A/N: 14 days, 7 hours, 1 minute, 01 seconds.
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Welcome, my friends," the serpentine man greeted. He stood in the center of a large circle of Death Eaters. From this group of people, one of them was merely sixteen years old.
And he was ready.
Draco stood in his Death Eater robes and mask. To his right was his father, he could see the long platinum hair cascading down his back. To his left was Professor Snape, whom he had walked in with. As the Dark Lord spoke, Draco closed his eyes and made sure for a final time that his walls were up and his mind was guarded.
"Tonight, I have a variety of treats for you." The Dark Lord walked toward his throne at the edge of the circle. "I hope you all enjoy. Bring in the first round," he called. Draco opened his eyes.
The first person escorted into the room was an overweight Muggle man. He had on thick glasses and his hair was thinning. The man looked panicked.
"Please, who are you? Where am I?" he begged. His escort threw him to the ground in the center of the circle. He looked up at the snake-like man in front of him. "Who the bloody hell are you people?"
"Ladies and gentlemen," the Dark Lord started, "this is Mr. Albert Cooper."
"How do you know my name?" the man asked in wonder. The Dark Lord pulled out his wand.
"CRUCIO!"
Mr. Cooper let out a scream of pain. His body convulsed and sizzled under the burning of his skin. Draco barely blinked. The Dark Lord released the curse.
"Mr. Cooper was overheard telling his daughter—Martha, right?—just a little over two months ago that she couldn't possibly be a witch for Halloween." Voldemort turned toward his followers. "Because witches do not exist." The room erupted into laughter, and Draco followed suit. "Instead she was told get a more practical costume, like a doctor."
"But I can assure, Mr. Cooper, that witches do exist. In fact, you are about to meet one. Bellatrix, come forward."
Draco was appalled by how giddy Bellatrix was a she chasséd into the center of the ring. "Yes my Lord?"
"Would you like to be the first to have a go at the pathetic Muggle man before us? Let him see the power of a real witch?" the Dark Lord purred.
"Yes my Lord!"
"In fact, remove your mask. Let your face be the last he ever sees."
Bellatrix obeyed and removed her mask. She turned toward the man and blew him a deranged kiss as she pulled out her wand.
"No, please! I have a wife! I have 3 children I have to support!" the man begged on his knees. Draco could tell that the first Cruciatus had hurt him, perhaps cracked a few ribs.
"Poor, pathetic Muggle," Bellatrix cooed. "You think pleading will save your life? You were dead the second those hateful words toward us were SPOKEN! CRUCIO!"
The sound of the grown man screaming was grating on Draco nerves. But he remained stoic, as did Snape beside him. Bellatrix continued to torture the man until he was practically begging for death. But still, she continued to throw hex after hex, some ranging from cruel to lethal.
Finally, the Dark Lord put up his hand. Bellatrix knew it was time to finish.
"AVADA KEDEVRA!" she shrieked.
The man's body fell limp and his head hit the tile floor. He was positioned ever so perfectly in front of Draco, and the boy watched as the light drained from his eyes. The man's eyes were blue and green.
Draco mentally corrected himself. This Muggle wasn't just any man. He was Mr. Albert Cooper. He had a wife and three kids. And he was the first to die that night.
Draco knew he would never forget those eyes for as long as he lived.
XXX
It had only been two hours at most.
But there were so many that Draco had to remind himself not to vomit. He was determined to remember all of them; he had to remember all of their faces.
After Albert Cooper, there was a young woman named Sally Hill. She had been chosen because of her ample bosom. Rodolphus Lestrange immediately volunteered. After giving the petite lady the Cruciatus, he raped her. Draco watched calmly, even though on the inside he was burning.
This poor Muggle woman—he felt sick. He fought back the dinner that threatened to present itself at his feet.
After Rodolphus was finished, he gave her a painless death. Draco remained stoic.
He tightened his fists when they dragged in a little blonde girl named Clara. He guessed that she was nine years old. Her dress was tattered and muddy. They sat her in the center of the circle and she started to cry.
"I—I just w—want my mummy," she sobbed. Draco felt the anger bubbling inside of him, but his face never revealed it.
What made him even angrier was the fact that his father was the one to end the little girl's life.
Many more followed little Clara and Draco was yet to be called upon for his part. But as the next girl was dragged out, he realized he had spoken too soon. The girl was his age, no older than sixteen.
"Draco, it appears that I have been neglecting you all night," the Dark Lord hissed. "Come forward." Draco did not hesitate. He walked right up to the Muggle girl.
The girl had long hair and a freckled face. Her skin was like porcelain and she had plump pink lips. The girl looked unhealthily thin and Draco wondered when the last time she ate was.
"What is your name, Mudblood?" Draco barked. He was shocked that his voice did not crack.
The girl was shaking, her eyes were like a doe's. "Answer me, you disgusting excuse for a human!"
The girl was sobbing now. "MaryAnn Parker," she wailed. "W-what am I doing here? W-where am I?" Draco bent down and slapped her across the face.
