Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world; all rights go to J.K Rowling. I do however own my original character Nova Malfoy and her background.
Nova,
The view across from the Shrieking Shack is beautiful in the late afternoon. Try 3pm.
Snuffles
Smiling the young witch pulled out her wand and muttered Incedio, watching as the letter burned before her eyes. The flames illuminating her warm grey eyes as the ashes drifted into the wind like the seeds of the dandelions that she used to wish on as a child; ballerinas dancing across the breeze, weaving in and out of each other in perfect synchronisation. A soft smile graced her pink lips, deepening the dimples on her cheeks.
"Do you burn all of you letters?" A voice rung out from behind her causing her to spin round to face the owner. Nova shook her head and her smile grew before Harry spoke again, "You haven't heard from Sirius have you? He's been silent since I told him that I didn't want him to come to Hogsmeade…"
"No, I haven't." The Malfoy girl lied expertly as she frowned slightly, feigning concern. Harry narrowed his eyes suspiciously as his friend maintained eye contact, almost willing him to challenge her.
"Are you coming to this meeting Hermione organised?"
Nova watched as he stepped closer to her, leaning his elbows on the bricked ledge and turning to look at her. She could almost feel his anxiety; it had been almost three weeks since the group had spoken about Harry teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts and Nova didn't envy the pressure Hermione was putting on the boy.
"Do you want me to?" She finally answered, softly returning his gaze. She watched as he thought for a moment, looking away from her and towards the snowy horizon before nodding slightly. "Then of course I will be there."
The pair smiled fondly at each other as they descended into silence, their eyes scanning the peaceful surroundings as they leant against the opening on the brickwork wall. They appreciated each other beyond explanation, they understood each other much deeper than anyone else and they relied on each other much more than either of them knew.
The snow crunched beneath their boots as the quartet trudged their way into Hogsmeade. Hermione and Nova waltzed slightly ahead of the boys, talking and laughing about one of their numerous secrets. Ron watched his best friend smile as the girl with the long dark curls threw her head back laughing, it was a smile that the Weasley boy had learned was reserved only for her and as much as it pained him to admit, he was beginning to warm to the girl despite her relation to his family's enemies.
"Did you hear that there was a break in at the Ministry?" Hermione spoke having just remembered something important, "It was in the Daily Prophet."
"I thought you stopped reading that rubbish?" Ron scoffed in response, knowing full well that the newspaper had notoriously slandered Harry, labelling him a liar. "But yeah, Dad was saying it was the Department of Mysteries. Second attempt but they never took anything."
The news brought Harry back to his nightmares, he knew that this was Voldemort and as it happened, so did Nova. The look they shared went unnoticed by their friends who had entered a heated discussion as they took the lead. The young Malfoy had a dozen questions on her lips as the cogs in her mind spun at one hundred miles per hour.
"Do you think…" the witch began as she fell in step with Harry who had slowed down to put a considerable distance between Ron and Hermione and himself and Nova.
"Yes." Harry interrupted. He had confided in the girl completely with regards to his nightmares, in the hope that she would help him decipher them. "What have Voldemort's plans got to do with you though? I mean…in my dreams, it's always you that pulls me away from it all."
A frown crossed her features but she left Harry's question very much unanswered. In truth, she had no idea how she was connected to any of this and it was beginning to torment her, beginning to conquer her every thought and fester like an infection in her brain.
They continued to walk in a thought filled silence until they reached the Hogs Head. Nova's nose wrinkled in disgust as they entered the dark and dingy pub and the overpowering aroma of stale butterbeer mixed with farm animals filled the singular room. A man sat at the bar, his head covered in grimy bandages with only a slit for his mouth and one bulging eye uncovered; as the quartet passed him, he turned quickly in his seat until he was almost nose to nose with Nova who jumped backwards and grabbed Harry's hand in fright. Her cheeks reddened as he stroked her hand before she pulled it away and muttered an apology to the floor as the door creaked open and a mass of students entered.
As Fred and George organised butterbeers for everyone, the group mingled and herded towards the quartet at the back of the room. Harry stared at the expectant students with apprehension as he sat in front of the empty fireplace and as his gaze wondered from Ginny to Cho to Dean and Neville he grew more anxious, prompting him to look for the comforting grey eyes that were already on him.
"It'll be okay." Nova whispered as she moved to sit between the twins.
"Aren't you staying here beside us?" Harry rushed almost pulling her back towards him.
"Yeah…no." The girl chuckled nervously, "I'll just be over there, relishing in the fact that everyone is staring at you instead of me!" She grinned, leaving the terrified boy as Hermione began their meeting.
"That wasn't so bad now was it?" The Granger girl asked rhetorically as the four were leaving the dirty old pub. Ron kicked the snow at his feet as he read the enchanted parchment that contained the names of the students who wished to be taught by Harry. The group was fairly large and coined as 'Dumbledore's Army' by his younger sister, Ginny. Nova stood catching snowflakes on her gloves, lost in her own world as she contemplated her exit strategy as her meeting with Sirius drew closer; she had been relatively quiet since Hermione had announced to the group that she could cast a corporeal Patronus effectively pulling her into the centre of the discussion. "Well, one good thing came out of that anyway."
