Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter but I do on my very own … hmm what do I own? Oh I know! I own my very own TRUCK!
Now for the heartfelt apology for keeping you guys waiting for WAY to long! I cannot believe it's been so long since I last updated! I feel horrid! I promised myself I wouldn't do that but writers block took me back into his cold steely grip and refused to let go! Add onto that college and finals and then a crazy hectic Christmas and then back to college, I'm happy I got over my writers block and was actually able to write this soon. But, nothing can excuse my tardiness on updating. Feel free to verbally bash me in needed.
Now onto other orders of business! Thank you all for the amazing reviews! I love them all as much as I love those who wrote them! I've gotten up past 430 reviews, a big milestone to me! I'm excited to see how many I can get it bumped up to after this one, though if you feel like punishing me for not updating in so long but not review I guess I can understand :(
This chapter, I feel, is pretty good. I finally got some Draco POV in here and I think I did a pretty amazing job if I do say so myself! I hope you like it! Big turning point in the story… Read on to find out what happens! *gasp!*
So, without further ado:
Chapter 35
Draco POV
I paced in front of the fireplace in the sitting room of my quarters as I waited for my father to come get me. We had a houseguest. The Dark Lord decided it was time for my father to pay him back for getting him out of Azkaban and took up residence in our manor a few days before the raid. And after the attack on Little Hinder that had failed so amazingly last night, the Dark Lord decided it was time to take a firmer hand. We were all punished for that failure. I still bore the marks we had all gotten the night before.
I rubbed my left arm where the Dark Mark was to be burned into my skin in less than an hour's time. I had avoided getting it for years now. But the time had come and I could run no longer. It was inevitable. If I ran from in anymore, or tried as it would be, they would know I was against them. I had to play my part well though. I had slipped over the past two years, making it obvious to my father. He suspected my alliance had changed but was doing all he could to make me become the faithful follower I was destined to become.
I had to make up now for the faithfulness I had not shown the past few years very well. I had to prove to the Dark Lord and to my father that my alliance was with them, even if it wasn't. I had make sure they trusted me to be on their side and do what they wanted me to do. It was the only way I could make sure I'd be able to go back to Ginny when the war was over. If I wasn't faithful to the Dark Lord, he would kill me.
The door of my quarters flying open snapped me from my thoughts. "Come, Draco," my father's hard voice commanded as he stood tall in the doorway. I could see in his eyes a hard look, hard as steel. There would be no getting out of this; I could see it in his eyes.
I bowed my head to appease him before nodding. "Yes Father," I said with an arrogant smirk as I followed him out the door and down the stairs, my mask firmly back in place. I would not let it slip again like I had recently. I would keep my Ginny safe.
My father's hard whisper reached my ears as he strode in front of me down a long hallway. "You will be quiet and try nothing to get out of this. I suspect you are not faithful to the Dark Lord but that will change today. If it doesn't, you will die this day. You will do what the Dark Lord commands and accept the role you were born to be in!" he ended in a harsh whisper, turning suddenly to face him.
"Of course, Father," I said with a nod. Looking into his eyes I said with determination, "I will not fail you."
He nodded, obviously satisfied by my answer, and continued to lead the way to where the Dark Lord awaited my arrival. We strode into the great hall of the manor less than a minute later. I hid my nervousness behind an arrogant smirk as I looked around the room with a sinking heart. At the head of a room in a chair that was acting as his thrown, the Dark Lord sat looking down from a raised platform.
Around him, sitting at tables that lined the walls, were nearly every Death Eater the Dark Lord had. The number had grown immensely over the past two year, nearly tripling in size. There were many followers of the Dark Lord but only a number of them, only those in this room, were held high enough to be branded with the dark mark, to be known as Death Eaters. And I would soon be one of them.
My father led me up to the front of the platform where I knelt as the feet of the Dark Lord. My father stepped back, retreating to the nearest table. I was left alone in the middle of the room, every eye on me. My head still bowed, I said, "My Lord," greeting him.
The silence seemed to stretch on as I felt his eye's on me. Finally he spoke. "It is about time I saw you at my feet, willing to take on the Dark Mark. Don't think it escaped my notice how you've avoided it. But it pleases your lord that you kneel there today. From this day forward you will be counted among my men, ready and willing to do as I command without a second thought. This day, I will mark you as my own, one of the elite."
He was silent once again for a moment before continuing. "Now stand and prove you're loyalty to me."
I did as he instructed and stood before him, knowing what would come next. Each man in this room had gone through a test to prove their loyalty to the Dark Lord. Those who failed the test were killed. For each, this test was different, based on their weakness or soft spot if they had one. For some, it was to endure the worst pain the Dark Lord could inflict on them. For others they had feed Nagini, a task not many were willing to do for she tended to bite the hand that fed her. But for me, I knew what my task would be and I dreaded it.
From the door behind the platform, two men in their Death Eater attire, walked out. Between them they drug a woman who looked to be in her mid-fifties dressed in nothing but her nightgown and bed slippers. I hid my feeling well behind my tight mask of control. Nothing showed on my face but a blank expression as she was brought before the Dark Lord and pushed to the floor beside me where she started to sob.
"Kill her, Draco," the Dark Lord said in a menacing whisper.
I looked down at the woman sobbing before me. Her hair was streaked with gray but the rest was a light shade of red. I closed my eyes briefly, trying to get the image of Ginny out of my head. Without knowing it, the men had brought me a woman who was going to be one of the hardest for me to kill. She reminded me of Ginny. "Yes my Lord," I said in a voice that sounded much stronger than I felt at the moment.
