Chapter Fifty

I placed a cold hand on my chest to ensure my heart was still beating as it felt missing in the past few days. I felt as if I couldn't feel anything as strongly as I once had. I was afraid I was going completely numb, but at the same time I was afraid of feeling too much. I had felt strongly before and it always hurt. Perhaps that's what it was that made me go numb in the first place.

"You will be returning to Hogwarts, Merope." He had said to me.

I had been overjoyed in that moment. My mind flooded with the idea of seeing Daphne and my friends again; at least at Hogwarts there could be normalcy. I would put up with the whispers and rumours in the halls if it meant I could return. But as quick as the notion had uplifted me, it came shattering down again.

The Dark Lord had entrusted me with a task. A task he believed only I could pull off. One I never dreamed I was capable of succeeding. But I had no choice, I had to obey him.

I had to kill Albus Dumbledore.

"Wouldn't you be more fit for this task, Master?" My voice shook the whole meeting. "Or one of your more experienced Death Eaters?"

"My Death Eaters will be there to aid you."

"How will they get onto castle grounds?"

"There is a plan."

Did the Dark Lord really fear Dumbledore so much he refused to meet him one on one? The battle before my kidnapping must have spooked him as I recalled Dumbledore having the upper hand and almost effortlessly.

"And if I was to fail this task?"

"Then Lucius may lose his heir."

Dumbledore was so smart, so talented. I was never going to be able to do this. Now I had Draco's life on the line too. A large part of me believed he knew I couldn't do it and just wanted to toy with Lucius Malfoy's life as he had been lately.

I groaned miserably and rubbed my tired eyes with my hands. Nagini was fast asleep on my bed while I sat at my desk, trying to think of some cunning way I could get past the Headmaster. The door opened and in entered Draco, looking battered himself. I got to my feet and pulled him in for an all embracing hug.

He rocked me slightly and then nestled his head on my shoulder.

"Tired, love?" He asked softly into my ear.

"Like you couldn't imagine," I sighed.

He left a kiss on my cheek before pulling away. "I need to talk to you," he said with a slight grimace.

"I need to talk to you too," I pouted.

"Well let's talk, shall we?" He gestured to my bed where he wanted to sit down, but was startled by Nagini's large sleeping form curled up in the centre.

I chuckled, "I will tell her to go, don't freak out."

"I'm not freaked out," he said joltedly, but didn't move from his spot.

"Nagini, please wake up," I hissed in parseltongue. Draco watched me closely with dewy-eyes. The snake stirred to life, her tail stretching out as her vivid eyes opened.

"Hasss a plan come to you yet?" She asked, almost mockingly as she blinked herself out of her slumber.

"No," I flatlined. "Draco is here, can you please give us some privacy."

"Asss you wish," she flickered her tongue out at me and then gave Draco a purposeful stare as she slithered out. He still continued to remain frozen as a statue until she was completely gone.

"I've never heard you speak in Parseltongue before," he observed as he joined me on the cushiony bed. "It's sexy," he smirked. As he leant back to shimmy further on the bed, my eye caught sight of bruising on his collarbone.

"What is that?" I asked with sharp concern, leaning over to investigate further.

He covered the space with his hand and leant back. "Nothing," he said.

"It doesn't look like nothing?"

"It's nothing," he repeated more pointedly with a glare.

I took the hint and rested half on his torso, how we often liked to relax. My hands busied themselves playing with his robe sleeves while he cushioned his head against the crown of mine. "Do you want to go first?" I asked.

I felt his head nod against mine. "It's pretty shit, being a Death Eater that is."

I breathed a laugh. "You only realise that now?"

"I didn't think I would get so much responsibility being a teenager." He admitted.

I shifted in his arms to look him in the eye. "What does he want you to do?"

