After the presents had been opened and the food consumed (both very long processes), Draco's parents relaxed in the large sitting room, awaiting their guests who were due to arrive for a dinner dance that evening. Draco meanwhile, dragged Ariadne to the spacious drawing room, pushed her inside and locked the door.
Looking slightly apprehensive, Ariadne turned to look at Draco, expecting him to be advancing on her with an expectant look in his eyes, but instead he was over in the corner of the room, lifting a large Persian rug off the floor and out of the way, revealing a trap door set into the wooden floor. He looked up, beckoned silently to Ariadne, and opened the door.
Still feeling apprehensive, Ariadne walked across the room to where Draco stood. On closer inspection, the trapdoor was actually quite large, and had a set of stone steps leading down into the darkness below. Draco began to descend the steps, and when he was halfway down, he looked up at Ariadne. "Come on Fortuna, you're not scared are you?" Determined to prove to Draco that there was no way she was scared of walking through a hidden trapdoor and down a set of stone steps in what appeared from here to be a bottomless pit, Ariadne followed him down the steps.
About ten steps ahead of her, Ariadne heard Draco mutter, "Lumos," and a tiny dot of light sprang out through the darkness. She did the same, watching the beam of light descend the steps ahead of her. When it finally stopped moving downwards, she realised Draco had reached the bottom of the steps and soon joined him. Draco muttered, "Estellaros," and thousands of tiny stars sprang from his wand tip and attached themselves to the walls around the pair, lighting up the small underground room they were in.
Ariadne couldn't explain it, but she suddenly felt a strange sensation come over her. As the light from the tiny stars filled the room, it illuminated various objects lining the walls and covering the floors. These objects however were still in shadow, despite the room glowing with light. It was as if they were absorbing the light, rather than reflecting it.
"Go on, have a look around," whispered Draco, and suddenly the sensation Ariadne had experienced grew stronger, almost as if she were being pulled to the objects in front of her. As she got closer, she could just make out numerous bookshelves, several cloaks and robes hanging from the wall and a pile of what looked disturbingly like human body parts, twisted into grotesque shapes.
If Ariadne had not been so engrossed with the objects, she might have heard footsteps coming softly down the stone stairs. She might have noticed the face of Lucius Malfoy illuminated in the starlight, and how the shadows that fell across his gave him a slightly demonic appearance. She might also have noticed the look that passed between father and son, the expression of triumph on Lucius' face not dissimilar to that on his son's, and the evil gleam in his eye that was suggestive of the plans forming in his mind. However, before Ariadne could tear herself away from the objects in front of her, Lucius gave a small hiss of pain, clutched his left forearm, and vanished with a small pop, leaving Draco and Ariadne alone in the small room once more.
*
On a cold, dark hillside, above a tiny village, a silent group of dark figures stood, watching, waiting. The atmosphere was tense as a lone figure walked slowly round the ring they formed.
Every now and then the figure would stop, look at one of the assembled group and speak briefly. It was impossible to see who the people forming the circle were – their faces were covered, and not one knew the identity of the others surrounding them. However, they all knew the prowling figure, and they all feared his power.
The figure, who had walked past several people in succession, stopped abruptly in front of a tall, slender member of the group. Instead of talking briefly without turning round, the figure turned to face the person with whom he wished to speak.
"I hear you have news for me Lucius," said the figure in a voice that sounded more like the hiss of a snake than anything human. Lucius nodded. "Well, spit it out then," hissed the figure.
"My Lord, you are trying to recruit new people, new blood, to replace that shed in the past conflict."
"I know that Lucius." The voice was as cold as ice this time. "Don't waste my time by telling me things I know. You know the penalty for wasting my time"
"I apologise my Lord," said Lucius hurriedly. "It's just I" he faltered. "I have found you someone."
The snake-like slits that served as the figure's eyes narrowed. "Tell me more" he said, a vague note of interest in his voice now.
"Well, she is 14," began Lucius, but he was interrupted.
"She is too young. She cannot possibly know enough, and she will be untrustworthy"
"I have seen her perform the Imperius curse to great effect my Lord!" persisted Lucius. "She knows more than anyone else of her age – she was taught the Dark Arts at Durmstrang by Karkaroff, she,"
"Silence!" The shriek pierced the air. "Not only did you interrupt me, but you mentioned the name of that traitor. You know the punishment Lucius"
Lucius' pleading was cut short as a piercing scream filled the air. The hooded figures watched, half in amusement, half in terror, all knowing they could be next.
Eventually the curse was removed, and Lucius lay on the ground twitching.
"Get up Lucius you pathetic worm," sneered the voice. "Very well, tell the traitor's protégé to prove to me that she can truly do as you say she can. Make her prove her allegiance to Lord Voldemort. And woe betide you if she can't Lucius"
Lucius jumped back slightly as the figure's long, talon-like fingers caressed the wand in his hands.