Of all the things the Dark Lord had ever asked of me, killing was the one thing I avoided most. For a time, I had point blank refused to kill, making it a bit too obvious my distaste for it. He had punished me then and I'd changed my ways. I still didn't kill, but I'd make it look like I had. During battles, nobody seemed to notice if the person was just stunned or actually dead.
Obviously the Dark Lord knew of this though. My test would be the hardest to face. I would have to kill this innocent muggle woman. There was a foul taste in my mouth just thinking about it. But, putting on my mask of boredom, I lifted my wand as if I had done this hundreds of times before. "Avada Kedavra!"
He screaming and sobbing were cut short as her body slumped to the ground, lifeless. I had to remind myself not to show on my face the horror I felt at what I had just done. I had finally taken another human life. My father would be so proud. I felt like vomiting.
I turned back to the Dark Lord and knelt at his feet before the platform as the body of the woman was drug unceremoniously away. I heard him stand from where he had been seated the entire time. He stood before me for a moment before speaking in a voice that could have almost sounded proud of me if I hadn't known better, "Stand and receive your make, Draco."
I stood again and made my way up onto the platform to stand directly in front of him. I braced myself as I presented my left arm to him, pushing up the robe that covered the untainted skin.
He took my wrist in a firm grip of his ice cold hands. I didn't flinch as the tip of his wand was pressed to my skin. I didn't even scream, like many did, when he started speaking the incantation that burned the mark so painfully into my arm. "Nella pelle lo brucio un contrassegno di lealtà nella carne."
And it was done. The spot on my arm that the mark now resided on felt as if I had been branded with a hot iron taken directly from the fires of hell. I walked off the platform and took my seat next to my father, where I had been destined to be my entire life. I knew my father was proud of me. I had become what he'd always wanted. I had finally taken my place at his side.
Ginny POV
I woke the next morning feeling like a herd of hippogriffs had run over me the night before. As I set up all of my muscles screamed in protest. The after effects of the battle were painful. I stood and stretched, trying to ride myself of a little pain. I shook my head, it was useless. I decided to go ask Mum for a potion that would relive the ache.
Not fully wake, I stumbled my way down the stairs and towards the kitchen where the smell of bacon and eggs wafted from. I yawned and ran a hand through my sleep tousled hair as I plopped down in one of the kitchen chairs. "Morning dear," Mum said as she loaded a plate down with food for me.
"Morning Mum," I responded with another yawn. As she set the food in front of me I asked, "Do you have anything to ease muscle aches? I feel like a herd of hippogriffs used me as a landing pad last night." I didn't wait for her response before taking a bite of food. I was famished. I could hardly eat the past week for fear of the upcoming battle. But now that worry was over and, according to the note, I'd be able to see Draco tonight. I was feeling much better now.
Mum noticed the change too. "Yes of course," she said with a smile as she walked over and opened the cabinet beside the spice rack. After rummaging through it for a moment she pulled out a little bottle with a thick purple potion in it. "Drink up," she said, sitting it beside my glass of milk.
"Ick," I said, wrinkling my nose as I picked up the potion bottle.
"Tastes bad, works good!" Mum said with a smile as she went back to the stove and started making herself a plate of food. It wasn't likely that any of my brothers or even my father would be up anytime soon. It was a shock that I was.
I unstopped the bottle and almost gagged. Smelled bad too. I shook my head and downed it fast as I could, grimacing at the taste. I quickly grabbed my milk and took a huge gulp before turning back to my breakfast. Mum and I chatted happily as we ate. I felt bad really because I couldn't even remember the last time I'd really sat down and talked to her. I'd missed our mother daughter moments.
After we ate I headed back upstairs to shower and get ready for the day. I felt good today, better than I had in sometime. The only worry left on my mind was how I was going to get to the address that had been written on the note.
The floo was too closely watched to even think about using. I couldn't risk getting caught or leading other people to this hidden sanctuary of Draco's. But then there was flying. But I scratched out that idea as soon as it came. I didn't know where this place was; let alone how to get there. But then there was apparition. Since I was mere months from being seventeen, I had been practicing but had never done it by myself for a long distance. I had no doubt in my ability, I knew I could do it, but there was the lingering fear of doing it underage.
As the day progressed I realized my only choice really was to apparate. There was no other way to get there logically. So, as the sun sunk low on the horizon and the remains of dinner were cleaned away, I retreated up to my room with the excuse of going to bed early.
I packed a small bag with some healing potions and basic first aid stuff along with a little bit of food. I had no idea what Draco had gone through after the battle and didn't even know if he was hurt from last night or not. I was afraid of what he would have to get through to come to me. I wasn't sure if he would be okay or not. So I packed basic things just in case. And then I waited.
By the time the last light in the house was finally off and the last Weasley snoring, it was almost midnight. I climbed out of bed and slipped my shoes back on. Like with Hogwarts, nobody could apparate within the bounds of our home. Dad just recently put the spell on as added protection. Once outside the house and out in the yard, I would be able to apparate.
I slung the bag over my shoulder and pulled out my wand before slinking quietly out of my bedroom. Quickly making my way down the stairs, I stopped only in the kitchen to grab a loaf of Mum's bread. As soon as I made it out in the yard I started out towards the fence line. I didn't want to apparate too close to the house for fear I would be heard.
When I got past the fence and out of the yard, I looked back at the house one last time before clearing my mind of everything else and thinking only of the address Draco had given me. Lifting my wand, I turned on the spot.
Did you like it? Did it make up for my long absence? I know it wasn't too long but I did the best I could! Please, review even if you're mad that I took so long. I need to know if I lost any of my loyal reviewers with my long absence :(
FEED BJ! He's little more than skin and bones from my long period of not updating! Thankfully a few reviews have come in here and there to keep him alive but he really could use some good long reviews! :D
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