DISCLAIMERS: I own nothing except that half-melted Snickers bar in my pocket. So don't sue me.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: VOLDEMORT'S PROPOSAL (No, not of marriage! Ew!)
Lili woke up with a pounding headache to the noise of little feet scurrying around the room. Without thinking, she called out, "Dana, get the hell away from my CDs, go buy your own, you little cheapskate." Then she realized something. Her bed at home wasn't a four-poster with green velvet hangings. And it was an unusual thing to wake up to your little sister after being knocked out by Death Eaters.
The whole thing came rushing back to her, and she winced as the memories flooded her already aching head. She saw what had happened clearly, as though she was outside her body, simply watching what had happened. She groaned as she remembered how she had panicked, and rolled over and pounded her fist on the mattress. How could she have been so dumb? Of all the days to start taking her sister's advice, this had to be it, didn't it. **You should probably leave the sword here,** she mimicked Dana in her mind. **It'll be too heavy to drag through the woods.** She pounded her fist against the headboard of the bed, and immediately regretted it. She let out a scream of pure frustration.
But she had forgotten about the tiny footsteps that had woken her up. At her yell, a tiny face with eyes almost as big as Lili's own poked itself through the bedcurtains.
"Oh! Miss is awake! Mitty is sorry if she woke Miss up, Mitty tried to be quiet, Mitty is not a very good house-elf." The head hung itself in shame. But a second later, the creature that called itself Mitty perked up. "But it is time for Miss to get up, anyway, Master wants to see Miss! Mitty will get out a nice robe for Miss to wear." Mitty scurried away, and Lili took the chance to get a good look at the room she was in.
It was a cold stone dungeon-type room, with no windows, the only light coming from the torches on the wall. The room was furnished sparsely, but what was there was luxurious, all in mahogany and green velvet. The bed she was in was intricately carved, like the trunk at its foot and the wardrobe next to it. The only other furniture in the room was a green armchair in front of the fireplace and a table with two chairs. Upon closer inspection, Lili saw that there was a breakfast sitting on the table. As she moved to get out of the bed, she realized that all she was wearing was her underwear.
"Hey, what gives? Where the hell are my clothes?" She asked angrily. Mitty, who had been in the wardrobe up to her waist, pulled herself out and curtsied to Lili, tugging at the hem of the pillowcase she wore.
"Mitty is sorry, Miss. Mitty was told to take Miss' clothes and get rid of them." Lili was less than pleased, but Mitty continued. "Until Mitty finds a suitable robe for Miss, Miss can wear the dressing gown on the chair." A silk cream-colored bathrobe was on a chair. Lili quickly put it on as Mitty rummaged around in the wardrobe, finally emerging with a purple velvet robe. She barely waited for Lili to finish eating before pouncing on her.
"Mitty must make Miss look pretty, Miss is going to meet Master, Miss must look perfect," She cried as she pulled the robe over Lili's head and pulled the gold cord sash tight. The cut of the robe was elegant, and it looked much more like a medieval dress than a robe, with the royal purple velvet and gold trim. It had a square collar and a loose bodice, with a full skirt falling beneath. It made Lili feel distinctly uncomfortable, but the trim brought out the gold color that weeks in the sun had bleached her hair to. She looked in the mirror over the vanity in the corner and felt thoroughly nauseated.
Mitty took less than another three seconds to sit Lili down at the vanity and begin grooming rituals which Lili had often seen Dana do, usually with a large amount of disgust. "Miss' hair!" Mitty cried in frustration. "Has Miss been having it cut with scissors or an axe?"
"Hey, I like my hair!" Lili cried in protest as Mitty pulled out a pair of scissors and began work. The two fought over it for about fifteen minutes, until Mitty threatened to cut off an ear. Apparently a house-elf's sense of respects towards humans did not extend to out-of-line houseguests. As soon as she was done, Mitty picked up a small silver bell and shook it. It emitted a light tinkling sound, like a little girl's laughter.