He sighed, then pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes screwed shut. "He gave me a hard time for being involved with you," he strained out like he was holding his breath. I immediately sat up with a stern expression. "But it's nothing," he stressed again and placed a hand on my shoulder. "In fact, he told father I was a good match if I could prove my worth. Seems the Malfoy name still means something to him."

I buried my head into my hands, not wanting to accept what I was hearing. From my position it seemed like he barely cared about my relationship with Draco and was only using it as a means to blackmail me with.

"I will admit, he's not the ideal father-in-law, but-"

"Don't," I stopped him midway.

"Don't what?" He frowned.

"Joke about it," I rolled my shoulders thinking it would shake the feeling off.

"I thought you were past the father thing with him?"

"I am."

"Then-"

"Then don't make me feel bad you're getting the short end of it too." I snapped.

He stared at me, all creases flattening as the perplexity faded. "I can handle it."

"I don't care if you can, you shouldn't have too." I ran my fingers through my long locks, feeling an assault of stress tighten my head. "You wouldn't have all this responsibility if it weren't for our relationship."

"That's not why I have the responsibility. He told me no one else will be able to do it."

"And what is it?" I asked with irritation.

"He wants me to get the Death Eater's access into the school," he said with an almost confused look. "Then they will help take down the Headmaster."

I nodded woodenly, understanding my full mission now. Draco was to handle the Death Eaters accessing the castle, I was to handle Dumbledore. "You mean, they will help me take down the Headmaster." I stared at him, watching his features morphe into realisation. It was quiet between us for an instance as we soaked in each others tasks. A cruel play put on by the Dark Lord. "If I fail, he will kill you." I managed to rasp out, my eyes flickering away.

Draco took a deep breath, clearly trying to remain calm, but failing. He scowled as he stood up, stepping into a pace. "Do you ever catch a fucking break?"

"Draco," I softly mused to calm him down.

"No," he shot and pointed at me with wrath. "Doesn't he realise you're way too good for this shit? I mean, for fucks sake Melody," he approached me with wild hands, "he wants you to kill Dumbledore!"

"What other choice do I have over here?" My voice cracked as it came out shaken. "He's threatening me with your life, Draco!"

He growled. "I would rather die than have you kill someone and sacrifice your soul."

"Well you're out of luck because that's not happening," I crossed my arms defiantly, a fire in my eyes.

He breathed a sarcastic laugh, "so you're going to do it?" He had an amused smile plastered on his face with disbelief. "You're going to kill that old fool?"

"I have to," I glared at him.

"Melody," he went to continue, but struggled to find the words and sighed. He quickly sat himself next to me and took my hands. "Love, you're not…" I looked up at him. "You're not capable of this."

It was starting to bother me, how little people believed in me. I'd heard it from Ezra a few days ago, he had told the Dark Lord I wasn't adept to perform a curse. It seemed the only one who believed in me was Voldemort. He had entrusted me with his greatest task yet. There was a new determination in me, not only to prove everyone wrong, but to make the Dark Lord proud.

"He thinks I am," I glowered at him. "He has more faith in me than any of you do."

Draco's eyes pierced me curiously. "I wonder, do you still want to go back to the Order?"

It was the question I'd been dreading. The question I didn't even want to ask myself. I still couldn't come to terms with fighting my friends and family on both sides.

"I don't know," I casted my eyes towards the floor. "Either way, whatever side I am on, my heart's not in it."


It was always the same crushing pain in the centre of my head that came and went in patterns. Then if the migraine struck, I was done for. A prisoner, helpless in a cage of agony. Then came the nausea that would overwhelm me to the point I would vomit. I was finished at that point and would retreat to my bedroom, craving darkness and silence. The pain throbbed so violently around my skull, I wondered if it was going to crack open.

"Keely is getting you a draught now," Draco hushed as he tucked me into my blankets.

I cradled my head in my palms thinking it made a difference. My eyes remained shut in an attempt to block out all light - despite Draco having closed all my curtains - as I curled under my duvet.

