A/N: I don't know if this is going to be another monster chapter or not; anything's possible. Severa, say hello to your Electro-Shock therapists for me. Persephone, thanks a million for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter.
Chapter 10: One Evil Summer
"Sleep well, Severus?" Leena said in an incredibly false voice. He curled his lip at her and sat down at his respective place at the table. Mina looked between them confused, but said nothing. 'Sometimes it was better not to ask,' she mused. Lucius walk in, leading Draco and another lady, presumably Draco's mother. Severus stood up again, shaking her hand, then sitting down again. "Girls, this is my wife, Narcissa. I hope that you will enjoy her company," Lucius introduced. Narcissa looked fragile, like she was made of fine glass. Leena was quick to note that her sky-blue eyes held a touch of fear in them, a bit of reserve, and they always flicked to Lucius for approval over the slightest action she did. Leena cocked an eyebrow, wondering what made her so intimidated. She quickly put that out of her head when Voldemort appeared at the head of the table.
***
Draco and Mina immediately went off to the woods for exploring a path they had found yesterday. Leena walked behind them, feeling like being alone at the moment. She turned down the path to the stable area, planning on taking Ren out for exercise, following some of the gracefully twisting trails through the woods, when Narcissa caught up to her. Leena gave her a tolerant smile and Narcissa returned it with a guarded smile of her own. After a minute, she broke the silence. "How are you adjusting to being here?" Leena frowned, replying, "I think I've adjusted to living here pretty well. All I have to say is that it's a good thing that I've been taught how to fight and defend, because the emphasis on it is extreme." Narcissa smiled at that. "I think you'll do fine at Hogwarts. Draco will be there to look out for you, no matter what happens. Snape will be there, as well, should you need anything. I'll see you later tonight, Leena," and she turned down the opposite path towards the gardens. Leena stopped and watched her go, suspicion haunting her sharp features.
Shadows overlapped the path in dark pools, sunlight sliding down the mossy trunks of the graceful willows in shimmering patches. Draco's hair gleamed silver in the brilliance and Mina's hair glistened gold as they meandered the winding dirt path. Birds called to each other and flew overhead, soft flapping echoing in the stillness. Mina sighed, loving every minute of the gentle beauty in the woods, while Draco was talking about nothing in particular. The portions of soft light were slowly turning into a sinister, sultry color the more they walked and Mina stopped short, cutting Draco off. Now the woods held an ominous green tint to it and Mina said worriedly, "I don't think we should go any farther. The weather doesn't look like it will hold out for much longer." Draco turned to her, silver eyes glinting, "What's the matter? Afraid of thunderstorms?" she nodded, abashed, "Don't be. They are glorious to behold and even better when you're in the middle of them. Let's keep going until it starts to rain." Mina hesitated, then set off again, determined not to be afraid. Draco smirked and hurried after her.
***
Renegade was hot to trot and Leena wanted to run. She set off at a sprightly jog, black robes flowing in the wind. Ren's dark mane blew back over his raven body as he responded to her every cue. Leena glanced down, admiring how his muscles rippled pleasingly as he moved. He thought to her, "I'm glad that you find me eye-catching, but mind your riding; it suffers when you look down." She laughed out loud, then thought back to him, "Did you know that you have an English accent? I would never have thought that a horse would pick it up." He replied smartly with a snort, "And are you aware of the fact that you have a vulgar American accent? I would never have thought that you would pick it up, living most of your life in America." She laughed again and turned down a path, pushing him into a canter.
Draco and Mina came out of the woods into a grassy moor, grey clouds swirling through the sky. "Looks like we can have a first hand view of the storm," he said gleefully. Mina snatched at his arm and pointed up the bluff. "Look! It's our manor! You can see the grounds from here and everything!" she exclaimed. Draco didn't reply, he was too busy watching a black figure flow easily across the landscape and through the woods, like water. Mina followed his gaze and said with disdain, "That must be Leena, riding again. She's either holed up in her room drawing or out riding. She hardly talks to me anymore. She says that I've changed from the person I used to be." The black figure was racing now, as if it was the wind itself, black sweeping in smooth waves like a silk flag in a gentle breeze, heading toward the marsh that they were standing on. Draco stood in awe, mouth slightly open while Mina's face contorted with a mixture of impatience and fury. She wasn't interested in seeing her sister ride; she'd seen enough of it before. On an inspiration, she pulled Draco behind a shrub on the edge of the fen, whispering that they could see what she did once she got here. Draco dropped out of sight, anxious to see more of Leena's riding.