"What?" Harry, Ron and Nova asked in unison.
"Cho couldn't keep her eyes off of you." The girl smirked at Harry who flushed red causing Nova to roll her eyes as a hint of a scowl broke through her defences.
"I have to go and meet Draco." She interrupted as she realised the time, turning on her heel and walking away after a ghost of a goodbye. She felt Harry's stare on her back but continued none the less, the bad timing of her departure hadn't even crossed her oblivious mind until she stole a glance at the boy and met the smirk that inhabited Hermione's face. She was most definitely going to regret her poor timing later.
The cold embraced her like an old friend as the snow crunched under her feet and she made her way to the Shrieking Shack to meet Sirius. She hated lying to her friends, she had a terrible feeling that they could see right through her but family came first; it always would. The wind whipped her dark curls across her face causing them to dance with static electricity whenever one of her gloved hands swept them back into their place. A chill ran up her spine as her ears caught some whispers that swam through the breeze, causing her to scan her surroundings with narrowed eyes. Instinctively, she gripped her wand tighter. Her heart beat rose, thudding against its bony cage with every footstep and every taunting murmur. Nova knew that she was not alone – someone was following her. The puffs of steam that ejected from her mouth with every rapid breath seemed seize and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she heard an all too familiar cackle.
Two streaks of black, spun around her as she raised her wand and turned, trying to find a face. The shrill cackle haunted her eardrums, unnerving her very core as they mixed with a lowly growl until the figures finally stood in front of her. Despite her dizziness, Nova knew the Deatheaters that stood before her: Fenrir Greyback and her aunt Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Just as beautiful as the last time I saw you…" Bellatrix sang, tilting her head from side to side as she twirled her wand between her bony white fingers, "Today's your lucky day! The Dark Lord requests your presence."
The young Malfoy could barely comprehend as her heartbeat pummelled her ears, taking over every decibel in existence: "I do not wish to speak with him." She spoke with authority, fooling herself into thinking that her defiance would save her.
"Nobody cares what you want!" Her aunt screeched breaking through the perceived serenity, the madness projected itself through her dark eyes causing the girl's shaking hands to grip her wand tighter. Nova's mind was racing with thoughts of escape but as she raised her wand in defiance she was disarmed before she could utter a syllable, leaving her helpless. "Take her." Bellatrix ordered Greyback, who obeyed immediately, smacking the struggling girl with as much force as he could muster – rendering her unconscious as he swung her over his shoulder like a ragdoll before apparating out.
Bellatrix's eyes narrowed and a psychotic grin appeared on her face as she saw her cousin approaching. A cackle bubbled between her vocal chords, spilling out of her mouth, as she raised her wand and set fire to the forest that he had emerged from before placing her niece's wand on the boulder as a message and apparating.
A tickly sensation on the bridge of her nose woke her from her slumber as she groggily tried to scratch it; her wrists neglected the order causing her to snap her eyes open. The ropes that bound her to the chair burned with every movement, the only relief being the cool wooden arm rests that suspended her arms. The room was dimly lit but as fear became her only emotion, it descended into darkness. She watched as a drop of blood fell from the tip of her nose onto her pale blue sweater as she blinked moisture into her dry eyes.
"Cissy, would be so disappointed to learn that her precious little Nova was friends with that Potter boy." Bellatrix taunted in a dreamlike tone as she wandered around the room. Nova's hardened grey eyes followed her every movement as she struggled against her restraints, trying to break free. Suddenly, her aunt was right in her face, her breath tickling her cheek. "You see; we have these to show our loyalty." The psychotic woman trawled, licking the mark on her arm as her niece cringed before placing her lips near the girl's left ear. "Wouldn't it be nice if you had a scar too? Hmmm? Just like your boyfriend…"
Nova's knuckles whitened as her grip on the chair tightened. Bellatrix's wand glowed bright, illuminating the girl's collarbone as she went to work. The bloodcurdling screams that battered the woman's eardrums only spurred her on as she began to carve. T.
Bravery was something that the youngest Malfoy liked to believe that she had in abundance but in that moment, she was terrified. R.
Her skin burned hotter than the centre of the sun as the pain burrowed through the bones in her body at an excruciatingly slow pace. A.
Another scream echoed through the presumably empty house, her nails began to tear themselves from their beds as they lodged themselves into the wooden arm rests. I.
Droplets of blood raced one another to the pit of her stomach; some falling captive to the woollen sweater that failed to protect her. T.
She cried her heart out and for once begged herself to lose control of her powers yet her prayers were left unanswered. O.
Every nerve in her body screamed with agony. Her throat burned with the pain of her own cries for help. She wanted to die – for it to all end in that moment, to forget what it was like to suffer. R.