"Why don't you get it this bad?" I whined.

"I think I have a higher pain tolerance." He shifted to sit beside me.

"Or maybe she just hates me and is going harder," I muttered against the soft fabrics.

"Well it doesn't help you called her a wicked bitch," though I couldn't see, I knew he was rolling those molten orbs.

"Only because she called me a spoilt princess," I retorted, frowning enough to make me wince at the muscle strain on my delicate forehead.

The Dark Lord had thrust both Draco and I into intense Occlumency training with his infamous aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange. As everything in my life, it wasn't easy. Not only did Bellatrix have an unhealthy obsession with her Master which in turn made her hate me, but she was naturally sadistic and cruel. I assumed she had a soft spot for Draco since she never had him on his hands and knees during our Occlumency training. But the true grating factor between us was my unfathomable hatred of her which made us butt heads. She had killed Sirius Black after all and went on to taunt Harry about it.

Though Sirius and I weren't related, I still felt a familial tie with him. He had been my only company for two months over the depressing Summer holidays at Grimmauld Place. To make matters worse, I knew that was the first time he had left that damned place since I was the one to collect him to save Harry. He had a twisted and dark life that he didn't deserve, the whole ordeal was harrowing. Bellatrix fed off my misery about it and enjoyed provoking me further during our Occlumency sessions by searching for Sirius-themed memories. She looked so far into my brain to the point I felt the migraine explode and was rendered useless.

After a week of strenuous training, I had little improvement thanks to Bellatrix's unfair teaching whilst Draco was soaring. He already managed to grasp the notion of 'clearing his emotions.'

"She's right, you know." Draco sighed. "You need to be more emotionally disciplined." His hand rested on the top of my head poking out of the covers.

"Well sorry I'm not a heartless soul like some." I mumbled.

"Are you implying I am heartless, Taylor?" He took on that cold, defensive tone he often resorted to when offended.

"I'm not implying anything about you," I groaned, pushing my face deeper into the pillows. "And am I even a Taylor anymore?"

"You could go back to Riddle. Merope Riddle is your birth name, right?"

I made a disgusted sound. "I hate the name Merope."

"Oddly sounds similar to Melody," he said out loud.

"I'll stick with Melody, thanks."

"Who even gave you the name Melody? Ezra and Lydia?"

The guilt then infiltrated me, not in my chest, but in my brain. "Dumbledore," I roughly answered.

Draco and I had been musing over ideas on how to bring the Headmaster down and bring Death Eaters into Hogwarts, so far we had come up with zilch. It was hard to conjure a magnificent plan when you were reluctant to do the plan in the first place.

"Oh," was all that came from the Malfoy heir as he sat idly by me, his fingers still lost in my dark brown strands of hair. "I have decided to give up being a Prefect this year, I think you should too. With the weight of N.E. and our missions, it's something we both don't need."

I nodded against his body tiredly. "I couldn't care less about it anyway."

"Mother is taking me to Diagon Alley at the end of the week to gather school supplies and new robes, my other robes are too short now. Shall we get you anything?"

"Camille said she will get my books. She already took measurements for my robes too, but I don't think I have grown much since."

He snorted. "Oh, believe me, Melody, you have definitely grown."


I sat wearily on one of the pearl-cushioned window seats in the ballroom watching the rain come down. Draco was occupied with Bellatrix again for Occlumency training. I had decided to skip today's lesson, claiming I had another headache. She saw straight through the lie, but seemed indifferent on whether I actually learnt anything or not. The water droplets fell down the glass windows like they had nothing better to do. There was a laziness about them, like they couldn't be bothered conforming to gravity. Oh how I yearned for simplicity like one of these water droplets.