Leena raced along, enjoying the wind whistling past, whipping her hair behind her. Ren galloped so smooth, she could have carried a glass of water without spilling a drop. She turned him toward the moor, intending to practice her skills in fighting. After all, she was the only one who knew about this place; no one would bother her here. If she wasn't practicing, she was thinking about or drawing the landscape. It was her own special escape from the cold rigidness that was expected of her at every time of the day back at the house. She hadn't even told Severus about it, because it hers, no one else's.
Thundering hoof beats seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Draco looked wildly around, searching for the source of it. All of a sudden, they stopped and a shadow flew over them. Mina snapped her head up and Draco gaped; he found where the source was: right above his head. The ground shook with the landing force that the powerful horse had used to propel him and his rider off the low ledge and over the bush to reach the moor. Leena slowed the horse to a walk, black robes gracefully billowing as the horse moved. Mina watched intently, wondering what she would do next while Draco tried to recover from the shock of being leapt over by a giant animal that could have easily crushed them. Leena dismounted, letting Ren eat the grass while she stretched and readied herself for her task. Head bowed, she took a deep breath and then pulled daggers out of her sleeves, counting out the intricate movements she would make, going slowly through each motion. When satisfied, she moved the speed up and silver flashed in the diminishing light, air humming with the power and electricity of her actions. Mina's eyes blazed and Draco was rendered speechless as the blades cut through the air with speed and precision.
Severus chanced a glance out his window and saw two black blurs out on the moor again. The larger of the them was placidly stationary, while the other was flitting about like crazy. He closed the last of his books in his trunk, took out his wand and whispered, "Macto." The window shimmered, then showed Leena, face set in cold indifference, striking an imaginary opponent time and time again with daggers. Renegade was off to the side, munching on grass. He watched the silver fly through the air with the deadly accuracy of a practiced hand. Leena paused, then pulled up her sleeves, revealing the sheaths strapped to her forearms. She slid each knife into their designated covers and went over to the horse, who was still chewing. Quickly she mounted up and effortlessly pushed him into a trot again, warming him up with circles and serpentines, then a change came over both horse and rider. Grim determination was evident in both of their faces. Severus could tell that she was conversing with Ren through her mind again and found it intriguing the way the horse seemed to do everything she asked, no qualms about it. Ren turned out to be quite an acrobat himself. The rears, leaps, kicks, and general tricks he was doing were remarkable. It was quite apparent that Leena had taught him how to fight and defend his rider. Severus watched, enthralled.
Mina and Draco managed to slip away unseen. As soon as they reached the safety of the Manor grounds, they stopped running, for sheer need of air. "I-didn't-know-(pant, pant, pant) that-(pant) Leena could (pant, pant) fight-like...that!" Draco managed to get out between breaths. Mina regained her breathing and scoffed, "It's all she does, practically. That, and drawing, like I said before." Thunder rumbled in the distance, dark grey clouds lacing the lighter ones. Draco bit his lower lip, silver eyes absorbing the grey of the sky. "I think it's time for dinner," he said vaguely. Mina arched her eyebrows at him and walked towards the house. Draco looked once more at the sky and started to follow her to the house when he saw movement on the side of the house. He looked upwards and a curtain was moving in an upstairs window. 'Odd,' he thought and jogged back to the house.
Leena was already in the house when they appeared for dinner. "Where were you?" Draco questioned, to cover up that they had spied on her. She raised an eyebrow, eyes darkening, while saying icily, "You must know. You watched me behind the bush, didn't you?" and she walked off to her side of the table. Mina narrowed her eyes as the girl in black swept by her, face fixed in stony blankness. Severus silently made his way up to the table then, looking harried. Leena was still staring ahead not looking at her sister. Lucius and Narcissa were seated next to Draco, impassive. Dinner was slightly more elaborate since it was a special occasion.
