Chapter 16 Dinner Parties and Unexpected Alliances Part 1

I caught Draco up on some of the things that Harry was going through. And what happened when we discovered that I was allergic to cleaning potions.

He had a good laugh at what I thought I had Seen.

After dinner, I was sitting in the dining room with the rest of the Death Eaters.

The Hexums were side-eyeing me. And I noticed that Astrid was here.

"Tonight, we welcome several new family members into our midst."

I finally paid attention to those who were around me.

Beth Christensen.

Dean from when I first met when Cassius took me into the Slytherin common room.

Astrid.

And several others who had graduated Hogwarts last year. Some were looking at me and others weren't.

But my heart sank when I saw someone who I never thought I would see again.

Hector Smith.

'What the hell.' I thought to myself.

"Tonight, we will welcome them with open arms." Voldemort was walking down the line with all the 'new recruits.'

Hector was looking at me with wide eyes.

I couldn't believe he was here.

"Now we will perform the ritual. When our youngest member is ready, she will be a part of it as well." Voldemort nodded to me.

Hector's eyes narrowed.

I stopped looking at him and then looked over to Astrid who was looking straight ahead of her.

'Astrid's going to be at Hogwarts next year. Why is she here now?' I asked myself.

"My lord."

The temperature in the room got colder.

"Yes?" Voldemort hissed.

"Why is Zwart here?" Hector asked, sneering at me.

Voldemort walked around the table, excruciatingly slow. When he reached my chair he pulled it out and helped me stand up.

"What is your history with Hector, my dear?" He whispered.

I looked at Hector who's eyes had suddenly widened and his face paled.

"He bullied me my first year at Hogwarts. He was interested in someone who I was growing up in an orphanage with, and when she came to check on me he had a fit that she wasn't paying attention to him." I told him.

'I have the power over you now.' I thought, enjoying the feeling that swelled in my chest.

Voldemort's eyes flashed and he looked over at Hector who was starting to fidget.

"He doesn't know about my special ability." I told him.

Voldemort nodded reached a hand out to touch my shoulder.

I had to fight the urge to shiver.

"I see." Voldemort let me go back to my chair, but he stood over me putting his hands on my shoulders.

"For those of you who are joining us, Cassie here is very special."

Astrid's eyes narrowed.

I looked straight ahead.

"Cassie is our secret weapon because the other side doesn't know that she's a Seer."

I had to wrack my brain.

Did Snape tell him that? Did I tell him that? I couldn't remember. But if that's what he believed then I was going to use it to my advantage.

Astrid's eyes widened, but Hector's narrowed.

"My lord, I'm afraid she's -"

"Cassie has had a vision in front of Narcissa's young son, Draco." Voldemort hissed.

"I can't procure visions at will. I have tried to show my Lord that I do have visions, but they are stubborn things and are only Seen when they want to be Seen." I spoke up and put a hand on Voldemort's.

'It needs to be done.' I told myself.

Hector's eyes narrowed.

I prayed to whatever Seer deity there was that I could have a vision now, more than ever. Voldemort needed to see it, and damn it, I was going to shove it in Hector's face!

"My lord, are you sure she's not spying on you for them?" He asked.

Astrid slammed her hand on the table.

"If she was, then he would know about it." Astrid growled out from between her teeth.

Her mother was quick to calm her down with whispers.

"Are you saying that I'm not a good judge of character?" Voldemort hissed out, his grip on my shoulders tightening.

Hector's eyes widened.

"Oh no, no sir! I'm just saying that maybe she's lying so that she could be a spy." He offered weakly.

I rolled my eyes at him and looked at Voldemort who was looking down at me.

"He doesn't like me, my lord. He would say anything to make you torture or disbelieve me. I don't think he would be a good fit for our cause, but I also don't know what he can offer because I was not privy to the conversations involving him." I told the Dark Lord.

Voldemort's eyes flashed and I looked into Hector's eyes.

Hector finally got the hint that I was sending him.

