Chapter Nine – The Takeover

Fortunately for Zabrina, she did not have to worry about being bored for long when she returned for the final term at Hogwarts. One night Draco sent word to her that the Dark Lord was advancing upon the school, it was the news she had hoped for, as long as Potter was ready. She prowled the halls, noticing a distinct lack of teachers, until suddenly near the room of requirement, people burst forth. Shrinking into the shadows, she watched unobserved. So this was the moment, they had come to fight, and probably to die.

As the battle raged, Zabrina stayed within the castle. She had yet to find Draco and this worried her slightly, he didn't know the extent of her plans and she didn't want him to do something rash or foolish. Placing a strong protection spell upon herself Zabrina continued to search, it was made difficult, however by the amount of people in the castle, she didn't want to end up duelling anyone from either side, she just wanted to stay out of it. For now.

Suddenly, once more near the room of requirement, Zabrina literally stumbled upon Draco. He was coughing and slightly sooty, lying on the floor and breathing deeply. Goyle was lying in the corner apparently unconscious. Quickly conjuring a goblet she cast aguamenti and handed Draco the drink, she then cast a scourgify and rejuvenated him with a few flicks of her wand.

"It was Potter." Draco rasped from dry lips, "He saved me, risked his own life and everything!"

Zabrina smiled. "Didn't I tell you Draco, it would be useful to leave them guessing as to our true loyalties?" She felt the sensation of satisfaction creep over her, this couldn't have worked out more perfectly, and Draco was alive because of it.

As the battle raged on and then died down in the wake of the Dark Lord's speech, Zabrina, Draco and Goyle took refuge in the Slytherin common room. It was empty of their banished housemates and being underground was untouched by the battle. When Draco went to the bathroom Zabrina imperiused Goyle and sent him upstairs to keep a look out, she needed to know what was happening. She told Draco that Goyle had volunteered for the job. She ordered Goyle to imperious another student and sent that student to fetch the banished Slytherins. She would need as many people as possible for the plan that was forming in her mind.

Soon it was time. She encouraged Draco to go to the Great Hall with her; together they stood at the back of the room watching the final showdown between Potter and the Dark Lord. She smiled when the mortal man's dead body hit the floor. She had won.

In the aftermath of the battle people were all congregating in the great hall, either congratulating each other or mourning their dead. Zabrina ensured that all the key players had remained in the hall, she could see her brother Tommy in the crowd, surrounded by Gryffindor's, looking shaken. He had not bothered to seek her out whether during or after the battle. She felt a small pang of regret at the loss of her twin, but it couldn't be helped. He had chosen his side; they were so clearly opposites, as he had once said, twins facing two separate destinies. Draco was sitting with his parents looking shaken and confused, as though he wasn't sure he should be there, his parents mirrored his thoughts. Zabrina saw Potter eye them, but he did nothing, grudgingly accepting their presence. Zabrina let her eyes follow the boys form as he moved through the hall, clearly heading for the exit. She would not let him leave.

Without more than the slightest flick Zabrina had sent a spell from her wand towards Draco, causing him to fall into a magical sleep, a bubble of protection also formed around him but that was not visible to the naked eye. Zabrina made her way to the centre of the hall, she took a deep breath and closing her eyes she raised her wand and begun. Her magic poured forth, wrapping itself tightly over all it touched, there were no limits to its reach, her skill in causing many to be placed under a single spell was being tested, and it withstood.

The memory charm she placed over everyone was threefold. Firstly, it had a layer of confundus about it, many people would be confused and disorientated after the battle, and she could play on that. Secondly it made Harry Potter nothing more than who he had been yesterday, he had not been the one to vanquish the Dark Lord, Zabrina had done that, at great personal risk she had knowingly sacrificed herself, and yet had managed to survive. Thirdly, there was a hint of love and loyalty mixed in, these people would believe in her because they had no one else to turn to, Potter would be a distant memory of a chosen one who had not actually been chosen at all. She, Zabrina would be the new chosen one, the one to lead them after all the terror and pain, a young woman who had bravely stood against her family in order to save them all. The spell she cast was deep, and took root so far into their minds that all who heard it from them would believe, so convincing would their love and loyalty be. It would be no time at all before the whole wizarding world knew of her power and grace, and would worship her for it. Draco, she had decided to leave out of the memory charm, she knew she could trust him not to talk out of turn, and she would explain everything to him once they were alone. She knew, of course that minds were dangerous and untrustworthy objects to control and there was no telling whether the charm would act the same on everyone but with so many people, and so much confusion, she knew it would stand a good chance.

She had finally come into her own. Zabrina allowed her magic to continue to flow over the whole castle, basking in the glow of her power, finally unleashed in its entirety, she knew she would never have to rein it in again and the knowledge consumed her. She was giddy with the feeling, magic pulsing, almost visible as it surrounded her, eating into her veins, tapping into her senses. She had won.

When she finally, reluctantly, lowered her wand she could sense a change in the atmosphere of the hall, people where whispering to each other low and quick and for a moment she wondered if her magic hadn't worked. She needn't have worried however, as Kingsley Shacklebolt came over to her and bowed low.

"Thank you, for all you have done for us and the magical community as a whole, thank you. Your magic is great and more than we could ever have hoped for, how can the wizarding world ever repay you?"

She laughed, "Oh I'm sure you'll think of something!"

