He led her back down the stairs and into another red, snake-designed room. It wasn't as homey as Dawn's room, but that was quite understandable. After all, instead of furniture, there were several pairs of rusty chains spaced around the walls and a huge, brownish-red splatter to Dawn's right. She gulped; it horribly resembled dried blood.
"Um, okay," Dawn said, avoiding the stain, "so this is where I train?"
"Inviting, isn't it?" said the Death Eater sarcastically.
"Quite," said Dawn uncomfortably. "So, fill me in on this whole 'training' stuff. What, exactly, am I training for?"
"Anything," said the Death Eater "Basically, you come down here for an hour each day to master the three Unforgivables and the Dark Mark incantation."
"That's it?"
"Only the start of it," said the Death Eater, chuckling at Dawn's horrified expression. "After that, you double your training time and come down here to perfect your dueling moves, then after that, you learn how to transfigure yourself into an effective disguise, but not like an Animagus."
"And then?" Dawn asked, fearing what was next. She was starting to hate this room more every second.
"Then you wait for your first order," said the Death Eater.
"And who's going to train me for all this?"
"Me," said the Death Eater.
"Cool," said Dawn. She was beginning to like this guy. "So do I call you anything special?"
"No," said the Death Eater. "You can call me by my name, Lucius."
"'K, Lucius," said Dawn, fingering her wand. "When do we start?"
"Right now," Lucius produced a small jar from the folds of his cloak. It contained one huge, hairy black spider. Dawn took a step back.
"I… hate… spiders," Dawn breathed.
"That's good," said Lucius. "It'll make it easier to use the Unforgivables on it. The more you hate something, the easier it is to use a curse on it."
"If you say so," Dawn said. "Which one do I use first?"
"The Imperious Curse," said Lucius, releasing the spider. Dawn gulped as she watched it scuttle around the floor. When it stopped in a corner, Dawn pointed her wand at it.
"Im- Imperio!" she said. Instantly, the spider's body relaxed from it's tensed up position. Do the, um, can-can, Dawn commanded it silently.
Slowly, very slowly, as if it were against the spider's better judgment, it raised itself on its two hind legs and started to do the can-can!
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Lucius. Dawn lowered her wand and the spider fell to all eight legs, shaking. "Now try the Cruciatus Curse."
The spider scuttled around again Dawn followed it with her wand until it stopped again. "Crucio," Dawn hissed.
A jet of light shot out from her wand and struck the spider in its side. It keeled over on its back and started to twitch violently. Dawn felt a sort of savage triumph as she watched the spider rock from side to side. Then she lowered her wand; the spider shakily stood up, twitching.
"Now the Killing Curse," said Lucius softly. Dawn raised her wand once more and directed it at the twitching spider.
"Avada Kedavra!" she yelled. A beam of green light shot out of her wand, accompanied by a sort of rushing sound. The light hit the spider, and suddenly, it wasn't twitching anymore. Then again, it wasn't doing anything anymore. It was dead.
"There," said Dawn, wiping a strand of hair off her face. "Unforgivables- done. Let's move on to the—"
"You're only half-way done with the Unforgivables," Lucius interrupted.
"Only half-way?" Dawn said. "What else is there to do? I used all three of them successfully. Isn't that the aim?"
"Yes," said Lucius, "but you used them on something you hated. Now you have to use them on something you love."
Lucius pointed his wand at a medium sized pebble on the floor at his feet… only it wasn't a pebble anymore. Lucius had transfigured it into a white baby rabbit.
"Why couldn't it have been a cat?" Dawn cried as she watched the rabbit wash his ears. "Or a dog?"
"This will make you stronger," Lucius said. "Put aside your personal feelings."
"Ok," Dawn sniffed, pointing her wand at the rabbit. "Imperio!"
The rabbit stopped washing its ears and lay on his stomach, eyes closed. Hop around in a circle, Dawn told him silently. He did so, and Dawn lowered her wand.
"Ooh, I'm going to hate myself tomorrow for this," Dawn whispered to herself, raising he wand once more. "Cru-Cru-Crucio!"