He paled and then turned red.

"My lord! I apologize! I didn't -"

"That's enough." Voldemort spoke.

Hector shut his mouth.

"Cassie, would you like to know what Hector can offer us?" Voldemort asked, squeezing my shoulders and then leaving to walk around the table.

"Yes, my lord." I said, keeping my tone light.

"Hector, is learning how to be an Unspeakable." He hissed.

"I apologize, my lord. I don't know what that is." I said, slightly embarrassed.

"Of course, of course. An Unspeakable, is a person who works in the Department of Mysteries." Voldemort explained.

"Oh! He can get us into the prophecy room!"

Hector looked at me angrily.

"How do you know -!"

"I told her." Voldemort hissed menacingly.

Hector shut his mouth.

"Oh Hector, while you've been away, I've been busy." I fluttered my eyelashes at him.

His cheeks became patchy with red spots.

"Hector." Voldemort was no longer hissing. "If you keep disrespecting my charge, you will suffer consequences."

Hector's cheeks grew more red.

"With all due res-"

"Crucio!"

Voldemort said it so calmly.

Hector was screaming and writhing on the ground.

My eyes were wide with horror.

I didn't like Hector, but I would never -

Voldemort lifted his wand and left Hector panting on the ground.

"If you wish to join my cause, you will treat everyone with equal respect. We are all the same here." Voldemort hissed to the room.

The new recruits all nodded their heads while Hector struggled to get up and back into his seat.

Voldemort came back over to my side of the table and stood over my chair.

"Cassie is a Seer, and she has been kind enough to -"

I was sitting in my same spot but was surrounded by more people.

I recognized some of the people around me, but Bellatrix LeStrange was glaring at me from across the table.

She was shouting at me, but not making any movements with her wand.

Hector was seated on one side of her and her husband was on her other side.

Voldemort was calmly talking to Bellatrix about something.

I'm figuring it was me.

"Cassie." Voldemort said when I blinked.

"This won't be the last time you have a conversation like this." I warned him.

I pulled off my journal and before I could perform the necessary charms, he put his hand on my shoulder and did it for me.

I let him read over my shoulder as I wrote down what I Saw.

"I see, thank you, Cassie." He whispered to me.

"You really are a Seer." Astrid spoke up.

Her face was still unreadable.

"I really am. My eyes fog up like that when I have a vision." I answered after the Dark Lord was done reading what I had written down.

Something flashed in his eyes and he nodded to me and resumed walking around the table.

I put the page in my journal and placed a hand on my journal.

"Are there any other doubts about Cassie?" Voldemort asked.

He was met with silence.

"Very good. We shall begin with Miss Hexum, if you will please?"

I watched with cautious terror as she walked with him to the front of the fireplace. He pulled off the mantle a brand that I couldn't make out.

Narcissa shifted next to me.

'No.' I thought to myself.

Voldemort started to chant something I couldn't understand and pulled Astrid's left arm to him, baring the skin.

She looked to her parents. Her blonde hair was in a tight braid going over her shoulder, her brown eyes flashing with a mixture of emotions.

'I wonder if she sent me anything?'

Then Voldemort pressed the brand into her skin.

Astrid closed her eyes and started to breathe heavily.

After Voldemort's incantation he pulled off the brand and then licked her arm.

I couldn't help the shiver of disgust down my spine.

Astrid must've also had the same shiver because I noticed Voldemort's grip tighten.

"You did lovely, Astrid." He hissed at her.

"Thank you, my lord." She bowed her head to him.

He led her back to her chair and did the next recruit.

By the time he got to Hector I was sick to my stomach. There was something about what he was chanting that made me feel gross, and Narcissa was starting to get twitchy as well.

After he licked Hector's arm, he held his arms wide and had a strange smile on his face.

"Welcome to my family!"

I'm struggling to keep him as close to character as I can, but as cool and calculated he was in the books, I really think that with him splitting his soul he started to lose his mind as well. But that's just my personal opinion.