Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Harry Potter blah..... blah....... Blah......... hey, if you did sue me, you'd have to take me home to be your slave, and then I'd copy what you write there anyway, so what's the point?? There is none, thank you.

AN. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I have some very sad news for you all!!!! Please go get a box of Kleenex........okay? It is my sad task to inform you all that my beta, Raoul is dead. He died in the care of Friend of a Friend (....fish killer.......) and so now, I write alone because no beta could replace Raoul. So now Fiend not my Friend will have to suffer the consequences of having killed my beta!!!! There is an empty spot on my desk....... ( Anyway, on with the chapter. It's chapter 8 !!!!!! I can't believe I made it this far!!!!! Yay me!!!!!!

If I don't get at least 8 reviews for this ( [ahem] from different people) I will not post the next chapters, just send them to the people who review. So take that!! REVIEW !!!!

For Raoul, my beta in the sky

Chapter 8 Who did Conjure the Dark Mark?

Severus Snape was in a foul mood. He stalked around his private quarters muttering under his breath. He had called his friends over to discuss what on earth they were going to do about this latest disturbance. The morons at the ministry were shouting from every tower that Voldemort had returned. Something has returned he mused. But what??

Flashback

"Look Draco, we've been...called"

"By whom??" Draco asked, "Voldemort is dead, isn't he?"

"Yes he is" replied Kathryn in a satisfied tone.

"Then who activated your Dark Marks?!?!?" Draco demanded.

"Well........."
"We're not exactly sure who summoned us" Kathryn admitted. "We just got the time and location as usual, didn't you get it?"

"No" Draco said, "I haven't been... in as long as you two..."

"We've never talked about it" said Kathryn slowly.

"About what?" asked Draco.

"The meetings, being......you know....." Kathryn said

"Never mind, we have to go soon and it'll take too long..." Alec muttered. "Why do we have to talk about it anyway? There's nothing to say. Who we are is not what we are when we're there. We know that."

"Maybe" said Kathryn, "But why hasn't Draco been called?"

"More importantly" Alec said "Have the others been called?"

"I don't know" said Kathryn "Being called doesn't make them sick, so how do we know?"

"We ask" Draco said, rising from his seat. "Let's go"

"We should wait for Helios" Alec said.

"We'll leave him a note" Kathryn said. Alec frowned. "Come on..."
Severus Snape looked up as three students entered his study, unannounced. When he saw the way that two of the students were dressed he stood and asked hastily,

"What has happened?"

Draco answered his question. "They've been called" he said. Snape raised an eyebrow.

"They have? I was not called" Snape said slowly.

"Neither was I" said Draco.

"Well, this is a matter for investigation" Snape said. "When are you summoned Kathryn?"

"In ten minutes from now" Kathryn replied, looking at her watch.

"Blast..." Snape muttered.

"Professor" Alec said, "We have to go. If we don't and it's..."

"Yes, I know" Snape said wearily. "I do not want you to go alone. I trust you, but you are young...Give me a moment." Snape drew his wand and muttered quietly to it for a few minutes. He ended his last conversation with a sigh and put away his wand. "None of the others here at Hogwarts were called" he said. "You have to go in alone. Do nothing to jeopardize yourselves. Leave as soon as possible, but try to identify anyone there for us. The Order of the Pheonix cannot be counted upon. They serve the ministry. We do not. We serve a darker purpose. Meet our organisation at ten o'clock tonight, in the room. Do not be late. You are dismissed"

"Yes professor" said Kathryn, as the three turned and left.

What am I going to do? Thought Snape. Someone is summoning select Death Eaters to do who knows what. I thought these spying days were over with me. Now, not only do I have to play both sides, my select students do as well.
The three made their way back down the hall,

"I don't think you should go" Draco said, stopping suddenly. "It's not right, this summon is all wrong. It doesn't match the Dark Lord at all."

"You're right" said Kathryn, "We'll go, but we'll hide and see what's up before we show ourselves!"

"Great" muttered Alec "Let's get going then"

The three friends walked swiftly down the corridors of the school. They halted before a painting and after glancing around, walked through it. The winding steps led them down into a large, circular room, crammed with various objects. A small fireplace was surrounded by large chairs. Bookcases full of books lined one wall, and what appeared to be potions ingredients, another. An obvious potion station was set up, and equipment was accessible on shelves up above the laboratory. Everything was neat. Not one book or potion bottle was out of place. The two small beds, against another space of wall were neatly made, and the curtains that could be drawn to seclude the beds hung neatly to the side. A table was pushed up against another wall with many chairs surrounding its three remaining sides. An empty painting hung on the wall over the table, its frame of ornate silver glimmered in the light. Kathryn sighed and rummaged in her pocket and produced a small, green bag with a drawstring. She opened it, and she and Alec stepped up to the fireplace. Draco stood back.

"Be careful" Draco said.

"I'm always careful" Kathryn retorted.

"Right" scoffed Draco, "Alec, try and get back here in one piece".

"Will do" said Alec. He took a fistful of powder from the vase above the fireplace. Kathryn removed a small knife from the bag; Alec held out his left forearm, his Dark Mark was burnt black. Kathryn sliced a shallow cut on top of the mark. Alec let a few drop bleed onto the powder in his other hand before he let Draco heal the cut with a spell. Alec stepped into the fireplace and said,

"Riddle Manor". He vanished in a cloud of red flames. Kathryn took a fistful of powder and held out her forearm to Draco, who made a cut onto her Dark Mark. She let it bleed a little onto the powder, before Draco healed her cut too.

Kathryn stepped into the fireplace. "Hurry back" Draco said. With a nod Kathryn called,

"Riddle Manor" and she too vanished in a cloud of red flames. Draco grabbed a book off the shelf and sat in a chair by the fire to wait.
Kathryn and Alec appeared in the attic of Riddle Manor. They quickly exited through the window and slithered down the drainpipe to the yard below. Silently, they made their way around to the front door. Alec opened it; silently willing it not to make a sound. "Come on" he whispered to Kathryn. They hurried into the house and down the hall. They heard voices coming from the dining room. Alec and Kathryn slid into the closet that was just before it, and looked through the small spy hole there.
Alec hissed as he saw several Death Eaters present. They all wore the masks and hooded robes that Voldemort had given them. "Alec?" Kathryn hissed, "Who is that one sitting alone?"

It was then that Alec noted that one of them was sitting on the throne- like chair at the head of the table. The figure was medium height and slightly built, a woman, he decided. Her mask concealed her face, but she wore no hood and her white-blonde hair hung straight past her shoulders. "Kathryn" Alec whispered. "We need to get out of there fast. We're out of our league here....Kathryn?" Alec looked over at the space that Kathryn had once occupied. She was gone.
AN. Sorry it's so short, but it has to end here. It's just the way it has to be.

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