Instantly, there was a knock at the door. Mitty scurried to open it, bowing low as she did so. A dark hooded figure swept in, ignoring the tiny house-elf. "Well?" said the Death Eater in a deep voice. "Is the girl ready?"
"Yes, sir, yes, Miss is ready!" The house-elf pushed Lili forward, and the girl glared at her.
"Good. Come then, girl." Lili's glare, one that had been known to make teenage boys cower in fear and run for their very lives, turned on the Death Eater. He ignored it, and swept out of the room. Briefly, Lili weighed the option of not following him, then decided it wasn't worth the trouble it would cause. She followed him.
The Death Eater led her down several flights of stairs and a few hallways before stopping at a set of plain wooden doors, a little on the large side, but overall, normal. "Master," the Death Eater called. "The girl is here." And he backed away from the door.
"Excellent." The new voice sent chills down Lili's spine. She had imagined a great evil, something cruel, evil, something that you conquered, and then stood over it's body with one hand raised in the air in a heroic pose. **I've been watching too many Star Wars movies, ** she thought blandly. This voice was cold, and cruel, but not what she had imagined. It was indifferent, calculating. It did whatever it wanted, for whatever it wanted. It scared her. "Send her in."
The Death Eater complied readily, opening the doors and ushering Lili in. As he closed the door, her mind went blank. She didn't notice the staircase, or the many pairs of eyes glaring from the ceiling somewhere above her. All the knew about was the screaming terror yammering at her to get out, to run away as fast as she could. But she went forward.
**Stupid of me,** she thought blankly as she reached the last turn in the staircase. **Idiotic, really, to think that I could do something. I thought being in Gryffindor meant something, that it proved that I was special. Idiot. I'm just one more nobody, another meaningless name on his casualties list. But hell, I'm going out like a Gryffindor. Just you watch!** She closed her eyes for a moment, lifted her head, and stepped out into the room.
******************************************************************************
"Ah, Miss Liliana Grey," Voldemort smiled mirthlessly, and Lili felt a strange emptiness wash over her. Her terror, her anger, her hate, all evaporated, leaving her only with what was here and now, to be dealt with. She felt almost as if she was outside her body, but didn't bother to try to bring herself back in. She nodded politely, never taking her eyes off him. "What a pleasure to meet you at last. The Little Earth Mage," he added. The part of Lili's mind that was still her sarcastic self began singing "Under the Sea."
"I am sorry to have to meet with you under these conditions," he said, his tone courteous, "but I knew you would not come visit if I invited you." He leaned back in his armchair, long fingers playing idly with his wand. "Please, have a seat. I brought you here merely to talk." Warily, Lili sat in the only other empty chair, and saw two Death Eaters move to either side of their master.
Voldemort continued speaking. "I will be blunt. I have seen your talents in action, Liliana. You have the potential to be a powerful witch, almost as powerful as myself." He smiled, and Lili shivered. "Your talents would have been wasted under that fool Dumbledore. You have the makings of a Slytherin, if we can rid you of that Gryffindor ignorance and openness. We are even willing to overlook your Mudblood heritage. If you will join us." He didn't seem to notice the way Lili went rigid in her chair, and the way her blue eyes widened as he continued speaking. "I am even willing to give you almost equality to myself. As I am the Lord, you would be the Lady, answerable only to me." He paused for a moment. "I do not expect you to make up your mind directly. I give you three days in which to make your choice. No more. In the meantime, you will be treated as if your answer had been yes. The servants and Death Eaters will treat you as their mistress. However, these things will be forbidden to you. One, you will not be allowed a wand until I am certain of your allegiance. Two, you may not leave this fortress. In other words, you do not go outside. Three, you shall go nowhere unaccompanied, other than your rooms. I will not be disturbed for any reason during these three days. Unless I have specifically denied it, Liliana's word is law." This last part was directed at the Death Eaters, who looked at one another nervously. Then Voldemort turned to Lili. "And you, my dear. How do you feel about this?" He smile was benevolent, but there was an undercurrent of cruelty that made Lili's insides twist.