"Draco, remove your mask. Let the filthy girl see who you are," the Dark Lord commanded. Draco did as he asked. The girl stared at him.
"Why, you're nothing but a boy," she speculated as she wiped her eyes. "What are you doing? You can't be more than 15 or 16 years old."
"Shut up," Draco said.
"Is this some kind of sick cult?" she asked, her voice a little more confident.
"Shut up," Draco repeated.
"I can get you out of this," she whispered. "We can go to the police and—."
"SHUT UP!" Draco yelled. The girl tried to reach for his hand. "CRUCIO!"
The teenage girl's screams filled the room. Draco ignored them and gave an evil smirk. On the inside he was crying. He released her.
"W-what," she started. She choked and coughed on her own blood. Her body shook violently, and Draco knew she was dying just from one hit. "What a-are you people?" Draco knelt down and grabbed a handful of her hair.
"We are the past, we are the present, and we are the future of this world!" he growled. "SECTUMSEMPRA!" Only he wasn't cutting her, he was cutting her hair. Her dark locks fell to the floor. She fingered them as they sat in front of her.
"CRUCIO!" he yelled. The girl screamed again. Her body spasm caused her to violently bang her head on the floor. The blood was pooling at his feet. He didn't know what else to do with her. Inwardly, Draco cringed when he thought of what he might have to do next.
Draco knelt down beside her and reached for his belt buckle. He was going to hurl.
The Dark Lord put up his hand. "Draco, that won't be necessary, please just finish the girl off so we can move on." Draco nodded and stood. The girl was barely breathing but Draco could see the fire in her eyes.
"You—are a—monster," she said rather slowly. Her body was failing on her. "You—and your people are a—disgrace and you will be stopped." She was speaking so low that Draco was sure that only he could hear her.
Draco felt his mind exploding. This was just too much to handle. For a split second he thought about giving up. If he was quick, he could grab the girl and make a run for the front door. He could Apparate somewhere, anywhere. Just so long as it wasn't here.
He would take care of her, make her well. He would beg for her forgiveness. He would bring her back to her Muggle family and give them whatever they wished.
It didn't matter that his plan was completely faulted. It didn't matter that he would be found and killed quicker than he could say 'Hippogriff'.
But in the end, it did matter. His cover would be blown. He would be putting everyone in danger. Professor Snape was already a suspect in Bellatrix's mind, and if Draco revealed himself he could bring danger to his godfather.
Hermione would be in danger as well. The Dark Lord would capture him and torture it out of him. She would suffer, she would die.
And that was why Draco stood up very slowly. He then pointed his wand at the girl in front of him and recited the unforgiveable spell.
"AVADA KEDEVRA!"
Her body fell limp and the fire left her eyes. Draco felt dead inside.
"Very good Draco! It is good to see such drive in a person so young as yourself. I think it was right to induct you when we did," the Dark Lord praised. Draco smirked and returned to his spot beside Professor Snape, who had done his fair share of dirty work for the night.
XXX
Draco tried to maintain as much focus as he possibly could, but the need to faint was growing with every passing moment.
Antonin Dolohov had some kind of sick bloodlust and was currently mercilessly severing the limbs of a Muggle man.
Draco was almost thankful when Dolohov finally finished him. He inwardly let out a sigh of relief.
"Before I let you go tonight, I have one more little gift that I would like to bestow upon one of you," the Dark Lord said. He turned and looked at all of his followers, all of whom had discarded their masks and robes at some point that evening.
"Draco Malfoy." Draco stood very still. "As a reward for your devotion and want to impress me, I give you one final bit of fun for tonight. Bring it in," he called.
"Let me go, you foul excuse for a man!" her voice cried out from the hall. Draco nearly hit the floor. "Dumbledore will find me! He will send all of you to Azkaban faster than you can blink!"
They let her go once she was in the center of the ring. She looked ghastly! Her hair was matted and dirty, she looked like some sort of orphaned child. The paleness of her face and arms frightened Draco; it was obvious that the girl hadn't seen the sun in quite some time.
After Draco surveyed her, he realized that she was shaking and a look of fear sat in the corner of her eye.
"Malfoy," she whispered, her voice was weak from dehydration. "Malfoy, please. W-we go to school together. P-please don't kill me." The tears were falling down from her chocolate eyes.
"Stupid girl!" Voldemort called. "I haven't brought you here to be killed! Draco is just going to have some fun with you again." Hermione's eyes widened. "Last time didn't go as planned considering you didn't tell a soul about it. But they know you have been abducted and they will find out what has happened to you." The Dark Lord stood up and walked around her in circles.
"Poor Mudblood Granger. Potter will do anything to avenge his little pet, even come here after me. But we all know that he will be walking into his own death."
"No! I'll tell him!" Hermione yelled. "I will tell him what you said! Harry won't come near this place!"
"Mudblood, when has the famous Harry Potter ever followed orders? He lets his anger get the best of him, and that will be his downfall," the Dark Lord smirked. "Nothing you can do or say will stop him from seeking me out." The Dark Lord turned to Draco now. "Would you? I would love to hear this chit scream."