***
Leena sat up late into the night, staring out her window again. Every night since Severus had left, Voldemort himself had taken over training them, subjecting each of them with the Cruciatus and Imperious curse by turns, training them to fight it off. Wormtail had completed his lessons on how to become an Animagi, so now Leena had an escape outlet. Mina was a little less inclined to turn as quickly as her and Leena used it to her advantage. She let her thoughts wander and they meandered all the way back to Connecticut, back to happier times, with her friends. She wondered if they'd forgotten her, what they were doing, and if they missed her as much as she missed them. Needless to say, she was surprised to find Rebo wondering the same at that moment. Quickly, she said "Hello!" Rebo whipped around, looking for the source, but couldn't find anything in her room. "I must be going crazy. I'm hearing Leena in my head and-"
"Silly, I am in your head; I can talk to you telepathically. I miss you guys so much!"
"Whoa, back-track for a sec... You are talking to me through your mind? One day, some weird people come and kidnap you, I never hear from you for about 2 months, then you decide to talk to me through your head? Sorry, I don't buy it..."
"Then go to an insane asylum, I don't care, but I want to talk to you! What have you been doing?"
"Nothing much, just wondering where the hell you've been...Everyone else is really worried about you! Where are you? What have you been doing since you got picked up?"
"Long story, I'll owl you when I get the chance to write it down. To make it short, we were kidnapped by a bunch of wizards, were brought to Dad in England, and have been learning how to do magic in the fifth level in order to go to magic school over here."
"And you actually expect me to believe this? Maybe I'm not the one who should be enlisting into an asylum..."
"Stuff it, Rebeka, I'm not in the mood. This is all a terrible mishap and I'm not any happier about it than you are. I didn't choose to be jumped."
"Well, answer me at least one question: What did you mean 'you'll owl me'? Is that a wizard spoof?"
"It means I'll mail you, you dupe! An owl takes the message to the person you want."
"oh..."
***
After Rebo had broken the connection, Leena paced restlessly, wishing for the umpteenth time that Severus hadn't left. She needed to talk to him more than ever. She decided a midnight stroll through the woods might help clear her head a bit, then she would send an owl to him in the morning. She grabbed her cloak and crept out, making sure that nobody saw her. Once outside, the full moon bathed the grounds in harsh, cold light. She stood watching it for a moment, then made her way towards the dark forest, not noticing the rustling in the trees.
She reached a clearing and had a clear view of the moon again. Sighing, she sat down leaning against the silvery bark of a birch tree, staring off into space, her mind in turmoil. The rustling in the trees was comforting and she let her mind go blank again, letting everything just be as they were. She didn't notice the pair of eyes staring at her from the edge of the clearing until it was almost too late. With a threatening growl, the wolf bounded across the meadow, eyes locked on target. Leena quickly stood up, yanking her daggers from her sleeves, ready for the attack, senses heightened to the extreme.
The wolf launched himself at her and she stepped to the side, making the growling pile of fur miss completely. She swung her left hand backward, dagger pointed to strike. It did, but not before the wolf had latched onto her arm, just above the mark. Two howls of agony rose in an unearthly wail as blood flowed freely from both. Anger made Leena fly into a frenzy, making her want to hurt, to kill. The wolf recoiled slightly as she whipped around, the silver blades gleaming in the moonlight. Blood dripped from his mouth and from a gash on his chest where she had struck. Seething in rage, Leena lunged, sinking the knives in again and again, the wolf howling and snapping at her, but failing. Red miasma clouded her vision as she slashed more ferociously at her assailant. She didn't realize that the howls became more and more human until a bloodied hand groped upwards, pushing her away and a shriek ripped the air to shreds.
Falling down from the force of the push, she saw a bedraggled man crying out in agony, clutching his chest where blood was spewing out in gushes. With a scream of fury, she grabbed her daggers and slammed them into to man's chest, silencing the pain of the innocent. High, cold laughter rang on her ears as she slumped to the ground, weakened from the effort and from loss of blood from her arm. She pulled back her sleeve and saw the bite, blood running black. Voldemort approached her lazily, eyes glowing in excitement. "So you've finally killed for the first time...well done. I'm at a loss for words," he hissed, hand over his heart mockingly. Leena was thunderstruck; she had killed a person. And she wanted to kill them, which was completely out character for her. She ran a shaky hand through her hair, disbelief and horror stretching her eyes wide open. "But...I...I mean, it..." she stammered out, making Voldemort laugh even more. "So it seems that you have found the werewolf that resides in my woods. I hope you enjoyed this full moon, for it is the last one you will ever see without turning into a monster yourself. Severus will have to make you something to quell the urge when you're at school," he said with amusement as he extended a thin, white hand to pull her up. She took it, not taking her sight off the mangled body of the poor man.