Lili thought carefully for a moment before she answered. "I feel that this is a choice to be carefully considered." And she said nothing else.
He laughed mirthlessly. "Wise words, Liliana. You have three days." And he rose from his chair and left, pausing for one moment to whisper in her ear. "Best of luck- my Lady." Lili did not move as he swept away.
(A/N) Woah! Sorry for the long delay everybody! When I got back from camp, ff.n was down and I couldn't upload anything (major bummer ^_~). But thanks for your patience everyone! Now, on to the thanks section:
Ady- I KNOW I should have sent this to you first, but I couldn't wait to put it up (and I'm sure all you readers couldn't wait for it to be up [look at me, Miss Modesty]). And, I repeat, as far as I know, Dana had nothing to do with the kidnapping thing. Of course, Dana keeps a lot of secrets from me, too (she says I remind her too much of her sister, she doesn't like me too much).
Freda Potter- Call me M.W., I've decided Moon Warrior is just too long. You can write great reviews when you want to! And I'm glad you liked the gossip thing, I'm usually not all that great with humor. But just for you, I think I may go back and rewrite that scene, you know, embellish, add on (good ol' Dr. Bojangles just inspired me anyway). And there is more romance- subtle romance, because it's Lili, and romance is about the only thing Lili does that isn't glaringly obvious- coming up. Keep it up with the long reviews, they're my food, and you write good ones!
Berkely Halperin- I understand perfectly. Here ya go!
Alistan Black- Thanks!
Rogue15- I'm sorry, but Draco and Dana? What have you been drinking! Draco views her with a cross between suspicion, amusement, and something else (no, it's not lust, all you people reading this get your mind out of the gutter!). And there IS more romance, subtle, like always.
herm- Thanks, and enjoy!
Chrosnia chronotiger86- Thanks for the compliments and advice.
Me- Thanks!
EVERYONE: The next chapter should be up soon, I just have to type it up, and I hate copying, so this is real work for me. Be grateful! Love ya lots!
-M.W.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: VOLDEMORT'S PROPOSAL (No, not of marriage! Ew!)
Lili woke up with a pounding headache to the noise of little feet scurrying around the room. Without thinking, she called out, "Dana, get the hell away from my CDs, go buy your own, you little cheapskate." Then she realized something. Her bed at home wasn't a four-poster with green velvet hangings. And it was an unusual thing to wake up to your little sister after being knocked out by Death Eaters.
The whole thing came rushing back to her, and she winced as the memories flooded her already aching head. She saw what had happened clearly, as though she was outside her body, simply watching what had happened. She groaned as she remembered how she had panicked, and rolled over and pounded her fist on the mattress. How could she have been so dumb? Of all the days to start taking her sister's advice, this had to be it, didn't it. **You should probably leave the sword here,** she mimicked Dana in her mind. **It'll be too heavy to drag through the woods.** She pounded her fist against the headboard of the bed, and immediately regretted it. She let out a scream of pure frustration.
But she had forgotten about the tiny footsteps that had woken her up. At her yell, a tiny face with eyes almost as big as Lili's own poked itself through the bedcurtains.
"Oh! Miss is awake! Mitty is sorry if she woke Miss up, Mitty tried to be quiet, Mitty is not a very good house-elf." The head hung itself in shame. But a second later, the creature that called itself Mitty perked up. "But it is time for Miss to get up, anyway, Master wants to see Miss! Mitty will get out a nice robe for Miss to wear." Mitty scurried away, and Lili took the chance to get a good look at the room she was in.
It was a cold stone dungeon-type room, with no windows, the only light coming from the torches on the wall. The room was furnished sparsely, but what was there was luxurious, all in mahogany and green velvet. The bed she was in was intricately carved, like the trunk at its foot and the wardrobe next to it. The only other furniture in the room was a green armchair in front of the fireplace and a table with two chairs. Upon closer inspection, Lili saw that there was a breakfast sitting on the table. As she moved to get out of the bed, she realized that all she was wearing was her underwear.
