Chapter 2

          Harry Potter sat up on his incredibly uncomfortable bed and reached onto the table for his glasses. Upon putting them on, his small room started to come into focus. His eyes quickly targeted his owl's cage and he noticed, much to his dismay, that Hedwig had not yet come back from her journey to the Burrow where Ron and his family lived. His hopes dashed at having to stay another day with the Dursleys, Harry got up and dressed in his usual baggy, stained clothes. As he turned around to exit the room, a remarkably large object hit the back of his head. His hand instantly and instinctively reached for the wand on the table next to him and he turned around. He smiled to himself when he found that it was just Hedwig returning with the post. Harry was surprised to find that he had gotten two letters. Harry grabbed them from Hedwig, who gave him a quick bite on the finger for she obviously didn't expect to have to carry so much, then jumped on his bed to read them. The first one, as he had expected, was from Ron.

'Harry,

How's your summer been? Mum said that you could come

And stay with us until school starts. I know it's only about three days, sorry we couldn't get you sooner, but we've kinda had this family emergency. We'll pick you up later this evening; 5:00 sound good? See you then, Ron.'

          The third letter, much to Harry's surprise, was a small note and a copy of The Daily Prophet. Harry read the note:

'Just thought you might like a heads up, boy.'

          But that was all. There was no name with it; there was no anything except those few words. Instead of puzzling over the note, though, Harry immediately opened The Daily Prophet and his eyes fell on the first article he saw.

You-Know-Who is back and maybe stronger than ever!

It's well known now that You-Know-Who has been planning to rise again. But after many attempts, and each being spoiled by young Harry Potter in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you'd think he would just give up. But, that does not seem to be the case as this reporter has heard many rumors about his return. Certain people who say they have had contact with other sources who may know something are now saying that You-Know-Who is recruiting a whole new generation of Death Eaters. A certain young wizard, who has asked that we not give out his name, has said that he had seen a young Witch with the Death Eater's symbol burned onto her skin. "It was right there, I saw it!" he says, "She was an evil looking woman and I knew, I just knew that she was working for him." Upon further questioning about how the woman looked, he stated, "I only noticed her nails, they were sharp, dreadfully sharp. Looked like she could slice skin with nails that long and pointy. Other than that, I can only tell you she was wearing a green cloak, but that's about it." If anyone sees another person who fits this description, then please contact the Ministry of Magic. This article written by: Mirande Degoniat.

          Harry sat, staring at the article. He had no idea why in the world someone would want to send him this. What did it matter? He didn't feel like thinking about things other than going to stay with Ron. He put the paper under his bed and walked down into the living room, counting the hours until 5:00.

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          Narcissa Malfoy knocked on the door of the Degoniat Mansion. The heavy old world style door slid open with a scratching sound and a tall, elderly woman emerged. The servant stepped back to allow Narcissa in and escorted her to a chair in the lounge. Narcissa eased herself onto the dark red easy chair, allowing the old maid to put a napkin in her lap and offer her tea and small cakes. The woman walked into the kitchen after seeing to the guest. Narcissa smiled to herself as she remembered how Mirande always liked to employ Muggles to do her work. Narcissa, while waiting for Mirande to come downstairs, looked around the grand 'Red Room' as it was most often called, and with good reason. The carpet was plush, deep red in color and Narcissa noticed that her feet sunk into it a good deal. The walls were an elaborate maroon color with gold trim bordering the top, giving the name of every Degoniat. The 4 large tapestries on the wall each depicted a different story. One told the story of King Arthur, whilst another told the tale that was the Lady of the Lake. The other two were a dull yellow color, obviously very old, and they told the tale of Ancient Egypt. In between two of the tapestries was a display case, and inside was a wand. Narcissa couldn't help herself as she got up and strolled over to it to look at it closer. It was pure, beautiful black with whit lines across the handle, making it seem marble. It had a small ruby in the exact center, circled with gold. There was a name on it, Pandora.

          "Having fun, Narcissa?" came the deep yet feminine voice of Mirande. Narcissa turned to see her best friend in a gown of deep red and gold, her red hair left to fall down her shoulders, and her thick black glasses making her look a little geeky but lovable.

          "Mirande, who's Pandora? Is she one of your relatives or something? She has a beautiful wand."

          "Had one, you mean. Pandora, let's just say she's a friend of mine. I don't see her very often."

          "Why?"

          "Enough small talk, how about you explain exactly what you were doing?" Mirande said, throwing herself down into her chair, crossing her legs and acting as if it were a throne.

          "What do you mean, I was just looking at this wand."

          "Not that, I didn't know you got the, you know, the symbol…" She said quietly. Narcissa still stood there, incredibly puzzled. Mirande stood and went to a small oak table on the south wall and pulled out of a drawer a copy of The Daily Prophet. With a small sigh she handed it to Narcissa. The blonde woman sat down in her chair and took a few minutes to read the article. Her jaw dropped.

          "Oh, come now Mirande, you can't possibly think it was me!"

          Mirande grunted and crossed the room, gently grabbed Narcissa's wrist and push back the baggy sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark. It had almost vanished; it was hardly recognizable.

          "I rest my case, Narcissa. You fit the description perfectly. The nails, the cloak, the mark. I had no choice. I have already alerted the Ministry of Magic, and they will be coming to take you to a trial."

          Narcissa's mouth continued to open and close, she didn't know what to say. There was a loud knock on the door and Mirande swept out of the room, letting her dress flow behind her as if she were royalty. Narcissa saw three people enter the room, two Ministry of Magic Officials and one Auror. She couldn't help but burst out into tears and she started to beg them. She had to assure them that it wasn't her.

          "No! It wasn't me I swear! A lot of people look like me! I haven't been out of the Manor all week, so how could it have been me?!" She yelled frantically. The Auror walked to her and grabbed her gently by the shoulders and started to escort her out. He whispered something into her ear and it obviously calmed her down. She succumbed to small sobs and walked out the door with him. The two officials, looking grim, walked out as well, leaving Mirande in the doorway. Mirande closed the door and took off her red cloak and her glasses, revealing dark red eyes. She sat the heavy cloak on a nearby chair and scratched her arm where the Dark Mark was getting clearer and clearer.