Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that you recognise in this story. They all belong to the wonderful author known as J.K Rowling. I don't own the sweet song below either… Angel
A/N: So much editing… So many mistakes… Must sleep…
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty,
Or weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight
In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel roomAnd the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of an angel
May you find
Some comfort here
Chapter 2: Trapped
Voldemort grinned at her. "So, have you changed your mind?"
***
Cho looked at Voldemort fiercely, trying desperately to keep calm and collected. "Tell me what you did to my father," she said. Voldemort eyed her slowly and smiled.
"Ah, it's a new spell I've invented. It's called the Powerless spell as it leaves the victim, well, powerless…" Voldemort chuckled to himself. Cho glared at him in disgust.
"You mean—he's not dead?" she asked, as a look of relief passed by her face.
Voldemort shook his head. "No, but he's not alive either. You see, his mind is still working properly, but his body is slowly deteriorating. The white light that you saw coming out of his body was his power and strength. And it had been transferred into…me," he said joyfully.
Cho ignored his cheery tone. "And can you fix him? Make him normal again?"
"Well, of course my dear. Once I invent a new spell, I also make a counter-spell for it. In this case though, it's a counter-potion," answered Voldemort, his eyes shining brightly.
"All right. Give my father the potion and I will do what I am told," she said, biting her lips nervously.
Voldemort laughed again. "No, no, no, my dear. That is not how it works. You'll do as you're told and then I'll cure your pathetic father," he replied, smiling at her.
Cho shuddered and hesitated.
"Make your decision; time is important. Your father is very, very slowly dying. Do you want to save him or not? This is your only chance," said Voldemort softly, as he circled around Cho like a vulture waiting to strike its prey.
"Get away from me," cried Cho.
Voldemort sniggered. "So, what will it be?"
Cho's tears cascaded down her face as she bent down and stroked her father's face gently. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. She stood up, wiping the tears off her face with her hands. "I'll do it," she said.
"That's what I call a good deal," said Voldemort.
***
Draco gulped. He couldn't help but feel sorry for Chang; she had lost her boyfriend Diggory last year, and now her father's practically dead too.
"But that is not all…" Voldemort said, his eyes glinting with menace. "I have my own plan; a plan that will make me invincible; a plan that, if successful, would ensure that I will conquer the entire wizarding realm."
All the Death Eaters were at the edge of their seats. They waited with anticipation. Cho's eyebrows were furrowed; wondering if this will have anything to do with her. But instead, Voldemort said, "And for this to work, I will need…Granger."
Both Draco and Cho gasped aloud. Each thought desperately: Why would Voldemort want Hermione Granger?
Beside Draco, Avery asked the very same question, "Why would you need that Mudblood, My Lord?"
Voldemort smirked at Avery. "You'll see, Avery…You'll see," was his reply. "I will need someone to smuggle her out of Hogwarts into a place that I will provide. It should be a very simple job. Lucius, I trust your son is willing to do it?" asked Voldemort, his red eyes boring into Draco's.
Lucius gaped at Voldemort. "Ahem," he said after a while. "Ye—Yes, of course, My Lord. Anything—Anything for you… My son is at your service."
Draco felt as though a Stunning Spell had hit him. His eyes travelled over to Cho, who was already looking at him with her wide, brown eyes. 'Smuggle' Granger out of Hogwarts? Suddenly he had the urgent need to go to the bathroom and vomit.
Voldemort however, couldn't be happier. "Then all is ready," he said with an unmistakable note of triumph in his voice. "By the way, would anyone like to guess who will be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher this year?" he asked calmly, looking over to Draco and Cho.
Rushing wind could be heard sweeping past the room, and with the swish of a cloak, the figure of a slim woman appeared. Her beaming, silvery hair was too obvious, as Draco let out a cry of surprise.
"Fleur??"
***
"My fellow Death Eaters, please welcome our new member, Fleur Delacour. She had decided to join us after… a terrible incident," announced Voldemort. He laughed merrily and clapped Fleur's back.
Fleur's sea blue eyes tingled as she felt the chill from Voldemort's touch entered her body. She smiled sweetly. All the Death Eaters looked at her with wonder. Clearly her beauty took them aback.