I ran a hand down the window, feeling the coldness through the glass and catching sight of my dark mark as I moved. It managed to catch me off guard every time I held out my forearm. Unlike Draco, the mark didn't remind me of Voldemort or my responsibility as a Death Eater, it reminded me of my task to kill the Headmaster. I sighed dismally as I banged my head against the window in frustration. Maybe I should just purposely fail and let Dumbledore kill me instead. Then again he wouldn't do that to me, if anything I'd end up in Azkaban and I wasn't about to spend the rest of my life in the presence of dementors in a tiny cell.

The tapping of shoes against the glossy floor snapped me out of my thoughts. I swerved to see Snape entering the ballroom. Happiness conquered me, the sight of Snape was almost healing my brain. For the split second I had felt like I was waking up from my nightmare. I had seen him at some meetings, but all we could share was glances across the table. Now he was here, in front of me and alone.

"Skipping class, Taylor." His right brow curved. "Not unlike you, I suppose."

"I don't skip!" I quipped with a light-hearted tone. "It's great to see you, Snape. Really, it is."

"I wish I could say the same," his voice droned and I gave a nod in understanding. I noticed his eyes resting on my right forearm, eyeing my new body art. "It's a shame really, this could have all been avoided had you just listened to me."

"I couldn't stand by, knowing you had told…" I stopped my sentence midway, afraid of talking about such sensitive things in the Manor where ears could be everywhere. "Well… you know." I said.

He rumpled his nose. "Unfortunately I do know, all too well." He said and I frowned, wondering just what he meant. He then leant closer, his face taking on a more serious nature. "You have done well here." He said quietly.

"Thank you," I whispered back on the cusp of a sigh. My hand gripped over the dark mark, feeling shame I couldn't prevent quite everything.

"Time is of the essence so I am going to be short and direct." He hushed. "He will be gone tonight, for a very long time with all the inner circle away from here. He has left no one of importance to stay at the Manor in guard of you. I believe he trusts you now, Melody." The news that the Dark Lord trusted me lifted me almost as much as it did when Snape used my first name. "At eight I will arrive at the front gates, meet me there. I will return you to the Order."

Before I could say anything in response, Snape stepped back and then apparated into nothing. I was left with wide doe-like eyes and a startled face. He was going to take me back to the Order? Something happened and I was frozen to the spot. Apprehension shivered down my spine like a careful spider trailing silk. I couldn't go back to the Order. Was he mental? They'd throw me into Azkaban after what I did! And what about Draco, I couldn't just leave him here unprotected. Voldemort would kill him for my return! With so many thoughts spurring through my mind, I hadn't even noticed the rapidness of my breathing.

"Merope," the Dark Lord's cold voice rang.

I squeaked and jumped off the window-seat to see the man himself standing at the ballroom entrance. It was too late to hide my concern, so I raised a hand to my head, ready to pretend it was the headache bothering me.

"Master," I croaked. "I didn't even hear you come in."

"No, I used a Charm. As should you if you ever feel the need for privacy." He said in his pastoral tone. "I do notice you seem to not want to be disturbed."

"Oh," I raised my brows in enlightenment. "Not at all, My Lord. I was just nursing my headache."

"I see," he tilted his head upwards. "Perhaps some fresh air will do you good." He said and gestured towards the door leading to the gardens. "Keely," he commanded and the house elf appeared in a second. "Have Camille meet us in the gardens with more Elixir for Merope's headaches."

"Right away, My Lord." She bowed and disapparated into dust.

I followed the cloaked man into the gardens. The rain has subsided for now and I wondered if he had influenced it that way at all. Everything remained wet, clear drops of water hanging onto corners and edges. The rain had carved a miniature canyon in the pathways where a new river ran. The smell of dewy grass filled my nose and I breathed in a healthy gasp of fresh air.

"You are quite beautiful, Merope." He suddenly said with serenity and I noticed he had been watching me take in the crisp air.

"Thank you," I kindly replied with a small smile. I hoped he wasn't expecting a compliment in return because the snake-like face really wasn't doing well for him. But I knew he had been handsome once, in the school photographs I saw.