She smirked at him and then at the hall in general, the whispering was about her, how great her powers must be, how good and strong and bold. The Slytherins that had returned seemed confused when people came over to them, shaking their hands and congratulating them on the accomplishments of one of their own. Soon everyone seemed happier than before, as though they had less cares and woes, even Draco's parent cracked a smile and seemed to loosen up. How could there be anything to worry about when Zabrina was in charge? Yes, people had died but they all felt that if Zabrina asked it of them they would lay their lives at her feet in an instant, so those deaths became great and noble. Her smirk grew wider as she stood in the midst of commotion, listening to how well her spell had worked, it was better than she could ever have hoped, people loved her, they appreciated her more than anyone had done before. She was powerful enough to vanquish the dark lord and yet, instead of fearing her people were celebrating her!

Moving through the crowds she subtly released Draco from his spell, he sat up looking confused and disorientated. She whispered into his ear that he should follow her and together they pushed through the celebrating crowds and out into the entrance hall.

Once outside in the relative silence she turned to face him.

"I took over Draco" she said simply, "I took over and I'm giving you a choice, you can either be with me or against me."

He eyed her with a strange look on his face, she couldn't quite read his expression and this unsettled her slightly.

"Took over?" he whispered, and then his voice grew louder. "Then I'm with you Zabrina, every step of the way, like you knew I would be."

She smiled up at him, not a happy smile but rather a look of triumph and accomplishment, she had done it, and everything was going her way.

"Only one condition though" Draco said smoothly, a dark glimmer in his eyes catching her attention.

"What?" she asked warily, unused to seeing him in any position to bargain, but he knew she needed him.

"Don't ever kill me." He said simply staring at her with a hard look, as though she would whip out her wand and do just that.

She looked at him for a moment; his blonde hair slicked back, his mesmerising grey eyes. He was the one thing that kept her sane in this world she had created for herself, the one thing that kept her grounded, that stopped her from turning out like-

She cut her thoughts off there, and in her confusion, she reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, bringing his head down so that their faces were mere inches away from each other, lips close but not quite touching. For a moment they froze, chests heaving, eyes searching each other for hidden meaning, hidden depths that neither one would conceal verbally to the other. Suddenly she let it all go, just for a moment, and let out a breath that grazed his lips. It broke whatever spell had been holding them apart and he let out a low, guttural growl whilst simultaneously grabbing her waist and drawing her body flush up against him. His lip captured hers before she could do anything, before she could even think if this was what she wanted and she concluded that it must be otherwise she would never have allowed it to get this far.

With every press of his lips upon hers and with every movement between them she felt the ice in her heart shattering piece by piece, she loved him, she knew that already, deep down. However, this sensation was something else; he was stripping her mentally, laying her bare to his intrusions upon her soul. She wasn't sure she liked having nowhere to hide.

His tongue pressed into her mouth, claiming her, moving with her own in a dance that their bodies seemed to instinctively know the steps to. Feeling overwhelmed by the intensity suddenly she knew what to do. Capturing his bottom lip in her own she bit down, hard but not hard enough to draw blood. They broke away slightly, his hands moved to her shoulders as though steadying himself and their breaths came out as pants. It was so unlike their usual interactions that she almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Was it possible to have all of this, the world and Draco too? She wasn't sure.

"No, I will never kill you Draco." She said. "Although I cannot promise total mercy, should you ever betray me."

"I could never betray you Zabrina, I belong to you." He breathed this out whilst still struggling to control his breath. But after a moment he seemed to stiffen, raising his head and running a hand through his hair, taking a step back from her.

She noticed then, that people had begun to drift into the entrance hall. Most just seemed happy to be alive but others were looking at her, not with derision at the passionate embrace they had just witnessed but with reverence, and expectation. I was in that moment that Zabrina knew she held more power than she had ever hoped to achieve with just one spell. And she became almost giddy with the feel of it, the authority and leadership that came with these people looking to her, wanting her to lead. It was as though she had been crowned a queen.


It did not take long for that passing thought to become a reality. It was as though she were a queen. People were treating her with respect and love more than she had thought possible, she had united the wizarding world under one emotion, and after so much war and fear, they were showing their gratitude in spades. She allowed official Ministry proceedings to progress and when Kingsley was elected Minister she placed him under the Imperius Curse immediately. It was useful to keep him under her thumb whilst she purged the world of any remaining death eaters, and anyone who could possibly oppose or question the world she had created.

She kept Draco by her side as much as possible; he was her only ally, despite the love and affection she was receiving from the wizarding world in spades. Only Draco knew how far she had come, and the lengths it had taken to reach this point, this pinnacle of all she had hoped to achieve. She ordered Kingsley to give Draco work in the ministry and then watched idly as her pawns got to work, twisting and adjusting the wizarding world as she saw fit, one small step at a time.

The summer after her sixth year was a wonderful one for Zabrina. Having come of age several months previously she decided that she had no desire to return to school to complete her education, and being that there was no one to force her to go against her will she granted herself her request. Draco was too busy to go back to school to complete the year he had missed out on; he was working hard in the ministry, ensuring that everything was progressing as smoothly as possible with the takeover. Taking the chance whilst the world was still in a daze of loyalty towards her, Zabrina focussed on herself for a bit, she felt she deserved it, after all. Working tirelessly with a team of builder elves and her own, infinite power she constructed her domain, a castle made entirely of obsidian. Standing outside its imposing walls the structure loomed over her, dominating the landscape with its dark presence and she knew instantly that her father would turn in his grave if he knew she had created a Black Palace in tribute to his hated family name.

Draco had been the first to be invited to view her new home. He had looked at it for a very long time, so long that she grew impatient and began to look past his observant exterior to the nervous tick that betrayed his true feeling. Moments before she decided to question him he broke the silence, exclaiming over how wonderful it was, such a feet of magical engineering. Only the gulp as he swallowed showed any hint of an alternate emotion, and Zabrina was too busy being proud of her achievement to really think on what she had seen with her own eyes.

A crack in his facade.