Snape appeared in a large, almost cavernous, stone hall that he'd never seen before. He assumed it was within the walls of Clendenning Castle, as Victor Clendenning was standing nearby inside a circle of Death Eaters and facing Lord Voldemort. Lucius Malfoy stood next to him. None of them looked happy, but only Clendenning and Malfoy were bleeding.
"I will not be defied by my underlings! First you tell me that you've discovered this wonderful prize, and then, when I come to claim it, you tell me it has been stolen! Bring me the incompetent who was watching it for you!"
A trembling Clendenning bowed low and hastened from the room to do his Lord's bidding. Voldemort, skeletally thin, with a menacing frown on his snakelike face, turned his glistening red eyes on Malfoy. "I am not happy with you either, Lucius! I expect instant obedience from my servants. I should have been informed immediately when this was found, not a day and a half later."
Malfoy immediately dropped to his knees and touched his forehead to the floor, hiding his trepidation well as he sought to mollify his furious master. "I am sorry, Lord Voldemort. Clendenning and I merely wished to be sure that the chest actually contained something worth bothering you with. It could even have been empty. Your time is too valuable to be wasted on false hopes and promises."
Before Voldemort could respond, Clendenning was back, dragging the unfortunate guard behind him. Angrily he threw the terrified man down on the floor in front of the Dark Lord and stepped back hoping to stay out of notice for a bit. The guard sat back on his ankles, trembling, and looked up at Lord Voldemort, fascinated by his eyes, like the prey of a cobra.
"Who stole my chest?" hissed Voldemort in a forbidding voice as he narrowed his eyes and stared coldly at the quivering man on the floor in front of him.
The man swallowed hard and ducked his head. "It was a man and a woman. I've never seen either of them before, my Lord. The woman cursed me, and the man grabbed the chest. Then, while I was paralyzed, it looked like they went into the painting next to the door." He hesitated, knowing how crazy that sounded. "Though, they must have used the door. No one can walk into a painting."
Voldemort's red eyes flashed with sudden fury. "Evangeline Winthrop!" he yelled and stared angrily around the circle of silent Death Eaters. "The other prize you all have consistently refused to find for me. It appears that she's now actively working against me." The burning red eyes swiveled back to focus once more on the guard and a long thin finger pointed down at the doomed man. "Describe this man and woman."
The guard trembled some more and licked parched lips as he replied, "They both wore black pants and high necked black shirts. The woman had blond hair, the man brown, with a lot of gray in it. They were both thin and of medium height."
Malfoy added hesitantly. "The description of Evangeline Winthrop, that you gave to us, said that she had brown hair, Lord Voldemort."
Voldemort turned and sneered at him. "Even Muggles can change the color of their hair, Lucius. It shouldn't be too difficult for a witch. The question is how did she know about the chest? There's a spy in your house, Clendenning! Bring me your entire staff…NOW!" Clendenning trembled in fear and ran from the room.
When Clendenning's staff was hurriedly arrayed before the Dark Lord, he considered each of them very carefully. They all looked frightened, but the little chambermaid looked terrified out of her mind. Voldemort nodded to himself. If she didn't turn out to be the guilty one, he would be very surprised, and he was so rarely surprised any more.
With a negligent nod of his head at Alwyn, two Death Eaters detached themselves from the surrounding circle and went and grasped her firmly by the arms. They pulled her out of line to face Lord Voldemort alone. He fixed his cold red eyes on her, placed his face near hers, and hissed sharply, "You are a spy!"
The poor woman collapsed into a sobbing, trembling, mess that had to be held up by her captors. Filled with contempt, yet pleased with this response, the creature once known as Tom Riddle continued, "I might let you live, if you tell me whom you passed your information to." His voice was soft with its implication of mercy.
Hope flared within her terrified heart, and she nodded eagerly. Then with much trembling and sobbing, she implicated Matthew and his mistress, a blond lady at the neighboring cottage.
With a nod of his head to his minions, she was released to fall trembling to the floor. Without another word, Voldemort pointed his wand at her quaking form and set her ablaze. Alwyn shrieked out her pain before collapsing into a pile of burnt flesh and bone to the horror of most of those watching. Her callous executioner merely stared down at her remains with disdain and sneered nastily, "I said I…might…let you live."
Then he looked up at his followers impatiently. "Well, what are you waiting for? Bring me Evangeline Winthrop from the cottage next door! No excuses this time!"