Voldemort pulled her arm out to inspect the damage, then took out his wand to heal it. Leena flinched as the wand was pulled out, remembering all too well what it could do. He smiled at her reaction, then pressed the tip against the wound, making the skin draw closed. It left a scar just above the ghastly insignia that was a dark, angry red. "You have an ordinary mark. It will have to be changed to one that shows you stand next in line to command the Death Eaters," he said flatly. "What about Mina? Isn't she next, as well?" Leena wasn't entirely thrilled with the thought of being in charge of the whole operation of evil should something happen to Voldemort. "Mina, however admirable her qualities, doesn't fulfill my requirements. She knows how to fight, she knows how to block, she can turn into a wolverine with difficulty, but you surpass her by far. You have certain...subtle, shall we say...differences in the way you handle yourself and those make all the difference in the world. Her emotions show on her face, you can always tell what she's thinking. You don't let anything show except that you have power. You have power and people know it. They respect you for it; it's distinctive when you tell people to do things and Mina does. You are to be my successor and Mina shall make a most useful spy," Voldemort declared, giving the impression that the subject was now closed from further discussion. With that, he muttered another spell and the snake turned a poisonous green, the skull black. With that done, Voldemort wrapped his arm and cloak around her, pulling her close, and Disapparated to the house. Again, she felt the rushing darkness flow past and then it melted away, leaving her in her room. "I bid you a good night's rest, but don't go on anymore nocturnal escapades for the time being. Or you shall suffer directly and I won't have mercy," he cautioned as he left.
***
Leena awoke to a sharp rapping on her window. Groaning, she pulled herself out of bed, the sun bothering her more than usual. A raven was tapping impatiently on the pane, a scroll tied to its leg. Opening the window, she wondered who it was from. "Open it! Open it!" the raven screeched and she complied, untying the black ribbon. She smiled when she saw it was from Severus. 'Who else would have a raven?' she thought with a smile. Short, terse, and to the point, the letter explained that the Twins were successfully enrolled into 5th year. All that was left was to meet Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster, and try on the Sorting Hat. Voldemort would arrange it and he would see them soon, as he had this weekend off and was coming to visit. The raven sat on her shoulder and played with her earrings, completely at ease. She rolled up the letter again, petting the raven absentmindedly. Lucius walked in, a grim look pasted on his face. "Today you need to start packing your things for school, and then go down to the study. The Dark Lord wants a word with you about school and other things, I'm sure..." he commented dryly. "I'll be down in a minute, I have to send a letter," she deadpanned back. With that, he walked out, having nothing more to say at the moment. Quickly, she drafted a short message in reply to Severus, saying that she had something to discuss and she couldn't wait to see him. The raven took off and Leena went downstairs.
"I know that you believe me to be your father, but that is only half the truth," Voldemort started off, voice dangerously soft. Leena held her tongue, not surprised in the least about this sudden statement. Maybe she would have some of her questions answered like Severus said. "Since you may have been wondering why you and Mina are so different, here is the answer..." For the next half hour, the truth poured out in a steady stream of quietly spoken words, closing her into a void of shock. While silence reigned, Leena mulled everything over in her mind. So Severus was a part of her, so she was a child of the night literally, so that's why she acted so different from her sister, so that's why...so...Voldemort sat observing her quietly, fingers steepled. "And what of school? What did you want to tell me about school?" she snapped, ice lacing her voice. "You will live with your other father for a week to gather your school things. It is his responsibility to get to Platform 9 3/4 and school. Your duty there is simply to get to know a child named Harry Potter. Get him to trust you, be your friend. Attempt to get into the house called Gryffindor. If not, you should go straight to Slytherin, as you are a descendant of him. Draco should do well to serve as a protection point; his influence is great," he stated, voice still soft.