"Hey, what gives? Where the hell are my clothes?" She asked angrily. Mitty, who had been in the wardrobe up to her waist, pulled herself out and curtsied to Lili, tugging at the hem of the pillowcase she wore.
"Mitty is sorry, Miss. Mitty was told to take Miss' clothes and get rid of them." Lili was less than pleased, but Mitty continued. "Until Mitty finds a suitable robe for Miss, Miss can wear the dressing gown on the chair." A silk cream-colored bathrobe was on a chair. Lili quickly put it on as Mitty rummaged around in the wardrobe, finally emerging with a purple velvet robe. She barely waited for Lili to finish eating before pouncing on her.
"Mitty must make Miss look pretty, Miss is going to meet Master, Miss must look perfect," She cried as she pulled the robe over Lili's head and pulled the gold cord sash tight. The cut of the robe was elegant, and it looked much more like a medieval dress than a robe, with the royal purple velvet and gold trim. It had a square collar and a loose bodice, with a full skirt falling beneath. It made Lili feel distinctly uncomfortable, but the trim brought out the gold color that weeks in the sun had bleached her hair to. She looked in the mirror over the vanity in the corner and felt thoroughly nauseated.
Mitty took less than another three seconds to sit Lili down at the vanity and begin grooming rituals which Lili had often seen Dana do, usually with a large amount of disgust. "Miss' hair!" Mitty cried in frustration. "Has Miss been having it cut with scissors or an axe?"
"Hey, I like my hair!" Lili cried in protest as Mitty pulled out a pair of scissors and began work. The two fought over it for about fifteen minutes, until Mitty threatened to cut off an ear. Apparently a house-elf's sense of respects towards humans did not extend to out-of-line houseguests. As soon as she was done, Mitty picked up a small silver bell and shook it. It emitted a light tinkling sound, like a little girl's laughter.
Instantly, there was a knock at the door. Mitty scurried to open it, bowing low as she did so. A dark hooded figure swept in, ignoring the tiny house-elf. "Well?" said the Death Eater in a deep voice. "Is the girl ready?"
"Yes, sir, yes, Miss is ready!" The house-elf pushed Lili forward, and the girl glared at her.
"Good. Come then, girl." Lili's glare, one that had been known to make teenage boys cower in fear and run for their very lives, turned on the Death Eater. He ignored it, and swept out of the room. Briefly, Lili weighed the option of not following him, then decided it wasn't worth the trouble it would cause. She followed him.
The Death Eater led her down several flights of stairs and a few hallways before stopping at a set of plain wooden doors, a little on the large side, but overall, normal. "Master," the Death Eater called. "The girl is here." And he backed away from the door.
"Excellent." The new voice sent chills down Lili's spine. She had imagined a great evil, something cruel, evil, something that you conquered, and then stood over it's body with one hand raised in the air in a heroic pose. **I've been watching too many Star Wars movies, ** she thought blandly. This voice was cold, and cruel, but not what she had imagined. It was indifferent, calculating. It did whatever it wanted, for whatever it wanted. It scared her. "Send her in."
The Death Eater complied readily, opening the doors and ushering Lili in. As he closed the door, her mind went blank. She didn't notice the staircase, or the many pairs of eyes glaring from the ceiling somewhere above her. All the knew about was the screaming terror yammering at her to get out, to run away as fast as she could. But she went forward.
**Stupid of me,** she thought blankly as she reached the last turn in the staircase. **Idiotic, really, to think that I could do something. I thought being in Gryffindor meant something, that it proved that I was special. Idiot. I'm just one more nobody, another meaningless name on his casualties list. But hell, I'm going out like a Gryffindor. Just you watch!** She closed her eyes for a moment, lifted her head, and stepped out into the room.
