She was running. She had to run. Something was holding her back. She needed to find him. She needed to explain. She could feel him. Feel his rage. It was boiling. It would mean doom.
Her doom.
She didn't care. She just needed to run fast. Something was weighing her down.
The object weighing her down was in her arms. It was all she cared about. She must protect it.
She ran to the place that only they knew of. The place that no one else had discovered. The sacred place. The please where their love had been united. He would be there. She was sure of it. He had to be there.
She ran up to the hidden entrance and spoke the spell automatically. A door had appeared, and it began to open. She continued to run as the door disappeared behind her. She could see his form in the distance. "My lord!" She yelled. "My lord, I beseech you!" He immediately tensed. He slowly turned around. His eyes were red. Blood red.
"It's too late." He said. She fell to the ground, cradling the object in her arms, awaiting her death.
Yet death never came.
Instead, she someone was shaking her and calling her name.
"Miss Sephy! Miss Sephy must wake up!" Persephone opened her eyes as relief coursed through her. It was just a dream. The same dream she'd been having for years. She quickly put it out of her mind. No reason to dwell over dreams that were no doubt brought about by a lack of sleep and some butterbeer. She'd worry about it later.
"Alright, I'm awake, Sody! Will you stop shaking me for Merlin's sake?" Persephone said annoyed as she tossed her house elf off of her bed and onto the floor.
"Sody is sorry, Miss Sephy." The poor house elf stated as she cast her eyes down.
"As you well should be. What on Earth would make you think you could awake me? We did not arrive home from the ball until quite late, and I did wish to catch up on some sleep. Now, is there a reason you chose to burden me with your presence?" Persephone chided the elf.
"There is a young gentleman here to see Miss Sephy. He is waiting in Miss Sephy's parlor." Sody said as she helped Persephone out of bed and put on her robe.
"Well what took you so long to tell me? I am hardly decent! Go pick out a suitable dress for me, will you?" Persephone ordered. She was confused. She did not know who would come to her at such an hour. If it was Damon he would have just walked in, and Sody would not have announced him. But who else could it be? Her mind drifted over options, before coming to the masked, nameless man who she had danced with last night.
"Did you happen to see who it was?" Persephone asked as Sody dressed her.
"No, Miss. A handsome one, if Sody can be so bold." The house elf giggled. Persephone gagged.
"No, you may not be. Now, if you would hurry up I could go greet the guest." Persephone snapped as she put on shoes and went into her private parlor.
Putting on the air of nobility, she walked into her parlor. Looking out of the window towards the gardens was a tall man with shaggy black hair. "Alphrad," Persephone said after the first shock of disappointment subsided. "What are you doing here?"
"Is that how you greet me, Seph?" Alphrad teased, putting a hand across his heart, "and here I thought you cared!"
"Are you quite done with the theatrics, or are you never going to answer my question?" Persephone said with a smile.
"Touchy. What's the matter? Not enough sleep after the ball?"
"Actually, no. I would have, but you decided to wake me up at the crack of dawn." Persephone replied.
"Now who is using the dramatics?" Alphrad replied. "Besides, what I need to talk to you about cannot wait. Let us take a walk. It is beautiful outside."
"This is going to be serious, isn't it?" Persephone asked as she latched her arm through Alphrad's and went onto her family's estate.
"Is our tree still there?" Alphrad asked, ignoring Persephone's question.
"Of course. Still has the marks and everything." Persephone said as they walked off to a large tree with 'Blacks drool' 'Seph is the best' and 'Alphie smells' written on it. But Alphrad ignored all of this and immediately outlined with his finger what was carved below all of this. 'Alphie + Sephy = Best mates forever.'
"Do you remember when we carved this?" Alphrad asked Persephone, still touching the carving on the tree.
"Absolutely. Your father was over doing business with mine, and we had locked your siblings in an empty room and told them it was empty." Persephone smiled at the memory.
"Yes. I believe my lovely sister had torn your dress." Alphrad said, still glancing at the carving.
"I just had a new one made." Persephone said with a smirk.
"I always promised to protect you, Persephone." Alphrad said solemnly as he turned to Persephone.
"Not that you've ever needed to." Persephone said defiantly. Alphrad for once did not smile at Persephone's stubbornness.
"There are things in this world so evil that you cannot even comprehend." He told her. "Persephone, I love you." Alphrad confessed.
"Alphrad, I-" Persephone started.
"No," Alphrad interrupted. "You need to listen to me. Do you know where your father and uncle are?" He questioned.
"No, to finish your game of twenty questions." Persephone said with confusion.
"I do. They are currently meeting with a man named Voldemort."
"If I hear that name one more time, I'm going to scream." Persephone said with frustration.
"Of course," Alphrad chuckled, "it's a name that had not revolved around you. If only it would stay that way."
"I would very much appreciate it if everyone would stop treating me as if I were five and explain to me what in the bloody hell is going on." Persephone said as she crossed her arms around her chest.
"I assume you were told the reason for the ball." Persephone nodded. "Well, it was a success. Someone has caught the Dark Lord's interest." Alphrad spat. "That person is you."
"So a man has shown interest in me. It's hardly the first time that has happened. If your jealousy is what is causing all this drama, then I would like to go and do something productive." Persephone said annoyed.
"You foolish girl. You don't understand. He's dangerous!" Alphrad said.
"So what would you have me do? You are making something out of nothing. If that is all, then I must insist you leave. I would like to hear this nonsense from my father when he returns from wherever the hell he is."