Leena played with her necklace, eyes hard, mouth set in a colourless line. "So all I have to do is get into the House completely opposite of my personality and heritage, get know a certain person and not cause any sort of suspicion towards me? Gee, that shouldn't be too hard," she snapped, sarcasm dripping like syrup. "I'll choose to overlook that last comment of yours. You and Severus are going to be sent on missions together once the school year is underway. Don't expect to be too comfortable. You'll need to use every ounce of cunning that you possess in order to fool Dumbledore and the rest. And you will be expected to send me a monthly report on what's happening on top messages that your missions are completed. Understood?" Leena nodded. "Good. You may leave, send Mina in," Voldemort responded.
***
Leena paced the front hall on Saturday, waiting for Severus, no wait: Dad, to appear. "Peace, Leena, your incessant treading is hurting my head," Draco complained, leaning against the banister. She fixed him with a look, then went back to pacing. "It's imperative that I talk to him, that's all. Would you rather I did something equally as annoying?" she joked. "Naw, that's alright, I'll keep to watching you act like a caged panther, thanks," he returned. "You want a real caged panther? Watch..." she said, conjuring a cage around her, then transforming into one. She went back to pacing up and down, glaring at the door. "So Wormtail actually managed to teach you something? I'm impressed," Draco chuckled. She turned back and made the cage disappear. "I had it figured out from books, forget that stupid git," she grinned. Draco smirked, then said, "I have to go find Father, I'll be back. Mina had to talk to him urgently, for some reason and today was the only day he could stay and talk. See you around Hogwarts; in other words, next week." His retreating footsteps echoed down the dark hall, making her feel quite alone. The door opened and Severus stepped in, taking off his travelling cloak in the process. Leena pounced.
"So, dad, how was your journey here? I expect it went well?" she said, dragging him into the library by the arm. "Hello to you too, Leena. Could you at least let me...what did you just call me?" Severus said, startled. "I called you by your rightful name, stupid. Now is that what you meant, by saying that my questions would be answered later? That wasn't exactly the way I was figuring on finding out," she snapped. He raised an eyebrow at her outburst, a sardonic smile playing on his lips. "Well, you seem to have taken it well, judging by your reaction..." he commented pointedly, "What were you expecting me to say? Something like Darth Vader in Star Wars? I can hear it now...'Leena...I am your father...' Is that how you'd rather find out?" She stopped short, then burst out laughing. "I didn't think you would have any knowledge about movies!" she giggled. Severus crossed his arms, with a 'Duh!' look on his face. "I teach teenagers who come from the Muggle world, the Wizard world, and everything in between. How thick do you think I am?" he said patiently. Leena started to open her mouth, but he cut in, saying, "On second thought, don't answer that. I'd rather not know. Is your trunk packed? I have to take you to Hogwarts." She nodded, then bounded up the stairs to her room. Severus watched her leave, rubbing his forehead tiredly with one hand.
***
Leena lugged her trunk down the stairs, making a terrific racket all the while. BANG...BANG...BANG...BANG...Every step, the house shook with the thud of the trunk. Adelle was sitting on top of it, sniffling and wiping her eyes with her little dishrag/apron. "Miss is leaving poor Adelle, I is going to be missing you! Oh..." the house elf lamented. Leena glanced back, giving her an encouraging smile. CRASH! The trunk landed at the bottom, bringing Draco, Mina, Lucius, and Voldemort at the bottom of the steps. Voldemort merely raised an eyebrow at the sight of the flustered elf sitting atop the trunk. She got the hint and scurried to the kitchen. Lucius had a smirk exactly mirrored by Draco and Mina had a condescending look. "Where are you going?" she asked stiffly. "I'm taking her to live with her other father, Mina. Don't worry, you'll see her on the train to school," Severus replied, before Leena could let anything slip. Mina nodded, then stepped back. Voldemort lost interest and walked into his private study, closing the door with a snap. "We should go. Come here, Leena," Severus said, holding out his arm, taking hold of the trunk with the other. Leena walked over to him and he circled his arm and cloak around her. "Bye! I'll see you at school!" she said brightly and was whisked away into oblivion.
A/N: Finally, she's going to school! I thought I'd never get there! Ok, I'm off to type the next chapter, I'm not promising anything.