******************************************************************************
"Ah, Miss Liliana Grey," Voldemort smiled mirthlessly, and Lili felt a strange emptiness wash over her. Her terror, her anger, her hate, all evaporated, leaving her only with what was here and now, to be dealt with. She felt almost as if she was outside her body, but didn't bother to try to bring herself back in. She nodded politely, never taking her eyes off him. "What a pleasure to meet you at last. The Little Earth Mage," he added. The part of Lili's mind that was still her sarcastic self began singing "Under the Sea."
"I am sorry to have to meet with you under these conditions," he said, his tone courteous, "but I knew you would not come visit if I invited you." He leaned back in his armchair, long fingers playing idly with his wand. "Please, have a seat. I brought you here merely to talk." Warily, Lili sat in the only other empty chair, and saw two Death Eaters move to either side of their master.
Voldemort continued speaking. "I will be blunt. I have seen your talents in action, Liliana. You have the potential to be a powerful witch, almost as powerful as myself." He smiled, and Lili shivered. "Your talents would have been wasted under that fool Dumbledore. You have the makings of a Slytherin, if we can rid you of that Gryffindor ignorance and openness. We are even willing to overlook your Mudblood heritage. If you will join us." He didn't seem to notice the way Lili went rigid in her chair, and the way her blue eyes widened as he continued speaking. "I am even willing to give you almost equality to myself. As I am the Lord, you would be the Lady, answerable only to me." He paused for a moment. "I do not expect you to make up your mind directly. I give you three days in which to make your choice. No more. In the meantime, you will be treated as if your answer had been yes. The servants and Death Eaters will treat you as their mistress. However, these things will be forbidden to you. One, you will not be allowed a wand until I am certain of your allegiance. Two, you may not leave this fortress. In other words, you do not go outside. Three, you shall go nowhere unaccompanied, other than your rooms. I will not be disturbed for any reason during these three days. Unless I have specifically denied it, Liliana's word is law." This last part was directed at the Death Eaters, who looked at one another nervously. Then Voldemort turned to Lili. "And you, my dear. How do you feel about this?" He smile was benevolent, but there was an undercurrent of cruelty that made Lili's insides twist.
Lili thought carefully for a moment before she answered. "I feel that this is a choice to be carefully considered." And she said nothing else.
He laughed mirthlessly. "Wise words, Liliana. You have three days." And he rose from his chair and left, pausing for one moment to whisper in her ear. "Best of luck- my Lady." Lili did not move as he swept away.
(A/N) Woah! Sorry for the long delay everybody! When I got back from camp, ff.n was down and I couldn't upload anything (major bummer ^_~). But thanks for your patience everyone! Now, on to the thanks section:
Ady- I KNOW I should have sent this to you first, but I couldn't wait to put it up (and I'm sure all you readers couldn't wait for it to be up [look at me, Miss Modesty]). And, I repeat, as far as I know, Dana had nothing to do with the kidnapping thing. Of course, Dana keeps a lot of secrets from me, too (she says I remind her too much of her sister, she doesn't like me too much).
Freda Potter- Call me M.W., I've decided Moon Warrior is just too long. You can write great reviews when you want to! And I'm glad you liked the gossip thing, I'm usually not all that great with humor. But just for you, I think I may go back and rewrite that scene, you know, embellish, add on (good ol' Dr. Bojangles just inspired me anyway). And there is more romance- subtle romance, because it's Lili, and romance is about the only thing Lili does that isn't glaringly obvious- coming up. Keep it up with the long reviews, they're my food, and you write good ones!
Berkely Halperin- I understand perfectly. Here ya go!
Alistan Black- Thanks!
Rogue15- I'm sorry, but Draco and Dana? What have you been drinking! Draco views her with a cross between suspicion, amusement, and something else (no, it's not lust, all you people reading this get your mind out of the gutter!). And there IS more romance, subtle, like always.
herm- Thanks, and enjoy!
Chrosnia chronotiger86- Thanks for the compliments and advice.
Me- Thanks!
EVERYONE: The next chapter should be up soon, I just have to type it up, and I hate copying, so this is real work for me. Be grateful! Love ya lots!
-M.W.