Dawn shut her eyes tightly as the poor rabbit writhed and twisted on the ground. After a few seconds, she raised her wand and opened her eyes. The rabbit was panting heavily and cowering at the spot.
"I'm sorry," Dawn said under her breath. She raised her wand for a third time. "Avada Kedavra."
Another jet of bright green light shot out of Dawn's wand and hit the rabbit. His eyes went blank and his panting stopped. Dawn bit the inside of her bottom lip as the moisture in her eyes increased.
"Very good," commented Lucius. "I don't think anyone has mastered the Unforgivables as fast as you have."
"I'm a quick leaner," said Dawn flatly, looking away from the rabbit. "Can we move on now?"
"Yes," said Lucius. "Now, we only have another half an hour left, so you not might be able to master the Dark Mark today."
"Try me," Dawn said.
"Alright," said Lucius. "The incantation is, 'morsmordre'."
"Ok," said Dawn. "Morsmordre!"
A pale something shot out of her wand.
"It's not supposed to look like that, is it?" Dawn asked.
"That's ok," said Lucius. "Try again."
Dawn tried again, and again, and again. She tried for fifteen minutes, but she was having some trouble making the Dark Mark looks the way it was supposed to.
"Maybe you should rest a while," suggested Lucius.
"We still have fifteen minutes left!" Dawn protested. "Let me try again."
"Alright."
"Thanks," said Dawn, She raised her wand and bellowed, "MORSMORDRE!"
A bright green shape emerged from Dawn's wand and rose up to the ceiling. It was a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth like a tongue. Dawn had finally conjured the Dark Mark.
"Wonderful!" said Lucius. "You can go back to your room and unpack your things now. Tomorrow, meet me down here at 1 o'clock PM, so we can start on your second phase of training."
Feeling exhausted but proud of herself, Dawn made her way through the empty halls of the mansion to her room. She unpacked her things silently, thinking. Just a few hours ago, she had been the loner, the one all the Muggles at the orphanage pulled their pranks on. But she was a Death Eater now, and it looked as though things would change.
And, eventually, things would change. If only Dawn knew that they wouldn't be for the better.
"Um, okay," Dawn said, avoiding the stain, "so this is where I train?"
"Inviting, isn't it?" said the Death Eater sarcastically.
"Quite," said Dawn uncomfortably. "So, fill me in on this whole 'training' stuff. What, exactly, am I training for?"
"Anything," said the Death Eater "Basically, you come down here for an hour each day to master the three Unforgivables and the Dark Mark incantation."
"That's it?"
"Only the start of it," said the Death Eater, chuckling at Dawn's horrified expression. "After that, you double your training time and come down here to perfect your dueling moves, then after that, you learn how to transfigure yourself into an effective disguise, but not like an Animagus."
"And then?" Dawn asked, fearing what was next. She was starting to hate this room more every second.
"Then you wait for your first order," said the Death Eater.
"And who's going to train me for all this?"
"Me," said the Death Eater.
"Cool," said Dawn. She was beginning to like this guy. "So do I call you anything special?"
"No," said the Death Eater. "You can call me by my name, Lucius."
"'K, Lucius," said Dawn, fingering her wand. "When do we start?"
"Right now," Lucius produced a small jar from the folds of his cloak. It contained one huge, hairy black spider. Dawn took a step back.
"I… hate… spiders," Dawn breathed.
"That's good," said Lucius. "It'll make it easier to use the Unforgivables on it. The more you hate something, the easier it is to use a curse on it."
"If you say so," Dawn said. "Which one do I use first?"
"The Imperious Curse," said Lucius, releasing the spider. Dawn gulped as she watched it scuttle around the floor. When it stopped in a corner, Dawn pointed her wand at it.
"Im- Imperio!" she said. Instantly, the spider's body relaxed from it's tensed up position. Do the, um, can-can, Dawn commanded it silently.
Slowly, very slowly, as if it were against the spider's better judgment, it raised itself on its two hind legs and started to do the can-can!