Cho raised her eyebrows. Voldemort certainly have a natural talent at getting people to trust him. First my father, then Fleur…
Voldemort's frosty voice pierced through her thoughts. "It is certainly very convenient that Fleur will be teaching at Hogwarts this year. For she will be keeping her eyes on you as carefully as possible, and will report your progress to me," he said. "So you can not do anything wrong. Is that clear?"
Cho nodded; so did Draco. Voldemort seemed satisfied. "All right, all is well. Fleur, please escort these two children out of here, and you will have a talk with them I presume," ordered Voldemort.
Cho stood still. "What about my parents?" she asked, her voice quavering.
"You and your parents will stay here until it is time for you to go to Hogwarts," answered Voldemort briskly.
Fleur then gestured for Draco and Cho to follow her out the door. Draco felt relieved to be able to escape from that horrible dining room. Fleur walked ahead of them, her silvery hair glowing lightly in the dark corridor.
Draco and Cho walked, each not saying a single word. They glanced at each other uneasily once in a while, but each had a lot of things on their mind.
They made their way along the corridor, continuing to use Fleur's bright hair as a source of guide light among the increasing darkness that enveloped them. Cho finally broke the silence. "Malfoy, is your family allergic to light or something?" she asked, squinting to see if Fleur was still visible.
Draco snapped out of his thoughts. "No, but old Voldie is. He gets really bad acne when he spends too much time under the sun... or the moon."
Cho smiled faintly. "Aren't you scared?"
"What? About having to smuggle Granger out of Hogwarts? Nope," Draco answered briefly.
"No, about the fact that Voldemort is
going to kill you if you fail. Think about it."
Draco stayed silent. "Right, I've thought about it," he said after a while. "Nope."
***
Fleur led them into the living room, which was splendorous. The floor was covered with a furry, red carpet and the walls were lined with green tapestries that depicted the Malfoy family in a battle. A young Lucius Malfoy was running around from one end of the room to the other, chasing a dark-haired man with a sharp, blood-stained knife.
"Wow, nice decorations," commented Cho, scrunching her nose.
They sat down on one of the soft, green sofas and focused onto Fleur. She was standing up in front of them, her hands clasped together. Her face was paler than usual, even with the tinge of blush on her cheeks. Her shiny hair glimmered in the dark and she looked at Draco and Cho carefully in silence.
"Wake me up when you're going to talk," said Draco, laying his head back onto the comfy sofa.
Fleur seemed to have woken up from her trance and her blue eyes snapped. "Oh, right," she finally said. "I am sorry. All right, now onto your tazks… I believe Ze Dark Lord haz talked to you about it?"
"Yes," answered Draco sternly. "And we won't need to get over it again. Now, tell us, how did you come to be a Death Eater?"
Fleur's eyes darkened. "Draco Malfoy! Zat is none of your business. Now, pleaze do not azk any more… personal questionz. Iz zat clear?" she asked, almost angrily.
"Az clear az ice," said Draco, smirking sweetly.
Fleur shook her head. "I do not like your attitude, young man. How are you going to convinze that young lady to get out of Hogwartz if you are zo rude?"
Cho chuckled.
Draco's reply was interrupted by a cold voice from the door. "Everything all right, Fleur?" asked Voldemort's dark figure, his red eyes monitoring their every move.
Fleur seemed restless and turned around nervously. "Ye—Yes Master," she replied, her hands shaking a little. "Cho, Draco, you may leave now."
They did as they were told and Voldemort closed the living room door. Draco and Cho immediately placed their ears on the thick mahogany door, but found that they could not hear anything except for a few muffled noises.
"I bet you he cast a Silencing Spell on that room, so we couldn't hear anything," said Draco disappointedly.
"I wonder what they're saying," murmured Cho. She yawned; tonight was the longest night of her life. Every second that had gone by seemed to be a million years ago.
Suddenly, they could hear footsteps from behind the door. Draco took Cho by the hand and jerked her forwards. "Quick! They're coming!" he whispered fiercely. They ran into Draco's bedroom, forcing their legs to work as swiftly as possible. Cho slammed the Draco's bedroom door shut and breathed in deeply.
"Close one," muttered Cho. She slid down onto the floor and rested her head on the hard oak door. "Ugh, I've never been so tired in my entire life."
Draco slumped onto his bed. "I can't wait until all this is over."
"Me too," murmured Cho, swearing to herself that she would get her father back to normal. No matter what.
***
~END~
*yawns* Sooo sleepy…
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*has nightmares about writing fluff in future chapters*
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