"Persephone, I have a bad feeling about this. I feel as though I've seen a grim. I just want you to be careful. I also want you to know that I will always watch out for you, no matter what happens." Alphrad said, grabbing Persephone into a tight hug. "Good bye, Seph." And with that, Alphrad apparated just in time for Sody to come running out.
"Miss Sephy! Master Seth wants to see Sephy in his office with Master Haine!"
"Right on schedule." Persephone stated as she walked back into the manor, making sure to "accidently" trip Sody on the way in.
Persephone walked up to the great sliding wood doors that stood in front of her father's office and knocked.
"Come in." Her father instructed.
"Father, Uncle." Persephone stated as she walked into the room and bowed to each one respectfully.
"Sit down, daughter." Her father instructed as Persephone sat down in the seat across from her father's desk and next to the chair that was currently occupied by her uncle.
"You always were my favorite, Persephone," Haine said warmly as he smiled at his niece.
"Indeed. You have made us proud." Seth said with more sincerity than his brother.
"What is this about, father?" Persephone said, feigning ignorance. She doubted very much that her conversation with Alphrad would have been warmly received by her father.
"I trust you remember our conversation about the purpose of the ball?" He asked rhetorically. "Well, it seems you did your part well. The Dark Lord requested an audience with your uncle and myself privately this morning after another meeting with the rest of the families had ended."
"And what was the nature of this meeting, papa?" Persephone asked curiously.
"The Dark Lord a few months ago requested a manor to be built both to house him, as well as to provide a safe place for our meetings. This manor, thanks largely to your Uncle and I, has finally been completed. It was upon this completion that the ball was held. The manor needs a mistress." Seth explained in a formal and somewhat awkward tone that he had always used when he wished to tell Persephone something that he knew would displease her.
"As all great manors do, father." Persephone said without really knowing how to respond. "And what does this have to do with me?"
"Oh Seth, quit beating around the bush," Haine said as he did the famous Bourgoyne eye roll. "Persephone, he has requested that a group of young men and ladies from the noble families come and help run the manor beginning next week. There, they will also be trained to fight for our most noble cause."
"What does this have to do with the ball? Is phase one of the training waltzing?" Persephone asked with waning interest.
"Don't be silly, this isn't a joke," her uncle chided her. "The ball was for the Dark Lord to judge who would be the most worthy of having the honor of coming to his manor and to be trained by the man himself."
"Did he find his plan fruitful?" Persephone asked.
"Indeed." Seth answered. "At the meeting he gave a list of those lucky few who would have the honor."
"And you, my dear, are one of the lucky few." Haine finished, flashing the Bourgoyne smirk. "The luckiest, in fact." Haine said with a greedy glint in his eyes.
"How so?" Persephone asked with her attention and curiosity rising to its former height at the beginning of the conversation.
"After the meeting with the rest of the families, Lord Voldemort requested a private audience with us. He said he was pleased with us, and gave us both a great honor." Seth explained.
"What honor is this?" Persephone interrupted.
Seth smiled. "You'll see in time, my dear. After we were awarded the honor, he dismissed us. As we were walking out the door, he called to me, almost as in an after thought."
"His exact words, I believe, were 'oh, I almost forgot,'" Haine interjected, still adorning a smirk.
"He wanted to know of your schooling. I told him you had just finished your last year at Beauxbatons top in your class." Seth continued.
"His reaction?" Persephone asked as she raised one eyebrow.
"He merely muttered 'good,' and then nodded his head for us to leave. His face remained as impassive and uninterested as ever." Seth said.
This time, both of Persephone's eyebrows rose with a hint of anger. Her pride had been wounded. "Since he is so disinterested in me, why am I so lucky?" She asked with a voice of disdain.
"Do not be so angered so easily, child," Haine answered. "He would not have wanted to seem too interested, else we might suspect something. The honors he bestowed upon us and the inquiry as to your education show that not only does he know of you, but he also is considering you as the potential vessel for the heir."
"Vessel?" Persephone asked incredulously. "Is that all the Lady of the so esteemed Lord will be worth? Will he dispose of the mother of his child so easily after she has given him his gift?"
"Do not be so foolish, girl. That is not all the Lady will be given. Just your potential gave your father and myself great honors," Haine answered.
"And, pray tell, how long will these honors last after his seed is born? Very little, I suspect. For what use could the woman be to him then?" Persephone asked, still feeling annoyed.
"That, my dear, is exactly why we have chosen to speak with you." Seth said in a much kinder voice than his brother had used. "Ma chér, you are a very gifted young lady. Fiercely brilliant, cuttingly witty, exceptionally beautiful, and with such a fiery spirit. I know you feel trapped in a cage out in society. Your mother told me. It must not be so easy, being a woman in this age. What we are offering you is the chance to not only be the most powerful woman alive, but the freest. Does that not sound appealing, Sephy?" Her father said lovingly.
Persephone paused for a moment. Not only the most powerful woman alive, but the freest. Power and freedom. There was nothing she craved more.
"What would you have me do?" Persephone finally responded quietly and acceptingly.
"We've watched you grow. You have a great control of your powers. You know how to use them to your advantage. You enslave men to you." Haine said matter-of-factly. "Our request is a simple one. Do not be thrown out. Keep his interest prolonged. I do not doubt you have many ways to accomplish this."
"Yes," Persephone said, adapting the smirk Haine had upon his face, "yes, I do."
"Excellent," Seth said, rising, "then go and instruct Sody to being to pack your things. You and your brother and sister will move into the manor in five days."
"You know what you must do." Haine finished.
"Do not worry, Uncle," Persephone said in a sultry voice, "I never lose." With a final smirk, she bowed and exited the room, already forming her plan.