Ok readers… so I had a major brain fart.. (no more writing when super hung over.. it's a good rule I think…) ok, so the story is was spinning out of control in that last chapter.. too much so even for the writer. It has been deleted, and I apologize again! I promise this will be the last time this happens!! CH 26 has been redone, I think everyone will agree that the improvements will make the story seem more realistic and keep a good plot. I really do apologize and I hope you will still read the story! J.R.
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Nacrissa didn't come for her in the next hour… or the hour after that. In fact she did not appear till the next morning, by which time Jamie's nerves were all but shot. All night, she had been jumping at any sound, thinking it was the door opening. She knew her father was planning something for her… and she knew that it would most likely cause her pain.
Jamie snapped up in bed as the door opened, staring at Nacrissa with wide eyes. The woman looked at her and snorted at her obvious fright. Rolling her eyes, she came forward and grabbed Jamie's arm roughly, dragging her reluctantly from the room. She marched her down the hallway, and into the same bathroom, which Lucius had shoved her into a while ago, shutting the door behind her without a word. Jamie looked in the mirror, realizing for the first time how dirty she actually was. There was blood incrusted on her face from nosebleeds that had occurred because of the Cruciatis curse... there were deep bags under her eyes from the restless night. Her cheekbones had become very pointed, and her robes hung off of her from lack of food. She looked very thin, and very ill, shaking her head she disrobed and jumped in the shower, hoping some of the signs of her obvious neglect would fade under the steaming water. She jumped out of the shower afterwards, enjoying the feeling of clean skin. She rubbed the foggy mirror with her towel, looking at her reflection. She looked better than before, possibly because there was no longer blood incrusted on half her face. Her reflection reminded her of a muggle woman in magazines she had seen. They were so thin… she never understood how they could live like that. She had never been considered large, but never told she was overly skinny… until now. Her cheekbones seemed almost angular, making her resemblance to her father even more pronounced. She shuddered, looking away from the mirror in disgust. A knock came at the door, followed by a hand that extended clean robes to her. She put them on, noticing how much extra material there was surrounding her. She rummaged around in the drawer she had found the magical brush in yesterday, and pulled it out. A few minutes later, she was standing in front of her father, in the same room they had shared breakfast in many times before. He looked up from his paper, and smiled at her.
"Come, sit." He said firmly, pointing to the chair beside him. She strode up the hall, and sat in the chair stiffly.
He smiled at her almost kindly.
"Breakfast?" He asked.
Jamie felt her empty stomach growl.
He chuckled, making food appear.
She glared at the plate.
"Anna." He said warningly. She sighed, and pulled a piece of the toast up to her lips. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted. She inhaled the piece in record time, blushing when she realized how it must have looked.
He chuckled again, and made the plate disappear as she reached for another.
"Now my dear, don't be greedy." He said teasingly, knowing perfectly well how hungry she was.
She glared at him.
"What do you want from me?" She was already tired of playing his games.
He leaned back in his chair, bridging his fingers and examined her.
"Well my dear, its not so much what I want… as what you do."
She raised her eyebrows. What she wanted?
"What do you mean?" She asked hesitantly, knowing there had to be a catch… he knew what she wanted.
"Join me." He said simply, leaning forward and staring at her hard, resting his arms on the table.
Her gaze hardened and she clenched her jaw. She opened her mouth to retort, but her cut her off.
"Join me, or watch your family die… I will kill them one by one right in front of you and I promise to make it as painful for you as it will be for them." He said, his tone cool.
Jamie couldn't stop her jaw from dropping. His smile turned cruel.
"I can take that as a yes then?" He asked. Jamie shook some of the horror off, and nodded, letting her head hang in defeat.
"Good." He said, getting up from his chair, and sliding something in front of her.
She looked down. It was a folder… She looked up at her father and he nodded, giving her silent permission to open it. It held a picture of a man, he looked to be about thirty, and was smiling and laughing at the camera. Jamie looked up at her father in confusion. He smiled cruelly down at her.
"He is you first mission. William Tresae. He works rather high up in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. You will pursued him to join… or kill him." She let out a gasp and covered her mouth, staring up at her father in horror.
"You can't expect me to kill him!" She said in a terrified voice.
He nodded.
"Actually my dear that is exactly what I expect to happen. Unless you can change his mind on becoming a death eater."
"How do you expect me to do that?" She hissed.
He chuckled, and gave her a look up and down that made her feel violated.
"Use you imagination." He said, smiling maliciously at her. He leaned down, and kissed the top of her head.
"I have assigned two other death eaters to come along with you, just to make sure nothing… funny happens. I will not be so tolerant of your disrespect for myself any longer. It is time for you to take your rightful place." He leaned over her, and took the wrist with the snake charm into his hand. He pulled out his wand, and pricked a finger, placing the drop of blood onto the clasp. It opened, falling limply into his hand.
"It would've taken a lot more than some simple spell to unlock this." He said, holding up the bracelet.
"You will still wear it when you are at the Manor, but as you know, cannot once you leave the grounds, which you will have to do today if you wish to complete your mission." He said in the same, steady tone.
He strode to the door swiftly, pocketing the bracelet. He opened the heavy door and looked back at her.
"They shall inform you of all the other details you may need to know." He said, giving her a quick nod and disappearing out the door.
Jamie grabbed at her wrist, it was slightly raw from were the bracelet had rubbed. She sighed, and ran a hand through her hair just as two men entered. Of course; Lucius and MacNair. They both worked at the ministry, and probably knew the man she had been assigned. They sat down opposite her both had slight smirks on their faces. She shot them a glare similar to her fathers, and saw fear spring into their eyes, their face automatically set into business-like expressions.
"William frequents a pub near the Ministry, that is the ideal location to intercept the target." Lucius said smoothly.
Jamie nodded.
"He is married, but has a tendency to… wander." She nodded, knowing what he meant.
His smirk returned, he held up a bag, and held it out to Jamie.
"This will help get him alone I suspect." He said, Jamie could hear an edge of laughter in his voice.
She peaked into the bag. Oh Merlin… heels…. and lace. She closed the bag tightly before she saw anymore. She looked at the men, keeping a calm exterior.
"When do we leave?" She asked, sound casual.
"5" He said. She nodded, getting up.
"I think that's all in need to know for now." She said, giving them a final nod and leaving the room. She went up to her room and sat on the bed, torn between shock, horror, and sadness.