"Beauty," he began as we continued walking down the puddled paths, "can be quite powerful, if you know the proper ways to wield it." I should have known this would turn into a lecture about power. "And power can come from knowledge. Knowledge, I find, is not the product of education, but your attempt to acquire it. I suspect your knowledge in magic will grow over the course of the next year at Hogwarts. I would like to share with you that I learnt more from my lust of wisdom than I ever would have at that repulsive school. If anything, the way I was alienated encouraged me to seek such power. Power that would overcome my enemies."

My eyes anchored on him, surprised just how vulnerable he was being to me right now. "Alienated?" I couldn't help but question. From what I had seen in the year book, he had quite a good school life. Plenty of friends and top of the class.

"Yes," he replied whilst looking over the flowers. "I was… estranged," his eyes then connected back with mine, "estranged during most of my schooling."

My mouths parted slightly in surprise as my eyebrows ascended. "I would have never had guessed." I admitted.

"No," he agreed. "I was always different, Merope. I always have been. I was a brilliant, brave, model student as Slughorn had said," a sinister smile spread over his face as he recalled and returned to gazing over the gardens. "I had them all fooled," the voice was quiet, no longer talking just to me, but to himself. The smile soon writhed into a scowl. "All except one, my Transfiguration Professor."

"Dumbledore," I said.

He scoffed. "That fool. He told me that love was more powerful than magic." He stretched the word love with disgust.

"How witless," I replied half-heartedly as he went on to complain about Dumbledore keeping an annoying close watch on him after the Chamber of Secrets was opened. It dwelled in me that he had an unusual abhorrence for love. At first I considered it was Harry's mother's love that made him biased on the notion, but I then realised; he had never experienced love.

Tom Riddle had never known love. He'd spoken on his hatred of summers between Hogwarts schooling years as he had to return to the Muggle orphanage. Rather than being morphed to believed he didn't deserve it like most downtrodden orphans, he believed he was above it. He didn't need it. He needed power. I stared at the monster of Voldemort as he continued detesting Hogwarts and saw a whole him in a whole new light.

I didn't see You-Know-Who or the most dangerous dark wizard of all time, I saw a spurned Tom Riddle. Tom who faced a cruel childhood and parentless youth. There was a new inkling within me that I felt unsettled to discover. A new inkling to help Tom.


The sun was long gone, leaving us in an unpleasant and cold night. The moon was sheltered by the murky looming of clouds and I felt anxious as I awaited Snape's arrival. I wasn't going to leave with him immediately as he intended, I needed to talk to him first, see if there was another option since I was unwilling to leave Malfoy Manor.

After enduring more sweeping gusts of wind, the Potion's Master apparated mere metres before me. His long black cloaks wisping like rippling water in the wind.

"Are you ready?" He asked as he approached.

"Wait," I shouted against the blustering weather, my hair thrashing about my face. "I can't do this just yet."

"There may never be another time, Miss. Taylor." He urged and held out his arm for apparating.

"No," I refused. "I can't leave Draco," I said and his dark eyes rolled for an eternity as his shoulders dropped.

"Mr. Malfoy can look after himself, believe me." He snapped.

"I know that," I pointedly replied with a harsh stare, "but I do not wish to abandon him here alone."

"Young love," he spat distastefully. "Save it before I am sick, come with me. My presence is required elsewhere and I cannot raise suspicions."

"I told you, Snape, no." I repeated, stomping a foot on the ground to give some sort of impact.

He stared at me for a moment, a chronicle of thoughts infiltrating his intelligent mind. "This is ridiculous," he eventually rejected and made his wand visible.