She braced herself for another bout of carving and almost laughed in relief as her aunt stepped back to admire her work. Once satisfied that her markings had reached the bone, she raised her wand and cursed it. T. R. A. I. T. O. R.
"There! You can wear it with pride." The woman laughed as she began to spin in circles, dancing around the room as she cackled and sang to herself. Nova stared into space with a tensed jaw and eyes that held an ocean of tears that spilled with every blink. The pain was unbearable but she refused to succumb to her innate craving for unconsciousness, as the blood continued to flow, Bellatrix's curse suddenly sunk in – the scars would never heal, they would serve as a constant silvery white reminder that her childish insubordination had consequences. Nova Malfoy would forever be branded as a traitor, like cattle on their way to a slaughterhouse. The scars would remain both as a fragment of her memory and as a pound of her flesh, warning her that the fire inside of her heart would attract all who feared it.
"I WILL KILL YOU!" A manic voice screamed down the hallway after the crazed woman. She barely recognised it as her own as she concentrated on the searing hot pain that soared through her bones and the blood that soaked through her sweater but when it continued she realised that, despite the pure perception she had of herself, perhaps she had inherited the madness. "You can run and you can hide behind him but I will find you Bellatrix Lestrange and my face is going to be the last thing that you will ever see!"
Hot tears stung her face as she furiously blinked them back. All energy appeared to leave her as she pulled at her restraints, begging for her magic to save her. A sob escaped her lips and the blood from her head ran down her neck to mingle with the pool that collected around her collarbone. A smug laugh broke the silence as a snake like face appeared inches from hers.
His face was a lot paler than she had imagined, his eyes a lot darker. Adrenaline kicked in as she ignored her pain and her whole body trembled – Nova was terrified as The Dark Lord stood before her, studying her silently.
"So much strength for such a little witch." Voldemort hissed tauntingly as he ran an ice cold finger along her jawline causing her to tense.
"What do you want from me?"
"Information." He began as Nova found the courage to look him in the eye. "You are going to give me everything you know about Harry Potter and if you won't give it to me willingly…" Voldemort trailed as he twirled one of the girl's dark curls around his skeletal fingers. "I will take it." He threatened as his grip on her hair tightened, burning her scalp. His words slithered off of his tongue like a sickness that poisoned her with every syllable. Her skin paled as the venom sunk deeper and the young witch's heart pounded in her chest, turning her veins black as the toxin paralysed her and she maintained a stony silence. She would never betray him. Her jaw tensed and relaxed in a constant cycle as she attempted to control her tremors. Her usual warm grey eyes were as cold as ice and they pierced the dark wizard in front of her. Anger flashed over his features as the girl silently refused to cooperate and impatience took over.
Nova clenched her teeth as a coldblooded hand glided around her neck, constricting her breaths as it squeezed the life out of her and her mind was invaded. Her memories flushed to the surface as her head pounded to the point that she thought it would explode. Beads of sweat collected on her brow and upper lip as she concentrated on performing Occlumency and her mind flooded with pictures of her childhood; running around Malfoy Manor with Draco, terrorising the staff as their mother shouted after them to the day she sat by the lake with the Fred and George, laughing about nothing in particular – happy. Voldemort's face distorted into one of pain as he used every ounce of his power to break into her brain but as the young witch felt her memories of Sirius floating to the surface, she did something that surprised him.
"No. Get. Out." She demanded through her teeth as her face darkened. She closed her eyes briefly as a calm washed over her, much to the shock of the wizard before her who felt her relax in his grasp. Her eyes soon snapped open as she pushed him out of her mind.
"H-how?" Was all the snakelike man could stutter as he stared at her in shock before the tables were turned.
His mind was a lot clearer than Nova had envisioned. Power rushed through her veins and she loved it as she controlled his thoughts. The adrenaline gave her a high as she sifted through his memories, viewing his life as if it were a movie. One particular image – from a memory that he had stolen - drew her attention; a white globe in a darkened room and a plaque with "Harry Potter and Nova Malfoy" etched on it. She watched as Voldemort remembered shouting at her father and a two other men for "failing to retrieve it".
"You're terrified, Tom." Nova spoke in a low tone laced with intrigue and menace as she exited his mind. A sickening grin slithered onto her bloodied face as the look in her eyes mirrored his just moments ago.
The Dark Lord's nostrils flared as she taunted him and he remained in a state of shock as he comprehended the girl who was powerful beyond her imagination. The girl who had managed to block his Legilimency and break through his Occlumency. Nova watched with a smirk as fear manifested behind the wizard's eyes as his hand slid off of her.
The atmosphere was sliced wide open as Wormtail entered the room, flustered and stuttering beyond comprehension. A portrait had alerted someone of their whereabouts and they would have company soon. Lord Voldemort almost screamed in frustration as his fists clenched and his temperature rose, before hissing an order to his loyal servant.
"Kill her."