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Lucius. Dawn lowered her wand and the spider fell to all eight legs, shaking. "Now try the Cruciatus Curse."
The spider scuttled around again Dawn followed it with her wand until it stopped again. "Crucio," Dawn hissed.
A jet of light shot out from her wand and struck the spider in its side. It keeled over on its back and started to twitch violently. Dawn felt a sort of savage triumph as she watched the spider rock from side to side. Then she lowered her wand; the spider shakily stood up, twitching.
"Now the Killing Curse," said Lucius softly. Dawn raised her wand once more and directed it at the twitching spider.
"Avada Kedavra!" she yelled. A beam of green light shot out of her wand, accompanied by a sort of rushing sound. The light hit the spider, and suddenly, it wasn't twitching anymore. Then again, it wasn't doing anything anymore. It was dead.
"There," said Dawn, wiping a strand of hair off her face. "Unforgivables- done. Let's move on to the—"
"You're only half-way done with the Unforgivables," Lucius interrupted.
"Only half-way?" Dawn said. "What else is there to do? I used all three of them successfully. Isn't that the aim?"
"Yes," said Lucius, "but you used them on something you hated. Now you have to use them on something you love."
Lucius pointed his wand at a medium sized pebble on the floor at his feet… only it wasn't a pebble anymore. Lucius had transfigured it into a white baby rabbit.
"Why couldn't it have been a cat?" Dawn cried as she watched the rabbit wash his ears. "Or a dog?"
"This will make you stronger," Lucius said. "Put aside your personal feelings."
"Ok," Dawn sniffed, pointing her wand at the rabbit. "Imperio!"
The rabbit stopped washing its ears and lay on his stomach, eyes closed. Hop around in a circle, Dawn told him silently. He did so, and Dawn lowered her wand.
"Ooh, I'm going to hate myself tomorrow for this," Dawn whispered to herself, raising he wand once more. "Cru-Cru-Crucio!"
Dawn shut her eyes tightly as the poor rabbit writhed and twisted on the ground. After a few seconds, she raised her wand and opened her eyes. The rabbit was panting heavily and cowering at the spot.
"I'm sorry," Dawn said under her breath. She raised her wand for a third time. "Avada Kedavra."
Another jet of bright green light shot out of Dawn's wand and hit the rabbit. His eyes went blank and his panting stopped. Dawn bit the inside of her bottom lip as the moisture in her eyes increased.
"Very good," commented Lucius. "I don't think anyone has mastered the Unforgivables as fast as you have."
"I'm a quick leaner," said Dawn flatly, looking away from the rabbit. "Can we move on now?"
"Yes," said Lucius. "Now, we only have another half an hour left, so you not might be able to master the Dark Mark today."
"Try me," Dawn said.
"Alright," said Lucius. "The incantation is, 'morsmordre'."
"Ok," said Dawn. "Morsmordre!"
A pale something shot out of her wand.
"It's not supposed to look like that, is it?" Dawn asked.
"That's ok," said Lucius. "Try again."
Dawn tried again, and again, and again. She tried for fifteen minutes, but she was having some trouble making the Dark Mark looks the way it was supposed to.
"Maybe you should rest a while," suggested Lucius.
"We still have fifteen minutes left!" Dawn protested. "Let me try again."
"Alright."
"Thanks," said Dawn, She raised her wand and bellowed, "MORSMORDRE!"
A bright green shape emerged from Dawn's wand and rose up to the ceiling. It was a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth like a tongue. Dawn had finally conjured the Dark Mark.
"Wonderful!" said Lucius. "You can go back to your room and unpack your things now. Tomorrow, meet me down here at 1 o'clock PM, so we can start on your second phase of training."
Feeling exhausted but proud of herself, Dawn made her way through the empty halls of the mansion to her room. She unpacked her things silently, thinking. Just a few hours ago, she had been the loner, the one all the Muggles at the orphanage pulled their pranks on. But she was a Death Eater now, and it looked as though things would change.
And, eventually, things would change. If only Dawn knew that they wouldn't be for the better.