A delightful, relaxing feeling captivated my body and I felt compelled to reach for his arm. I had fallen into a gratifying trance where all I wanted was to leave this weather and return to Grimmauld Place, my safe haven. I reached forward for Snape's arm to be taken there, away from this dreadful Malfoy Manor… Malfoy Manor. I caught myself, freezing in my action and staring at Snape. He arched a brow, surprised at my sudden pause. Why did I want to go to Grimmauld Place when Malfoy was here? I wanted to stay with my Draco. But it felt so tempting to take Snape's arm and be whisked away, I wanted to return to Grimmauld Place so bad.

I was visibly straining now to resist taking his arm, there was a greater force from the pit of my stomach beckoning me to stay with Draco. It intensified enough that I was able to bring my arm back down and stand completely still. The relaxing aura then diminished into reality and I understood now that Snape had just attempted to control me with the Imperius Curse.

"Fascinating," he commented with a curious glint in his black eyes. "The Dark Lord was correct, you have progressed."

"How dare you," I sniped with a vicious sneer. My tone took on one to rival Hermione Granger's. "Trying to force me to leave with an unforgivable?"

"I am looking out for your best interest," he defended.

"Wouldn't my best interest be what I want?!"

"And so is that what you want? To stay here? To remain under the Dark Lord's vice?"

"The Dark Lord," I scoffed with a head spin. "There is more to Tom then there is at surface value."

His eyes widened, a frozen nature overwhelming his features as he was struck by my words. I may as well had stunned him there. I sensed the shockwave and stepped closer to him, a desperate need to make him understand me.

"I could help him, Snape." I whispered with hope threading through my voice. "Maybe… maybe if I just had more time. Maybe I could get through to him and end all of this."

He blinked, his fantastic mind soaking him my meaning. "You have been here too long," he observed. "You have spent too much time with him."

"Maybe that's not a bad thing!" I exclaimed. "Because he's spent too much time with me also. If you give me the chance-"

"No," he interrupted. "Not at all, Taylor."

From his defensive stance and judgemental eyes, I knew I wouldn't make him see my perspective.

"Voldemort doesn't want friends," he sneered, "he doesn't want family, and thinks compassion is weakness."

"Well either way, I am not leaving. I'm not leaving Draco. I'm not leaving Nagini or Camille. I am not leaving Ezra and Lydia. I have too many ties here to turn my back and run," I said strongly with a tight jaw.

"Take my arm before I really make you." He gritted with flaring nostrils.

I shook my head, feeling my emotions catching up with me. My throat started to constrict and I winced. "I can't return to them, Snape. He wants me to kill Dumbledore. If the Order finds out, they'll lock me in Azkaban. Heck, they'll lock me in Azkaban for what I did in the West County! Merlin, I tortured my adoptive mother for goodness sake!"

His mouth had parted and for the first time ever I had seen the brilliant wizard speechless. "He gave the task to you?" He said aloud, rigidly. There was silence for a moment where I struggled to get a hold of my emotions. The Potions Master was clearly considering his other avenues and thinking of a way out of this that would not only secure my safety, but keep me out of prison.

He then looked back at me, a decisive hint in his eyes. "I will return to the Order and alert them of what has happened. Not all of it, but most of it. I will help you on your mission the Dark Lord has allocated you and I will keep you safe, Melody Taylor."

My heart hammered, cheeks flushing pink whilst my eyes watered. I was thankful, relieved, ecstatic, all of it. The rush of feelings made me a victim and I fell into Snape's arms, clutching onto him for a desperate hug as I started to cry. I hadn't cried in weeks and it all came to the tip of its triangle in this heat.

I didn't know what my future held, but in this moment, it felt like it would be okay.


I know some people feel conflicted with this darker Melody, without giving too much away I want to assure (and hope) you can keep faith for this story as it's not my intention to totally spin it around and make her a mini Voldy or *shudders* Delphini. In other words, no Melody will not be standing on a mountain screaming Avada Kadavra at every Order member relentlessly. Nevertheless, it's going to be tough in the coming chapters and who knows what can happen! Thank you to Shay, BraziaRios and Jemmyjem for leaving reviews, they feed my motivation :) x