood, My Lord," Gideon responded.
Voldemort raised his head, this time looking at the side of the table. "Lucius Malfoy," he said. "Do you have any news to share with us?"
"My Lord," Lucius said, dipping his head, "there have been rumors of an underground rebel movement gaining strength. It looks as if the remaining blood-traitors, those Weasleys, have been leading it."
A thin smile crept across Voldemort's face. "Lucius, you know what to do. We strike tonight. Leave no survivors. We'll show them that the watchful eye of the most powerful wizard never sleeps."
Chloe couldn't help but to shudder at Voldemort's merciless words. Last she had heard, some of her closest friends had been staying with the Weasleys. She couldn't bear to lose them.
"My Lord," Lucius added timidly. "The blood-traitors will, no doubt, have protections around their base. I don't see how we can get past them."
"My, dear, Lucius," Voldemort said slowly, pronouncing each word separately. He picked up his wand – the elder wand – and cast a wordless charm on a piece of parchment that lay near him on the table. "Take this behind the defense lines and their protections will be lifted."
"But… how could I possibly do that?" Lucius stuttered.
Gideon rose from his seat. "My Lord, I'll take care of that."
Voldemort chuckled. "Always such a good boy."
Gideon snapped his fingers at Chloe, motioning for her to follow him. She bowed slightly and then fell into step behind him, leaving the room. When they the doors closed behind them, Gideon leaned down so that he was eye level with her and gave her the charmed parchment.
"Are you on a friendly basis with the Weasleys?" Gideon asked.
"Yes sir."
"Take my broom from the shed outside and fly to their house. Once you are inside, find a place to leave the parchment and hurry back here." Gideon raised his wand and transfigured Chloe's dress into regular clothes and more appropriate travel wear.
At a run, Chloe fled the house and threw open the door of the outside shed. Quickly finding Gideon's broom she straddled it and flew off into the night. The rush of wind against Chloe's skin thrilled her and she reminisced her days at Hogwarts where she played as a chaser for the Ravenclaw quidditch team. She would have loved to keep flying forever, but the Burrow was approaching quickly and she could already feel the pull of the tracking spell that was placed against her. If she was ever to run away, that spell would make her feel more and more like she wanted to go back to her master until it became almost unbearable. The longest anyone had been heard of resisting it was no more than a few hours. Gideon had given her permission to leave, so the effects of the spell were weakened, but he had ordered her to go quickly and Chloe could feel the reminder to do her duty hanging over her head.
She approached where she thought that the misshapen house had been, but she could only spot a wide open field. She landed and got off of her ground, puzzling at the sudden disappearance of the house. It had always been there and though it was rickety, it stood through the raids of the war. There was no way it could have disappeared now. Chloe's mind wandered back to her days hiding during the war. She had used protective spells on her own camps which disguised her tent. She figured that the same charms had been used on the Burrow.
"Hello?" she called, hoping someone would hear her. "Hello?"
George Weasley came running out from seemingly nowhere. "Chloe!" he shouted, hugging her. "I'm so glad you're safe. What happened to you? Mel told me that you said left the camp, but then you didn't return. We searched everywhere for you, but you had just disappeared."
Chloe was pressed for time and she was reluctant to tell him about being caught by snatchers. Certainly, she wasn't going to tell them about her master.
Hugging George back, she cut him off. "I'm fine. Look, I can't stay for long. I just wanted to see how everyone was doing."
"Well, come in! We just made some tea. You can stay for a cup, right?" He asked. Chloe was grateful that he was just too happy to see her to realize how suspicious her explanation was. Once she was past the protective borders and was able to see house, she stowed the parchment behind a plant in the garden.
George flung the door open. "Melanie! You wouldn't guess who's here!"
The sound of a door slamming spilled throughout the house was heard and Melanie's brunette head poked over the stairway railing. "Chloe?" she screeched. Her thundering footsteps shook the entire house and threatened to tear it down. Chloe was attacked by her best friend's crushing hug. "I am going to kill you! We had all though you were dead," Melanie shouted, but her voice showed too much relief for Chloe to take her threat seriously.
A sob caught in Chloe's throat. She couldn't help but to think of the end that her friends would soon meet; and all because of her. Shielding her face from her friends, she turned and ran out of the house.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this," Chloe apologized.
"No, Chloe, come back! You can't leave just yet," Melanie shouted.
"I have to…" Chloe could feel the binding spell gaining an almost unbearable intensity. "I'm so sorry…" She climbed onto her broom, ignoring her friends' shouting behind her as she flew back towards the manor. A few tears trickled down her cheek and were wiped away by the wind as she cried softly.
Hearing the swish of Chloe's broom, Gideon ran outside. "Is it delivered?" he asked urgently.
Chloe nodded. "Yes sir."
Gideon grinned wickedly. "Good girl. Wash the dishes and you can be done early for the night." He ran back into the mansion. "My Lord," he announced. "The boundaries are down."
"We strike now," the Dark Lord responded.
Before Chloe made it back into the dining room to clean up the dishes from dinner, every single Death Eater had disapperated to the Burrow. She carried armfuls of dirty dishes into the kitchen and started on scrubbing each one clean. Attempting not to cry, Chloe bit the inside of her cheek, but tears still stung her eyes until she sank to the floor. Curled up against the cabinets, Chloe rested her chin on her knees and mourned for her friends. With her eyes red and puffy, Chloe was not a pretty sight. Every few minutes, she would scream and pull at her hair. No sadness that Chloe had felt before could prepare her for this. She was all alone in this world now. Every person who had shown her compassion was gone as of that night. Her grief was unbearable.
Slowly, Chloe's tears subsided and she dragged herself up off of the floor to finish cleaning the dishes. She worked quickly so that she could be done by the time that Gideon returned, knowing that her master wouldn't want her around in this state. Not that Chloe even thought that she could face him after what he had done to her friends.
Gideon arrived back home earlier than Chloe had expected. She was putting away the last plate into the cabinet when he staggered into the kitchen, tired and battle-worn.
She bowed slightly seeing him. "Good evening sir. Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked quietly, having hardened her heart in the past hour and didn't allow herself to cry.
Gideon reached for a bottle of firewhiskey and not caring about dignity, ripped off the lid and chugged the entire bottle. "I'm fine, just go to bed." Gideon reached for the next bottle of whiskey and chugged that one down too. Worried, Chloe contemplated whether she should be leaving Gideon by himself in this state. She hesitated, but then after receiving a glare from Gideon, she hurried away and decided that disobeying her master would turn out to be an ill decision.
Further into the night, Gideon was still seated at the round kitchen table after having drunken a few more bottles of firewhiskey. Barely able to keep his head up, he took another swig before finally passing out. His head hit the table with a dull thunk. The beer bottle in his hand tipped over and spilled its contents across the table and into Gideon's hair and lap. A few seconds later, the bottle was released from Gideon's grasp where it rolled off the table and fell to the floor, shattering.